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Does “24” hold up?

Should I watch 24?

  • Yes, worth your time

    Votes: 169 49.7%

  • No, skip it

    Votes: 100 29.4%

  • Maybe; give it a few episodes to see if you like it

    Votes: 71 20.9%
  • Total voters
    340
ExhaustedWalrus

ExhaustedWalrus

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,953
I am looking for a new show to watch (just finished the new season of Ozark), and 24 crossed my mind. I've never seen single second of the show, and it was on when I was too young. I like political thrillers and action. I don't see this show brought up a lot anymore, and I've always heard very good things about it. I'm in the mood for an exciting show.
 
BassForever

BassForever

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,222
CT
Yeah, season 1 starts a bit slow but once it gets going it's an absolute thrill ride.

TELL ME WHERE THE BOMB IS NOW!
 
Mcfrank

Mcfrank

Member
Oct 28, 2017
15,424
It is similar to Homeland in that there is more good than bad by a pretty wide margin. But there is some bad eps and some bad seasons for sure. I think it is worth watching.
 
Aiqops

Aiqops

Member
Aug 3, 2021
14,614
It obviously has its problems, but I would be lying if I said I don't enjoy it still. I grew up with it, started watching it when it first began airing here in germany. Watched both the finales of Lost and 24 on the same day. xD

I love the format, crazy twists, the action, Jack Bauer and many of the supporting cast.
 
stn

stn

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,724
The computer/tech/hacking stuff is cheesy but the action and thrills are great. I loved the hell out of that show, especially seasons 1 to 5.
 
thediamondage

thediamondage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,827
first few seasons, for sure. Its goofy as fuck and very much a "TORTURE, FUCK YEAH" so if jingoism and stuff turn you off not worth a watch, but if you can shut off your brain its a thrill a minute with a lot of crazy twists and turns
 
Laephis

Laephis

Member
Jun 25, 2021
2,770
Always struck me as a show that tapped into the worst parts of the post-9/11 response: torture, erosion of privacy rights, terrorists everywhere, etc.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
96,244
here
it had a scene that totally fucked up my immersion and i just couldnt keep going

it was the stupidest thing ive ever seen anybody on tv do, and i just couldnt anymore

think this was in season 1 or 2

or 3? cant remember, dont want to remember
 
Zodzilla

Zodzilla

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,250
Take it as a comic book show, and it's still one of the best action shows to ever be on television. He'll, some of the action/suspense scenes are more intense than movies.

That being said, as a huge fan, note that one of the co-creators and several of the producers are right wing shitheads. This is mostly held back for the first 3 seasons, but really rears its head in season 4.

Thankfully, a more moderate liberal ends up running the show from season 5 onwards.
 
Royalan

Royalan

I can say DEI; you can't.
Moderator
Oct 24, 2017
12,376
Was always on Team "24 is mediocre actually."

I feel like, outside of its "every episode is an hour" gimmick, Homeland did everything it was trying to do but better.
 
Sheepinator

Sheepinator

Member
Jul 25, 2018
28,299
Absolutely. I wouldn't recommend bingeing all the seasons though.

A few things to note:

1. Everything in LA is a 10-20 minute drive.
2. He never needs to charge his phone.
3. He can quickly aggressively coerce information from terrorists, except when the plot demands a far more circuitous route to the goal, leading to more padding and absurdity.
4. The security for their office is like a damn Starbucks.

It's good fun though.

That's Jack Bauer.

 

Deleted member 10691

Banned
Dec 19, 2021
574
I'm convinced 24 is at least in part responsible why so many Americans were ok with torture. There were legit op-eds saying "Jack Bauer did it!!!" as justification in 2003/04
 
ibyea

ibyea

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,165
It's soap opera with really good action set pieces and hefty dose of suspense. Sometimes the show is absolutely dumb, but if you want some good entertainment, it delivers in spades. Just don't expect anything serious or sensible in the political front.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
96,244
here
TheDestructiveSquirrel said:
Spoiler it
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the wife escaping the baddies with her daughter in a car, being actively pursued by them

EXCUSE ME

YOU ARE PULLING OFF TO A SIDE ROAD AND PARKING

AND GETTING OUT OF YOUR CAR

TO SEE IF YOU ARE STILL BEING CHASED?!??!?!?

WHAT THE FUCK

KEEP DRIVING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WHY WOULD YOU STOP AND GET OUT OF YOUR CAR TO SEE IF YOU WERE STILL BEING CHASED

then there's the whole wife amnesia, daughter somewhere else after the car goes off the cliff, i just kinda forced myself to watch til the end of the season by that point

still has me angry, jeez
 
psynergyadept

psynergyadept

Shinra Employee
Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,009
It's somewhat does, it's like watching an 80's action film but in a season. A little more right leaning than I remembered when I did a rewatch a couple of years ago.
 
chrominance

chrominance

Sky Van Gogh
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,076
Fat4all said:
the wife escaping the baddies with her daughter in a car, being actively pursued by them

EXCUSE ME

YOU ARE PULLING OFF TO A SIDE ROAD AND PARKING

AND GETTING OUT OF YOUR CAR

TO SEE IF YOU ARE STILL BEING CHASED?!??!?!?

WHAT THE FUCK

KEEP DRIVING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WHY WOULD YOU STOP AND GET OUT OF YOUR CAR TO SEE IF YOU WERE STILL BEING CHASED

then there's the whole wife amnesia, daughter somewhere else after the car goes off the cliff, i just kinda forced myself to watch til the end of the season by that point

still has me angry, jeez
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

There's way cooler stuff that happens in later seasons, but also a lot of way stupider shit than this. You were probably right to get off the train, lol.
 
sredgrin

sredgrin

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,276
It barely held together for half its run in the first place, so no.

Watch maybe the first 4 or 5 seasons and dip, at most. And even then a good chunk of time in there is pretty bad.
 
TheDestructiveSquirrel

TheDestructiveSquirrel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
28,736
Fat4all said:
the wife escaping the baddies with her daughter in a car, being actively pursued by them

EXCUSE ME

YOU ARE PULLING OFF TO A SIDE ROAD AND PARKING

AND GETTING OUT OF YOUR CAR

TO SEE IF YOU ARE STILL BEING CHASED?!??!?!?

WHAT THE FUCK

KEEP DRIVING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WHY WOULD YOU STOP AND GET OUT OF YOUR CAR TO SEE IF YOU WERE STILL BEING CHASED

then there's the whole wife amnesia, daughter somewhere else after the car goes off the cliff, i just kinda forced myself to watch til the end of the season by that point

still has me angry, jeez
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


Yea, they had to do some stupid stuff to fill 24 episodes
 
Rookhelm

Rookhelm

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,710
It's a lot of shooting bad guys and torturing them to protect America, but man, the suspense and twists are great

But CTU really needs to improve their hiring practices
 
BassForever

BassForever

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,222
CT
Honestly the worst thing about 24 is when plot lines randomly get dropped between episodes. S2 has a famously bad example of this with
the wild animal that Jack's daughter runs into at the end of one episode, and then the next she's fine and nothing comes of if
 
Bishop89

Bishop89

What Are Ya' Selling?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
35,960
Melbourne, Australia
100%

It's so fucking good.

First couple of episodes are a bit aged, but when it gets rolling oh boy.

The only season I didn't like was 8.

Don't bother watching anything that came out after s8, they weren't very good.

First 3 seasons in particular are amazing
 
kmfdmpig

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,738
It's silly escapist fun. Strikeback is a better show though and it hasn't been seen by enough people.
 
Nameless

Nameless

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,540
Absolutely. I've never fully stopped watching since the show ended. There's nothing out there quite like it.

S1-5 are all fantastic.
 
Judau

Judau

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,944
Rampage said:
Seasons 1, 2, and 5 are worthy- they rest not so much.
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stn said:
The computer/tech/hacking stuff is cheesy but the action and thrills are great. I loved the hell out of that show, especially seasons 1 to 5.
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sredgrin said:
It barely held together for half its run in the first place, so no.

Watch maybe the first 4 or 5 seasons and dip, at most. And even then a good chunk of time in there is pretty bad.
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Nameless said:
Absolutely. I've never fully stopped watching since the show ended. There's nothing out there quite like it.

S1-5 are all fantastic.
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Am I the only one who liked season 7? Then again, maybe I'm biased, since Tony Almeida is my favorite character who isn't Jack Bauer. Also, I thought Live Another Day was great, but Legacy can and should be considered non-canon.
 
The Lord of Cereal

The Lord of Cereal

#REFANTAZIO SWEEP
Member
Jan 9, 2020
10,131
In one of the seasons (I think 2?) they visit a city in central California but then terribly mispronounce the name of said city and get very basic details about the city wrong.

Several episodes of season 2 where this was the case for that city. Fucking hate it so much even if the city doesn't deserve to have its name pronounced properly
 
Zippedpinhead

Zippedpinhead

Fallen Guardian
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,927
Seasons 1 and 5 are absolutely incredible. Fast paced, good villains, twists, turns and the endings of both seasons are, IMHO the best in the series.

You could probably skip the rest, but you would miss nuances to Jack's character
 
darz1

darz1

Member
Dec 18, 2017
7,187
Ok, it's hands down the best action TV series ever, but there are some caveats that must be mentioned

season 1 is the only one that really sticks true to the "this is happening in real time" aspect. As a result it is also the most boring season because it drags out what is happening. From season 2 onwards a lot more happens each episode but you have to suspend your disbelief because they really exaggerate how much can actually happen in an hour. Everything that happens in season 1 would only take about 5 episodes of any other season.

season 1 also has the most insufferable side characters who do the dumbest shit ever.

season 2 makes a big jump in action but also a big jump in violence and torture. From season 2 onwards, Jack is a super action man and occasionally crosses the line.

some of the early seasons dip into "war on terror" territory. It's not explicitly right wing and Jack definitely doesn't come across as right wing, but there are some questionable themes.

Ricky Schroder shows up in season 6 as a guest character.

so yeah, if you can look past these things it's good action tv with lots of twists and turns. But It's dated.

Homeland is less action oriented but deals with similar themes and is generally a better show, but if you are just looking for some make believe action with plenty of high stakes twists, 24 is enjoyable schlock
 
Poppy

Poppy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,357
richmond, va
24 has a lot of boring episodes and just trash scattered throughout but regardless i still watched like four seasons

i dunno, i think its kind of awful and yet
 
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