Twenty Four Reasons to Watch

One year ago Fox did something bold. They launched a TV series that broke a lot of rules. Now, you might be thinking this isn't such a big deal for Fox. This is the network that brought us such visionary (and when I say visionary, I mean pathetic) programs as Cops and FreakyLinks. Well, this series was 24, and quite frankly it's the best new drama on TV in a long time — easily the best since ER. If you've seen the first season, you're already looking forward to season two. If you didn't see the first season, don't miss the second. It returns on October 29. If I haven't convinced you yet, here are twenty four reasons to watch 24.

1: The second season premiere will run commercial free. That's right, no commercials. This is a good thing.

2: Kiefer Sutherland won a Golden Globe for his performance as Jack Bauer.

3: He was nominated for an Emmy as well.

4: The show is already out on DVD — the entire first season. If you want to get caught up on the show you can.

5: The first season on DVD is actually very cheap. It's around $40 dollars US, or $60 Canadian.

6: Amazon.ca actually has the first season on now for under $54 Canadian, which is the best price I've seen on it.

7: On the topic of Canadian, the show has a host of Canadian talent, including Sutherland, Leslie Hope and Elisha Cuthbert (who play his wife and daughter). Also there's Xander Berkeley, who plays his immediate superior, and Mia Kirshner, who plays a very bad person.

8: Something cool I just discovered: back in September the aforementioned Xander Berkeley married Sarah Clarke, who plays Nina, Kiefer Sutherland's second in command.

9: The show runs in real time. That means every episode makes up one hour of the day, and it brings a real sense of urgency to the show.

10: Just to make sure you are up on the urgency, the current time is flashed up before and after almost every commercial break.

11: The show uses split-screen camera work, which looks very cool. Sometimes you'll see two or three different things all at once, sometimes two angles of the same event, but never for very long, so the split-screen stuff doesn't get annoying.

12: The show is about a plot to kill Senator Palmer, presidential candidate, so the stakes are high.

13: The show is mostly about Kiefer Sutherland's character Jack Bauer, though, which is good, because this character, quite frankly rocks.

14: In the first episode he shoots his superior with a tranquilizer dart and blackmails him into giving him information. Who hasn't wanted to do this to a boss?

15: Several of my friends have been watching my DVD box set, and they got hooked on the show immediately. It's that good.

16: The presidential candidate I've mentioned is played by Dennis Haysbert, who you might remember from such movies as the Major League series, Random Hearts, or Navy Seals.

17: Despite the fact he was in Navy Seals, he does a compelling job as Senator Palmer.

18: Penny Johnson Jerald plays his wife, and she's ambitious and manipulative and very good at both.

19: Did I mention yet that the plot to kill Palmer has been tied back to the government agency Jack Bauer works for might have a traitor inside. Or maybe more than one traitor.

20: Have you seen Young Guns? One of Kiefer Sutherland's costars from that movie shows up in a minor role.

21: On the topic of celebrity appearances, Dennis Hopper appears in the last few episodes as one of the nastiest characters he has ever played.

22: The series plays out much like a really long and really good suspense movie, only better.

23: If you have access to the Canadian cable station Mystery, there will be a 24 marathon this weekend, starting at 9 PM eastern on Friday, October 25.

24: The total body count for the series is over 50, and that's not counting the plane that blows up in the first episode. So it's action filled. Watch it.