Bonus Content: Issue 15

In a TV double bill the two final ever episodes of 24 are aired in the UK tonight, yes we know these episodes may have already been broadcast wherever you are in the world, but I’ll thank you in advance not to post any spoilers in the comments below as tonight marks the culmination of eight years of some of the finest entertainment ever produced, so don’t be a spoiler – else bad things will happen.

Spanning nearly nine years the eight seasons of 24 have racked up 192, hour long episodes and with the addition of 24: Redemption (the made-for-TV movie that aired as a build up to series 7) that’s around 145 hours of TV (excluding the ad-breaks) or to put it another way – the equivalent of over 70 movies and which ever way you add that up that is an amazing achievement. An achievement which has changed the production of TV for the better forever.

24 has been a TV phenomenon, you don’t even have to of watched a single episode to have felt its influence. Premièring in the US in late 2001 on the Fox network and originally booked for thirteen episodes, as Fox were hedging their bets in case it bombed although they needn’t have worried because after only ten episodes into its run Kiefer Sutherland was picking up a Golden Globe for his lead role, spurring Fox on to order the remaining eleven episodes of the season, and the rest as they say is history.

That Golden Globe was the first of many awards for the show as it went on gather both critical and ratings success around the world. This success gave confidence to US TV networks when looking to give the green light to other big budget blockbuster series’ like Lost, Prison Break and Heroes but unlike those, 24 has maintained its ratings right to the end with practically as many people still watching it as there always has been. 24′s inspiration was felt this side of the Atlantic with the BBC making moves to emulate 24′s success with the commissioning of big budget programs like Hustle and Spooks.

To say I’m a fan of 24 would be a bit of an understatement, I absolutely love almost every second of every series. I say almost, because even the most ardent of fans can’t possible love Jack’s daughter, Kim and her constant ability to get kidnapped at the very moment Jack is about to make a major breakthrough in his seemingly never-ending task of saving the world from one threat or another.

It would be easy to put my love of 24 down to the non-stop action which fills every episode to the brim, but for me and many others 24 is characterised by a heavy character driven plot with many, many interweaving sub-plots per episode which tie into an overarching plot not only for the series but across all of the series. With the tragic events at the end of series one still having a visible effect on Jack and how he interacts with other characters. Adding depth and weight to even minor characters has been a major strength of the series with and pretty much anyone who has a speaking role will have an impact in how the days event play out.

Unpredictability is another hallmark of 24 with no character being to big to die, the eight seasons have been littered with deaths of Presidents, lovers, colleagues, bosses, agents, double agents, triple agents in fact it would be far easier to list who is still alive rather than those who have died.

This unpredictability isn’t just limited to the writers ability to kill off major characters no matter how integral they were to the plot, but also the fact that Jack’s place of work CTU has infiltrated by a double agent in every single series. Sometimes the writers have this out in the open letting us, the audience, in on their double-dealing and in other series their underhand activities have been withheld from us as right up until the last possible moment which happened most notably with Nina Myers, a name which even nearly nine years later makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I’m not sure how I feel about the decision to end 24 after these final episodes because unlike other shows which have gone on for a long time, 24 has never ran out of steam. The writing, plot twists and character development has been as strong in this eighth year as it was in its first. I suppose it’s best that it goes out on a high and I’ll always be able to treasure the memories of the sheer scale of the drama which has unfolded over the past nine years as Jack has saved America and the World from terrorism, and not lament the fact the writers ran out of ideas and didn’t know how to wrap things up. Besides, it won’t be too long until Jack can save us all over again in 24 the movie and we can hear him utter the immortal world once more, Dammit!