Rating: 
Summary: One of the most inventive, incredible series on television
Review: RELENTLESS! If there is one word that can describe what watching "24" is like, it's relentless. There are few TV shows on the air today or that have aired throughout history that have the ambition to try what "24" tried and the skill to pull it off so seamlessly. For those who have been living under a rock for the past two years, Season 1 of "24" tells the real time story of the events surrounding an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. The caveat is that this is no ordinary candidate. David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) is the first African-American candidate with a legitimate chance to win the White House. His potential presidency is of paramount importance to the country. His assassination would prove disastrous. To compromise Palmer's security, the terrorists have managed to infiltrate Los Angeles Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) on the day of the California primary. The security breach allows the terrorists access the man whose responsibility is to weed out the terrorist threats and keep Palmer alive, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). The terrorists kidnap his family and keep Jack jumping through hoops in a dual-pronged effort to save his family and protect Palmer. All of this occurs over the course of one 24-hour period. It's the longest day of Jack Bauer's life.
The concept of "24" seemed very difficult to buy into at first. As a result, I did not watch any of Season 1 when it was broadcast and have not watched any of Season 2 so far. Yet, glowing reviews and recommendations led me to get this DVD collection and watch it from start to finish. It is an incredibly well-produced and well-acted show. Most big-budget movies are not as well-crafted as "24". The concept of telling the story in real time presents many difficulties and is rarely attempted as a thematic device (see 1995's Johnny Depp movie "Nick of Time" for a big screen example of this device). It does add to the suspense and drama, however, because every event must happen in a realistic time period. For example, you couldn't very well have a character hop in a vehicle one side of Los Angeles and be completely on the other side by the time a commercial break is over. So, even the smallest of details, like a long red light, play a major role in impacting all developments in this ongoing story. The production team for "24" doesn't miss a trick, though. The real time element is kept as honest as possible and not one single episode feels as though it's filler that is just using time to get from one point of the plot to the other.
Excellent storytelling and tight plotting aside, "24" would not be able to work if it were not for the outstanding performances of a highly skilled cast. Kiefer Sutherland is the most well-known of all the actors and he brings his own special brand of harried desperation to the role of Jack Bauer. Sutherland is the perfect actor for this role because he brings the perfect blend of sympathy and uncertainty to his role. The audience truly feels for Bauer as he deals with the events of this day, but they also feel on edge because they don't know how far over the line he is willing to go to achieve his objective (he shoots one of his superiors in the leg with a tranquilizer in the first episode just to get some withheld information from him. Haysbert brings a true sense of presidential bearing to his role as Senator Palmer. He's a good man that the audience can easily believe is presidential material. (Heck if David Palmer were a real candidate, I'd vote for him). Leslie Hope (Teri Bauer) and Elisha Cuthbert(Kim Bauer) demonstrate the appropriate level of terror one would espect them to feel as the captured wife and daughter of Jack Bauer, respective. Sarah Clarke is also quite good as Jack's second in command at CTU, Nina Meyers. Even smaller players like Tony Almeida (played by Carlos Bernard) and George Mason (played by skilled character actor Xander Berkeley) provided added weight to the already strong story.
It's important in this review not to reveal any of the twists and turns that take place throughout the 24 hours. If you haven't seen the show yet (as I hadn't before seeing it on DVD), the story developments will blow you away. "24" is truly a masterful piece of work and I cannot wait until Season 2 is available so I can watch that from start to finish, too
Rating:
Summary: It's just one of those days.....
Review: Jack Bauer ( Kiefer Sutherland) is having one of those days. He is the head agent in charge of the Counter Terroist Unit in L.A.. He has recently gotten back with his wife Teri ( Leslie Hope) and is also trying to be there for his daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert). Jack also works with Nina Myers ( Sarah Clarke) who is second in command. He had an affair with Nina when he was seperated from his wife and daughter. He faces constant tension with Nina still wanting him. At midnight, Jack gets a call from work saying that there has been a threat on Senator David Palmer's ( Dennis Hayworth) life. He is assigned to come up with a strategy to keep Palmer alive. But this is where the story gets interesting. The terrorists manage to get their hands on Teri and Kim and use them as leverage. Now Jack must find a way to keep the Senator alive without getting his wife and daughter killed. Watch Jack in action as he lives on the edge and plays by his own rules, leaving procedure and protocal far behind..."24" is without a doubt the most action packed and suspenseful television series that I have seen in quite some time. The show is guaranteed to have you hooked from the first episode. The format of the show is one that has never been done before. It is done in real time. Each show consists of one hour of a 24 hour day. Kiefer Sutherland gives a knockout performance as Jack Bauer. Dennis Hayworth is superb as Senator David Palmer. He is the first African American presidential nominee in history. You not only get to see him worry about his campaign, but deal with his extremely disfunctional family in the process. Leslie Hope does a nice job as Jack's wife Teri. I was very impressed with the job that Elisha Cuthbert did as Jack's daughter Kim, and she is absolutely gorgeous!! Other great actors include Dennis Hopper, Sarah Clarke, Carlos Bernand, Penny Johnson, and Eric Balfour. Watching Jack struggle hour after hour all day long will have you on the edge of your seat! The show is very well rounded, because each character is important, and could affect the outcome of the story at anytime. The DVD is definately worth the money. You get to see the show without commercial interruption and with awesome picture and sound quality as well. Definately one of the most original and well made TV shows in quite some time!
Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: We did not watch this series on television because it conflicted with another series that we preferred (our current TiVo records only one channel at a time). Getting the DVDs after the fact may have turned out to be better than "live" TV. It plays out more like a long movie than as a TV show. It was hard to imagine a show of 24 episodes portraying what a movie might cover in one-tenth the time. However, it is very active (not just jiggly cameras and rapid scene transitions) and keeps your attention. There is a lot going on and it is done very well -- almost movie quality viewing. The technical aspects are good -- video, editing, sound, transfer to DVD, etc. But, that always plays second to the plot. This one is pretty good.
Rating:
Summary: 24 Number 1.
Review: I didn't watch the first episode. But i got the first season of 24 on DVD on Christmas day. From the moment I watched the first episode I was very very hooked. It was full of Surprise ...
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I heard the show was good, but didn't bother to tune in. After I missed the first couple of episodes I thought I would be lost so I just gave up on it... What an incredible TV show. This is probably the best programming I've seen on TV in a very long time. I'm usually not a big fan of the various TV dramas, but this one is great. I rented the first 4 episodes from Blockbuster, and after watching them, returned to buy the entire series...and finished it in 3 days. :) Suspense, drama, action, mystery, thriller, and even a smattering of comedy. My only problem now is that I haven't seen the beginning of the second season, so now I'll have to wait for September to get the entire collection and watch it before the third season. Good show!!
Rating: 
Summary: Quirky show with surprise endings
Review: This is an excellent show. It builds to an exciting conclusion and will get most viewers hooked. Sutherland does a great job and basically carries the entire show. Dennis Hopper and Xander Berkeley also appear and are memorable. The unsung hero of the show is Dennis Haysbert, the actor who plays the President. He is a commanding presence and has emotional depth as an actor.
Rating:
Summary: The only show that actually deserves to be on TV
Review: 24 is the best show I (and my family) have come across. It is filled with suspense. It leaves you questioning. I recommend it to anyone who likes a great show.
Rating:
Summary: What more could you want?
Review: 24 is the most complex, intelligent TV show ever made. With 24 episodes featuring the dramatic realism of the current events occuring everyday this is without-a-doubt the best.
Rating:
Summary: 24 was meant for DVD
Review: Not having ever seen the show on television, a friend recommended I buy the DVD. What a great investment. Believe me when I tell you, 24 was meant for DVD. I could not bear to watch this show over the course of several months. In fact, when the second season comes out, I plan to watch the entire season straight through. Buy this NOW, and set aside 16 hours to watch it over the next few days; you WILL get hooked!
Rating:
Summary: Great Series - on my own time/Great for flights
Review: I was not able to finish Season 1 of 24 Hours due to a family emergency that caused me to miss 3 episodes. It was hard to pick back up after that. The DVD is great! Not only can I watch this show on my own time frame without missing an episode but having a DVD has caused me to use the pause and rewind features quite often. With so many little clues, the DVD works wonders in terms of having control over reviewing details I had questions about. (for example, is that man really calling Janet for his own "daughter's" best interest? Rewind and pause to see from where he is calling from!) It also enabled me to pause and think about what is going on without missing the next scene in this fast paced drama. I will let you know it was hard to get throught the entire DVD set, but this is because I keep looking backward for clues I may have missed. **for frequent travelers, this is a wonderful set to take with you on the plane. You'll be so involved the flight will pass in no time. It also will give you something to think about between those frequent business flights.
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