If you watch the first three seasons of 24, you would have had no idea that later on it would develop a reputation as right wing pro-torture propaganda. As originally conceived, the show was simply a very well-written, taut thriller. Although Jack Bauer was depicted as a tough character, he was not the psychopath he later became.

The initial moves towards the more brutal characterization started in Seasons Two and Three. The character began to withhold pain medication from injured terrorists and threaten suspects' children in order to get information. Although hardly compliant with the Geneva Convention, these actions were exceptional, and could even be seen as developing Jack's scarred psyche. They did not constitute the theme of the entire series.

It was Season 4 when things really started to turn ugly. Filmed in the wake of the Abu Ghraib scandal, the producers decided they would use the series to make a political statement about torture. As with many liberal attempts to turn entertainment into political message, the results were disappointing, to say the least. Torture was emphasized to an extent that it became annoying, while some characters served little purpose other than to spout right wing platitudes. One torture scene, involving an innocent woman, was so drawn out that one had to wonder if the station had somehow switched to a showing of "Hostel." It was Season 7 that really jumped the shark, though. Jack had by this point morphed into a caricature. In the premiere episode, when Jack, about to gouge out a character's eye, said "I'm going to enjoy this," I actually broke out laughing. Furthermore, the writing, which had previously been tight, began to degenerate, with characters being resurrected from the dead.

Do yourself a favor. Stick to the first three seasons, as they're the best, and definitely worth watching.