I started watching "24" when the first season aired in Germany. At first, I seriously doubted whether a real-time TV show could work, especially with a lead actor like Kiefer Sutherland. I had only seen some of Sutherland's movies, like "Flatliners" and "Eye for an Eye". Both movies weren't exactly what I'd call good entertainment, but since the network which airs it in Germany promoted it with quotes from established magazines and newspapers like "The most compelling series on television" and "24 grips you and never lets go", I decided to watch the first episode. After that, I really wasn't able to let go, so I watched the second episode, and after that, the third. Every week I got more and more hooked on 24.

If you don't know 24 yet, you might ask: "Who is this Jack Bauer?"

Jack Bauer is a CIA agent, working for a fictional branch called CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) in L.A. In every season, there is a certain challenge for Bauer related to terrorist activities mostly in Los Angeles, but sometimes with global consequences.

I followed Jack Bauer through all of his bad days, from Season 1 (in which he has to save presidential candidate Senator David Palmer), through Season 2 (in which CTU needs to find a nuclear bomb in L.A.), Season 3, where Los Angeles is threatened by a deadly virus that could kill millions of people in the area. In Season 4, there are multiple threats which Bauer needs to fight against, starting with the meltdown of several reactors all over the United States and ending with a nuclear missile headed for Los Angeles. Season 5 basically revolves around Bauer having to save himself, after being declared dead at the end of Season 4 to avoid being handed over to the Chinese government.

Of course, 24's changed over the seasons. Season 1 was the first one and the real-time concept was totally new, so there were a lot of mistakes and the showdown happened in hour 13 instead of 24, because Fox had taken precautions, and in case the show hadn't attract any viewers, they could've killed it off after episode 13.

Season 2 was in all likelihood the best of all seasons, because now, the writers had to go a lot further to surprise the audience. There were more plot twists, more action. This got Kiefer Sutherland (Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series) and Sarah Clarke (Best Female Supporting Role in a Drama Series) a Golden Satellite Award.

During the third season, Jack is addicted to heroin after being undercover with the drug lord Ramón Salazar. Around episode 12, Jack takes Methadone to fight the withdrawal symptoms, because Kiefer Sutherland had doubt that he could play the addiction through the whole season. The plot twists after that appear very unbelievable, which is probably why most people don't rate season 3 as high as other seasons.

The same unreal-seeming twists also happened in season 4. Still, the fourth seasons got higher ratings than season 3, due to a lot of action and a terrorist mastermind played outstandingly by Arnold Vosloo.

Season 5, the latest complete season I have watched, showed after five years, that 24 still has the potential to leave the audience completely shocked. Unfortunately, the writers saw no other option to do that than killing four of the most beloved characters on the show. David Palmer, Michelle Dessler, Edgar Stiles and Tony Almeida.

But if killing beloved characters is the only option to leave the audience interested and wanting more, I am certainly willing to take that. 24 is probably one, if not the best show ever seen on TV.