There is a website called "Jumped the shark". The website chronicles when the users think a TV show dug it's own grave. To me 24 went downhill, when the TV movie came out. Not because it was a movie spanning "only" 2 hours of a day (instead of the 24, though if you watch them without ads, then you never are getting full 24 hours, more like 18 hours or less), but because it never felt as driven and at least I saw through all the clichés. Even the show as it is, has many clichés and if you really look there are quite a few logical errors (the writers admitted to it themselves), but the show had other advantages the movie did not have. Unfortunately season 7 carried on with that. And while Season 8 had a few highlights, I never felt the same about the show again.

You might call that nit-picking (and you may be right), but that is how I felt about it. Having said that, the first seasons were action and drama packed. So much so, that you did not have time to breathe. While shows like Lost tried to intrigue you with another sort of cliffhanger, 24 went straight for the adrenalin! Viewers were so intrigued by the show that they were actually angry at people who opposed the character Kiefer Sutherland plays (Jack Bauer). Which coincidently has the same initials as James Bond and Jason Bourne. Or is it a coincidence? ;o)

What I really loved about the show, is that it is unpredictable (until the movie as stated above). So you never knew what was going to happen next or if your beloved character might have some fatal "accident". And that is what kept everything going. There is an alternate ending for season 1, but I am happy they went with the one that you can see (and could see on TV). Still a nice addition to the Box set of the show. The commentaries on the other hand are like a box of candy. You never know what you will get. Some commentaries are boring, because they tell you what you already see, some are a bit curious (an actress who never appeared on the show, but is "a big fan", was allowed to be on one(?)), but the majority is a good listen. There is a 24 website were you can check which are worth you while ...

Enjoy!