I'm very rarely compelled to write a review here, but for this show I have to. Why is it so popular? I've just finished watching the first series, and it really doesn't deserve the hype it's received. Actually, scratch that: hype is short for hyperbole, which is defined as "a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement". This perfectly sums up 24.

If the clichéd, formulaic action-movie pap here was actually in a movie, I;m sure people would think "good fun, but nothing special". But for some reason it gets comments like "breaks new ground" and "one of the most original and compelling series ever". Rubbish. Most of the main characters (Teri, Kim, David, Sherry, Keith) were so annoying that I was rooting for the bad guys. There is laughable dialogue ("I'm trying to explain to you what a simple, powerful thing my love for you is" - what?!). There are plot holes galore. But, most infuriatingly, it takes itself SO seriously - is there a laugh in this entire thing? For mindless entertainment, it's OK. But it's far from the brilliant TV show that people make out.