After taking a hiatus last season due to the writer’s strike, 24 is back. And so far in my opinion it is opening strong. Jack Bauer is back in action doing things only he can get away with doing.
First, Fox took an interesting and intelligent change in tack this season. They opted to bring us up to speed on Jack’s activities since we last saw him by way of a pre-season 2-hour movie event – 24: Redemption. This in and of itself was compelling television. Jack was on the lam in Africa trying to stay under the radar when events started to unfold around him that he could not ignore. What was great about this event is that it set the stage for this season by introducing us to some of the characters and sub-plots to be carried on this season. It also managed to by pertinent to current events by revolving around the inauguration of a new president.
The new season premiered this past Sunday and Monday showing us the first 4 hours of Day 7. In this season, we open to Jack being tried by the Senate for the questionable tactics of CTU over its years of operation. But very shortly into that, he gets subpoenaed away by the FBI to assist in a situation involving an old friend of his – Tony Almeda! Within the first 2 hours we see Jack and Tony get into a fight and before the end of the third hour everything gets turned upside down.
In short, I’m excited and I can’t wait to see how this “day” unfolds. In watching 24 over the years, there HAVE been times where I’ve felt they were getting a bit cheesy, repetitive, and/or beyond belief. But so far what I’ve seen this season has been solid. Jack is definitively Jack and I can’t wait to see what he does next. 24 is back and I’m glad to have it.