Who would have predicted that 24, a series shot in real time and one that occasionally uses split-screen, would turn out to be one of the most successful television series of the last forty years?
24 first aired in 2001 and has since become the second longest running espionage series in television history after Mission: Impossible and
The Avengers. Now in its eighth season and with talks of a feature film, season seven is released on DVD and Blu-ray this week.
Kiefer Sutherland is the perfect choice as counter terrorist operative Jack Bauer, a role which won the actor a Golden Globe for his stand out performance in the first season. Sutherland is one of those actors who effortlessly swing back and forth from hero to villain and back again. But as Bauer, there’s no mistaking his heroic inclinations.
As you would expect from the title, events take place over a 24-hour period where Bauer has to save the day from various terrorist plots. The first series in particular rung true for a country devastated by the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks and Bauer proved to be a comforting and charismatic hero.
Producing season seven had its fair share of drama. In October 2007 the Writers Guild of America strike postponed the series for a whole year. Sutherland declared season seven as the best in the series simply because the writers had a whole year to think and rethink plot scenarios. The season features the first female president and for the first time in its seven-year history, takes place outside Los Angeles.
24 Season 7 is released on DVD and Blu-ray.
