A creative and revolutionary television program that could best be described as "High Noon" for the 21st Century X and Y generational groups starved for cinema-like ideas and executions. "24" (representing the number of hours in a day) runs an hour a week, in real time, and advances to a staggering climax as an anti-terrorist specialist (Kiefer Sutherland) races against the clock to save the day. Assassination attempts, germ warfare and anti-American enemies are constant obstacles for Sutherland, daughter Elisha Cuthbert, president Dennis Haysbert and an innumerable cast of others. Regulars come and go, guest stars make lasting impressions and cliff-hanger sequences will leave you gasping for air and possibly grasping your chest to calm your heart down. So many things happen over the course of one day on this show (you would not believe everything that goes on over such a short period of time) that it is sometimes hard to remember everything and at times many situations are trivial anyway (there is so much time to fill that it is near impossible to make every minute count). Sutherland and Haysbert (who made their names on the big screen) are top-flight performers and they prove to be the biggest assets. Excellent direction and good scripts (for the most part) have lingering effects on the audience as the clock ticks and tocks to a mind-numbing finale each season. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
