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24 is a drama series broadcast on the Fox Network and each season is played around a 24 hour day. Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, is a Federal Agent who is not always playing by the rules. Jack is a member of the Counter Terrorist Unit in Los Angeles and his sole responsibility is to stop viruses, bombs and assassination attempts. He usually ends up saving someone he cares about in the midst of his dangerous missions. Each season of this TV series unfolds with 24 episodes shot in real-time, following one very bad day.
This show began broadcasting on 6th November 2001, and ran for eight complete seasons with the finale of 24 broadcast on 24th May 2010, which in total comprised of 192 episodes. The character of Bauer appeared in every single episode and throughout all eight seasons. The series began with Jack working as a highly proficient agent; however, his actions were sometimes questionable. The main plot of the series began unfolding similar to that of a political thriller. In each plot, Jack Bauer is racing against time as he attempts to counter presidential assassination attempts, multiple terrorist plots, chemical and nuclear biological threats, cyber attacks and conspiracies.
The show’s excitement is heightened with a real-time clock displayed on the screen. The on-screen digital clock appears throughout the show, while the silent, smaller clock also appears at various points and each episode is played within the hour. The 12-hour clock is used on the 24 series. Each episode runs for approximately 43 minutes, not including any commercials. Monotonous events including travel occur during breaks, and these events are mostly unseen. In line with real-time narration, 24 avoid using slow motion techniques. The first season of 24 began at midnight and ended on the same note. In subsequent seasons, however, the plot begins in the morning. The action of 24 switches constantly between various locations, which involves different characters in one overarching plot. There is also a second plot running simultaneously with the main plot. Therefore, each character is seen only for a portion in the overall running time of the episode.
24 made some major changes in their cast every season but Kiefer Sutherland was the only regular member in the cast. He appeared in all 192 episodes of 24! The storyline had an unpredictable nature and as a result changed its characters frequently. In the earlier seasons, a recurring character may have been upgraded to a main role in the subsequent season.
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