by Comrade Shoaib Nagi

Created on: August 24, 2010

I started watching 24 after the finale was broadcast in May 2010. Just to pass time in my vacations, one day I decided to start watching some TV serials. I started off with 24 and downloaded the whole Season 8. Its unexpected storyline and twisting turns amazed me from the very beginning. This show attracted me like a magnet from the very first time I saw it, so much so, that I watched the whole season in 25 hours. As soon as I completed watching the 8th season, I couldn’t wait to watch all of them, and in less than a month’s time, I completed watching the whole 192 episodes of 24.

So, what is it, which makes the show ‘24’ so popular and very interesting? There are number of factors contributing to this outcome. Firstly, the theme of the show was one of its kind and was never before seen in the history of television. The idea to base a whole season on a single day with each 1-hour episode representing 60 minutes in real time became increasingly popular. Normally, serial dramas consist of a relatively long timeline for example ‘Lost’ or ‘Prison Break’, but one entire season of 24 was only about a single day.

Secondly, 24 also became famous for its attention-grabbing and unexpected storylines. In every season of 24, it is very hard for a 24 fan to guess what might happen in the next episode. Most of the seasons of 24 consist of unexpected turns where a positive looking character is suddenly revealed to be an antagonist.

Thirdly, the title character ‘Jack Bauer’ himself contributes much to 24’s success. This character played by Kiefer Sutherland became famous throughout the world because of its unique personality and style. His rationalization of the use of torture and believe in the phrase that ‘the ends always justifies the means’ made him increasingly popular. Other themes of his character, like the personal sacrifices he makes in order to save millions of lives. His character became so famous, that it is now ranked with popular fictional heroes like Indiana Jones or James Bond.

Fourthly, another thing that contributed to its notoriety was its genre. 24 was basically a political thriller and due to the terrorist attacks that started in the dawn of the 21st century, 24 became popular because of its reference to terrorism.

Last but not the least, the multiple plots theme of 24 made it immensely popular. In each season of 24, there is always a secondary plot relating to another character but somehow later in that season both plots get related. The story of a day, seen through the eyes of many characters, in particular Jack Bauer, made the show one of its kind.

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