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source:
Wikipedia
Each season covers the events of one day in the life of federal
agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland. The show also
follows Jack's colleagues at the Counter Terrorist Unit in Los
Angeles, as well as the actions of the terrorists and typically
an important political figure such as a Senator or President.
This real-time nature of 24 gives the show a
strong sense of urgency, emphasized by the beeping of an
on-screen digital clock appearing behind a black background
before and after commercial breaks (the later of which reveals
certain visual plots and locations one second at time). At
various times during a segment of a show the digital clock
appears at the center bottom of the screen. Throughout every
episode the action switches between different locations,
following the parallel adventures of different characters all
involved in the same story.
The first five seasons follow a similar format,
with a main story arc featuring Jack Bauer and the Counter
Terrorist Unit dealing with a threat posed to national security.
During the course of a season the primary arc usually changes
once or twice. Surprise sacrifices, backstabbings, and other
plot twists are common. Each season also has several major
subplots that span most of the episodes and are interwoven
within the main plot. Throughout each season, Jack Bauer often
faces intense personal anguish in addition to his tasks to stop
the terrorists.
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer. Each season
occurs in "real-time" and starts at the top of the hour on a
given day. Each episode portrays one hour of that day, with one
season comprising 24 episodes
For his work in the first season of 24, Kiefer
Sutherland won a Golden Globe for his performances; Surnow and
Cochran, the creators of the show, won an Emmy Award. In 2004,
the show won the Golden Globe for Best Drama Series. 24 won Emmy
Awards for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama
Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series,
Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series, and Outstanding Stunt
Coordination. Kiefer Sutherland also picked up the Screen Actors
Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a
Drama Series in 2004 and 2006.
24 is a thriller that purports to be shown in
"real-time", with each minute of airtime corresponding to a
minute in the lives of the characters. This real-time nature is
emphasized by an on-screen digital clock appearing from time to
time—this corresponds to the exact minute of the broadcast hour,
factoring in commercials. When broadcast on networks without
commercials or with limited commercials, such as the BBC,
episodes are not strictly real-time. Actions which take place
during commercials are not shown.
Throughout every episode the action switches
between different locations as it cuts between the parallel
adventures of different characters all involved in the same
overall story. The result is that there are long sections of
narrative for each character that are not seen - a main
character might only be seen for a quarter of an episode's
overall running time - and mundane actions such as car journeys
and characters taking meal breaks are frequently skipped - just
as they are in a conventional drama. |
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