TVSquad

As much as I like him I thought last night he lost his mind. Maybe Bush wants to use fear and maybe Fox is doing the same. But the fans of the show know it's just a show and not real life, plus the show started before 9-11. This whole thing is bullshit.

Reply

This whole thing is sad, for both sides of the political isle.

They'll use anything to promote their views, even a FICTIONAL TV show. I find it offensive and condescending that people like Olbermann would think that I think 24 is real. Real enough to tell me that it's "fearmongering." It's a stinking TV show! That's it! Anyone who thinks otherwise, or tries to convince people that it isn't just a show is a moron.

As for torture, how do we know it DOESN'T or DOES work? And for the sake of the show, and storytelling, why can't they do what they want on it?

This whole discussion is stupid and ludicrious. I say "grow up!" to every person trying to use 24 as a political springboard.

Reply

TVBlogger, I agree 100%, but it's aisle, not isle. It refers to the aisle between the parties in houses of congress.

Reply

Keith Olbermann is one of my favoutie pundits in the world. No one does a better job of exposing the crap that is the GWB administration.

But he's way off here.

It's TV, Keith. Fiction! Maybe some TV watchers are stupid, but not 24 viewers. They generally know the difference.

As for the fact that it's on Fox, Fox is also home to some of the most subversive, left leaning shows there are. The entertainment division is NOT Fox News.

Reply

Jack Bauer did 8 hours of overtime to avoid a war in season 2.

This was republican propaganda?

Reply

I think 24 has a lot more nuance and political sensitivity than people on either side give it credit for. They often approach an issue from many angles, and manage to get the audience to sympathise (if not empathise) with the characters on the various sides. The fact that both the far left idiots and the far right idiots can use the show to supposedly 'prove' their moronic 'talking-point' politics just shows how much of the spectrum the show travels across.

The writers do a great job, and in a few interviews recently I've heard Kiefer Sutherland, Bob Cochrane and Joel Surnow all talk about just how diverse their group of writers is, running the whole range of political views. It shows.

The fact that narrow-minded people from either side choose to use the show as a launchpad for debate and proof for their beliefs indicates that a) they really have very little imagination; and b) they can only see the world from their own very short-sighted viewpoints, allowing them to spin anything to their agenda, whilst failing to see the greater subtleties that might exist.

Reply

I love 24. But its not a 'smart' or 'realistic' show. Its fantasy. To people who don't get that... yeah it could give them the impression that LA is one place on earth that terrorists go after. Or that torture works like Jack Bauer says it does.

Reply

I believe this is one of those rare moments, where a highly intelligent political media figure goes after an artistic form of media and it just makes them look as weird as when the Hollywood types start talking about politics. Olbermann is a formidable intellect, highly engaging and fun to watch...but this was a miss step for him and I hope he doesn't continue this kind of nonsensical tirade. KEEP WITH THE LOGICAL COMMENTARIES! 24 is a tightly produced, fun to watch piece of fictional media. Sure it borrows heavily from a Tom Clancy-like conservative element...but dude...its still friggin fun. Please don't go all Barbara Streisand reverse politico on me. It'd break my heart.

Reply

I think most people have missed the point that the way that the official Fox News screen was used made it seem like a real news broadcast to anyone flicking through the channels.
The other issue is that since 24 has been on from quite a few seasons now, it has to come up with new threats and it has gotten to the point that that now means detonating nuclear bombs (spoiler alert etc etc). Again, that makes it seem like terrorists have this at this disposal because 24 prides itself on realism and therefore they might have nukes.
While I might not agree completely with what Olbermann, I can see what he was getting at. And, for that matter, the out of context headline for this article could count as fear-mongering too...

Reply

Now I like Keith, but when I saw this segment last night, I found it absurd and incredibly patronizing. 24 is a TV show and most reasonable viewers recognize that.

Besides, if we criticize 24 for exploiting the fear of its viewers, shouldn't we also praise it for its progressiveness, for having--not just one--but two black presidents? Or how about the times when 24 portrays the executive branch as being either incompetent or Machiavellian? That's not exactly positive propaganda for the current administration.

I also felt like he was picking on 24 just because it's on Fox. If it's the image of the mushroom cloud that offends him so, someone ought to tell him about the CBS show that bases its entire premise around multiple nuclear attacks on the US. Or the NBC show in which saving a cheerleader is just the first step in preventing a bomb from going off in New York.

Reply

Damnit people, this is what happens when you give Olbermann his right to free speech.

Reply

he has lost his mind. As if Fox has weekly meetings with Bush at the White House. You think the TV execs who program 24 have anything to do with politics or the Bushes? Come on ...

By the way, 24 is not the first tv show or movie to set off nukes.

Ever heard or a new hit TV show called Jericho????? Is CBS also trying to fear monger? Are they also in cahoots with the Bush Admin?

What about NBC's Heroes ... is Ted/Nuclear Man also on the Fox/Bush payroll?

What about that move, The Day After Tomorrow, that wasn't fear mongering from the Liberal Environmentalists?

Come on ... this guy is only looking to stir things up, he does a gross disservice to every single American because he makes a mockery out of politics and turns it into some access Hollywood type disaster.

I think Olbermann has JUMPED THE SHARK.

Reply

Torture didn't work on Jack Bauer when he was with the Chinese!

Reply

I love the irony of KO, who doesn't allow any opposing views on Countdown, calling another show "propaganda".

Say what you want about O'Reilly. But if he had been calling some show "liberal propaganda", he would have someone from the show, or a liberal pundit. And even though Bill would yell and be obnoxious, at least there would be someone to defend the show.

Reply

Looks like Keith is treading into O'Reilly waters when O'Reilly used to talk about the West Wing. Not surprising as these two are two sides of the same coin.

Someone should remind him and his guest that the only president on that show that was made likable was a democrat and the president who broke the law and was responsible for the murder of many was a Republican.

All in all politically the show is balanced, but over all it is just pure entertainment and that is all it should be taken for.

Reply

I'll give Olberman credit for being one of those rare few journalists who are willing to call "bullshit" on much of what the Bush administration says. However, 24 is a television show. It's not surprising that Conservative-leaning websites would embrace a political viewpoint of the show; but this proud Liberal just enjoys the shear escapism of the show. It's over the top, and yes it does present some ideas concerning terrorism that are frighteningly real, but it's TV. Get over it. You don't have to watch if you don't like it; that's one the many, many things that makes this country great: freedom to make that choice.

Reply

I can see Olbermann's point to an extent, in that it's unfortunate that many people may see the new season of 24 and take more from it than simply "this is an entertaining TV drama".

But I wouldn't blame conspiracy on it, or call it any kind of deliberate propaganda.

Reply

I generally think Olbermann's ideas are good, but if he had really watched even three of the four hours he mentioned, he would know that a big part of the show this year so far has been a real presence of the "this is what we give up for security" kind of feeling and the fight of security vs. freedom. Bad research on his part.

Reply

What a douche. This is why you can't deny that Olberman = O'Reily. Molly Ivins = Ann Coulter. Maureen Dowd = Sean Hannity. People hate to admit it, but the loonies are are on both sides of the AISLE.

Reply

Olbermann is right... the producer is a total right winger and FOX news is totally happy they set off nukes. Apparently the "news" division thinks americans aren't taking terrorism seriously enough.

I am sick of pundits, right wing ones, saying "we had a referendum on torture in this country: it was called 24 and people are ok with it" and yes, they do say it.

also did anyone notice that ALL goverment TVs are set to Fox news and the terrorists watch CNN? watch again... but, if nothing else, that is true.

Reply