Is This the Last Season for '24'?
by Brad Trechak, posted Mar 10th 2010 9:30AM
It looks like Jack Bauer might be running out of really bad days. The popular word is that the latest season of '24' may be its last.Mind you, the franchise is far from dead. A movie version of the series is in the works. It's also not out of the realm of possibility of a sequel series which stars the CTU team minus Jack Bauer. After all, they have to be doing something when Jack's not around.
'24' is one of those series that benefited from timing. Would it have been as successful if it wasn't first released in the shadow of 9/11 and issues like terrorism and torture didn't suddenly become hot button topics?
The end of the series is probably a good thing. While the series is still good, it feels as if it's jumped the you-know-what and a change of venue might help reinvigorate interest in Jack Bauer.
Comments
by MSBNYY, posted Mar 10th 2010
I think 24 would have been successful in any era. It was great television.
Whether 9/11 happened or not, Jack Bauer is a heroic character fighting bad guys by any means necessary. Characters like that are timeless and work in any era.
20 years from now, the first 5 seasons of this show will still be good TV. The 6th season will be ok, and the 7th and 8th seasons will still stink.
The worst part is that the show is NOT stale. The writers are just not talented. A new writing staff--one that has the talent of the first few seasons, would reinvigorate the show.
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by Jimmy_MO, posted Mar 10th 2010
Agree. People always seems to think the success of this was some visceral response to 9/11, which to me negates the fact that 24, especially season 1, was just good television.
by C C, posted Mar 10th 2010
A sequel series? It's coming. Look upon this season as tv's answer to C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle (the final Narnia book).
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by Edward, posted Mar 10th 2010
And Brannon Braga gets his name attached to ending an excellent series.
Mr. Braga, stay away from any good series.
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by Leroy, posted Mar 10th 2010
I liked the first two seasons but I feel the shark-jumping arrived with season 3 which I gave up on after a few weeks. Haven't watched (or wanted to) since.
Let's face it, the primary reason for this show was to try to convince people that there really are occasions when torture is absolutely necessary. I think the argument was undermined by how utterly contrived and artificial the situations in which Jack used it were. I'll be glad to see it go.
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by Jimmy_MO, posted Mar 10th 2010
It wouldn't bother me in the least if 24 left the air this season. Creatively, the series peaked with season 5 and it's been downhill ever since. Season 8 had some good moments, especially the introduction of Cherry Jones as president, but season 9 is painful to watch. between the boring bad guys and the lame Dana plot, 24 is nothing like it used to be.
Nine years is a long time for any series, so it's not as if 24 is a failure.
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by hugeliver, posted Mar 10th 2010
WHEW! I was worried when I didn't see Edward's name for a while. I was wondering who would be burning the Braga flag!
: )
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by JennyL, posted Mar 10th 2010
Can we send Brannon Braga over to American Idol so we can get that thing canceled?
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by Nightfall, posted Mar 11th 2010
My idea for a spinoff: CTU, the days after each 24 season -- done in the style of The Office
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by C C, posted Mar 11th 2010
I totally dig your idea, Nightfall.
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by Mack Swift, posted Mar 11th 2010
I personally think a ninth season to cap it all off would be great. Really bring in some new writers and fresh blood into the mix. I know they did the Wilson tie-in last season to explain a common thread. But what if season 9 would tie most or all of it together. Maybe a government could be behind alot of everything that transpired through all of Jack's bad days.
I remember a storyline thread floating around a for season 7 that involved Olympic -like games and targeted assassinations of athletes and dignitaries. Instead of chasing down a giant weapon, they could race to stop these assassinations.
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