Reading 24: TV against the Clock

When “24” exploded onto TV screens in 2001, “Time” magazine called it one of the ‘Best Television Events of the Decade’. “24” has gone on to establish itself as groundbreaking and controversial entertainment that has changed the face of television. Each season of “24” traces the events of a single day in the life of CTU Field Agent Jack Bauer. Racing against the clock, Bauer battles assassination attempts, germ warfare and terrorist factions to ‘save the day’. “24” presents the nail-biting events of each day through its use of split-screen and ‘real-time’ devices. Dramatically explosive and visually dynamic, “24” taps into a global sense of uncertainty and suspicion with its provocative depiction of America's role on the world stage and of terrorist activity and political double-dealing. “Reading ‘24’” is the first book to bring together critical discussions of “24” from a wide range of perspectives. Entertaining and illuminating, the book looks in detail at the creative and controversial features of “24”. It considers, for example, “24”'s stylistic innovations, its engagement post 9/11 with the ‘War on Terror’, and its masking of identities.
The pioneering spirit of the show is matched by the original arguments on display here, celebrating and censuring “24” - TV on the edge.