25 years since its release and over 15 years since its finale, 24 is undoubtedly a product of the 2000s. Airing less than two months after the September 11th attacks, Fox’s crime/political thriller serendipitously captured the hearts and minds of Americans, reeling from the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, looking for justice and retribution. The series echoed the sentiments of America constantly being under attack by international terrorists, particularly ones hailing from the Middle East, and the acceptance of federal authorities deploying any means necessary to protect the United States, feelings that have caused 24 to age like milk. Scoff at its jingoism and portrayals of Middle Eastern terrorists that have since drawn criticism, but contemporary audiences can’t ignore just how revolutionary the series’ narrative structure was upon airing. Before The Pitt, 24 captured an entire action-packed day’s worth for agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), with relentless energy that laid the groundwork for today’s subgenre of anxiety-inducing episodic TV.

’24’s Real-Time Narrative Was a Game-Changer

When 24‘s pilot episode, “12:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.”, began with Jack Bauer, expert federal agent and head of Los Angeles’ Counterterrorist Unit (CTU) and the series’ overarching protagonist, announcing that “events occur in real time,” audiences knew something new was in the air. For eight full seasons and a shortened revival season in 2014, the action/thriller/espionage series stuck to its mission statement, providing one whole day as Jack and his team protect the United States from terrorist threats, including Presidential assassinations, nuclear bombs, deadly viruses, and more. These eight seasons, or days, in 24 parlance, would be Jack’s most harrowing nightmares, as he undergoes a non-stop sprint to apprehend conspirators and interrogate them, follow leads, and make drastic decisions that blur the line between good and evil.

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The ticking clock, used to transition between commercial breaks and signal an episode’s end, is the heartbeat of 24. There is only so much time until a bomb detonates or a witness is conscious enough to talk, and you are thrown right in the middle of the chaos. In a pre-24 world, it was implied that shows would jump through time and disregard strict continuity, but this series, created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, captured the exhaustion of a long workday and the stamina required to make life-or-death decisions. Jack, already a cutthroat field agent, grows increasingly impatient and resorts to torturous interrogation and rogue tactics to get what he wants. The real-time gimmick’s most vital contribution was its capability to imply that the uneventful, “slow” parts of the day occur during the commercial breaks, as well as being used to build suspense. Perhaps commercial breaks were when Jack finally went to the restroom, an unanswered question that came with any 24 discussion.

’24’ Helped Create the Genre of Anxiety-Inducing TV

For a large portion of television audiences, they’re strapping themselves in for a bumpy, anxiety-inducing ride. No matter the setting, whether it’s the live-wire culinary world of The Bear or a grueling shift at an over-capacitated and underprepared trauma center in The Pitt, it has never been more trendy to stress out your viewer inside the comfort of their own home. The 2020s weren’t the only anxious, unsettling period of the 21st century, as Americans who were reeling from 9/11 and the everyday news cycle of the war in Iraq sought out 24‘s exhilarating action and patriotic sense of revenge against the kind of terrorists cable news loved to vilify. In many ways, turning on CNN or Fox News, regardless of whether they were broadcasting on-the-ground footage in Iraq or an editorial talking head show, made the American experience a constant war zone.

Throughout each day of 24‘s run, from 2001 to 2010, viewers were given the illusion that they were flipping channels between simultaneous crises, usually between a national security threat and palace intrigue in the offices of the POTUS, with the show’s signature Chief of Staff being David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert). Each day also saw additional turmoil inside CTU’s office, strains primarily caused by Jack defying orders from superiors and terrorist moles infiltrating the building, a recurring story beat that tests the limits of the audience’s credulity.

Also starring Mary-Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard, and Elisha Cuthbert, 24 is still a worthwhile series that endures because of its brilliance as a propulsive action-thriller. Even the most skeptical viewers will be gripping the edge of their seats during every shootout, rescue, and mission that’s a race against the clock. Jack Bauer appears to be invincible through most of 24, but time is the one thing he can’t outmatch, no matter how loudly he yells, “dammit!”