I thought last season may have been an aberration, a one time thing. But this season the same thing’s happening. I’m simply not looking forward to watching new episodes of 24. Gone is the excitement, the anticipation, the surprise. Watching 24 has become more of a chore — something I do just so I can fit in, be cool, keep up my self-proclaimed status as an official ‘TV addict.’ But honestly, it’s time to end this charade. I can’t keep faking it any longer. I’m just going to come clean and say it — I’m bored with 24.
The unfortunate reality is that even though it tries to shock us at every turn, 24 has simply become too formulaic. Each season starting with season two follows the exact same predictable path. There are new members of CTU (who won’t all survive the season), a random family in peril and an angry villain who generally has some vague connection to none other then (wait for it…) Jack Bauer!
Sounds exciting right? Well by the midway point of the season, here’s what invariably happens: One member of CTU will die (generally a semi-regular who was added to the cast last season and is important enough to be in the credits, but not so important that we’ll really care). The ‘family in peril’ story will be wrapped up within the first few episodes, with a good 75% of the family surviving and at least one family member dead. And finally, the villain who Jack will go to any lengths to defeat will either be killed only to reveal that he was just working for ‘the man,’ or that he was just a diversion for an even worse problem that Jack will have to solve in the final half of the season.
Don’t get me wrong, 24 is an entertaining ride with some of the finest production values on TV. But this Monday at 9PM you’ll find me watching HEREOS on NBC knowing full well that when the clock runs down on 24 — Jack will be victorious once again. 