America is holding out for a hero — or needing Jack Bauer, the character created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox. The groundbreaking series premiered in November 2001 – as America was still reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Played by Kiefer Sutherland, Bauer is head of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit, a division of the newly created real-life Department of Homeland Security.
Each season, comprising 24 episodes, covers 24 hours in Bauer’s life, using the real-time method of narration. He takes on nuclear warheads, presidential assassination plots, bio-weaponry, and a viral contagion. Oh, and he ferrets out the deep state one bad actor at a time.
The series ran for nine seasons, and it is must-see television. Not only was the technology ahead of its time but also the show featured an African American and a female U.S. president. It is edge-of-your-seat compelling, sophisticated, with brilliant characters and unpredictable plotting. The pace is sizzling fast and the entire cast stellar. Now more than ever, America needs a Jack Bauer and a 24 revisit.
