http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyWafhzs6zw

24.  It ran for an impressive 8 seasons and has at least one full length television movie made, with a full length film being speculate upon.  This grand tv series which I just started watching a little of on netflix, is about Jack Bauer, a government agent working for the Counter Terrorism Unit in Los Angeles.  Each season follows 24 hours in the life of Bauer as he races against a clock of life or death to preserve peace, whether from bio or chem threats, assassination attempts on the President or other important figure.  In the first episode he is fighting to save not only David Palmer, a presidential candidate with the best poll ratings to win.  At the same time, Bauer's wife and daughter have been kidnapped to be used as hostages to motivate Bauer to do dirty deeds for the assassins.

Each episode covers one hour in the 24 hours, jumping from Bauer to other agents to the kidnapped to the presidential candidate and his family.  Loosing a tiny bit of reality in the way it jumps to other people, yet it only takes a character the ten minutes to drive twenty miles when the scenes switch back to him.  However, despite the downfalls of trying to make each episode exciting and suspenseful enough in their own right along with leaving the viewer hanging waiting for the next episode, the show does a good job.  Not only is it suspenseful and creative, with a very leading and addicting feel to it, but it also is so twisted around that no one knows who is safe or a secure friend.  One has to remember that it is a tv show, and not believe that in real life this is how things will happen.  At the same time, it's realism gives it more quality, more depth.  The acting of Keifer Sutherland is good along with the rest of the cast.  Keifer's intensity over his wife and daughter yet with his ability to think clear-headidly about saving other's lives makes him quite the hero.

The use of screen splitting, where showing multiple scenes at once is used, is very, very good.  It allows us to see that these events, happening in real time, are occurring at the same time.  In addition, the use of a clock on the screen helps the viewer see that indeed, things are happening in real time.  The amusement of a person who is not watching a commercial filled evening, such as myself, is that an hour happens in 45 minutes, for the commercial breaks are evident due to the placement of the black "clock" screens.  It's funny to see in two seconds it jump the five minutes.

Overall I have been enjoying this tv series, and definitely find myself wanting to see the next episode.  Every time.