24: Redemption

It sure has been forever since we were last given some new 24. It was a breath of fresh air to see Jack Bauer back on the screen, and I thought this prequel to season 7 was pretty strong. I like the new President Taylor (loved her exchange with outgoing President Daniels), thought all of the political stuff in Washington was really solid, as was Jack’s storyline in Africa (they managed to get me very attached to Carl Benton in a hurry, for maximum emotional impact with the conclusion of his story).

The previews for the upcoming season look really good. I very much look forward to the hearings Jack is headed for, and although I’m concerned by the reappearance by Tony Almeida (bringing seemingly dead characters back smacks of desperation), I’ll give the writers of this show the benefit of the doubt in having good reason to bring him back. I always loved Tony’s character, so in theory I’m happy to have him back, I’m just concerned with how contrived his return might be.

I certainly look forward to the first three hours of the season on January 11th and 12th.