Between its critical drubbing and its two production delays, "24" hasn't given me a whole lot of reasons to be optimistic this summer. But this piece of news has me reconsidering my doubts: Janeane Garofalo will be joining the cast to play a government agent investigating a crisis that strikes Jack's team. The news is the second major addition of the summer; last month, Cherry Jones was tapped to play the show's first female president.

Garofalo's last major TV appearance was on "The West Wing" in 2006. She also starred in a CBS pilot about lawyers, but the show wasn't picked up for the fall season. I bet it's going to be interesting for such an outspoken liberal to work for producers as seriously conservative as those on "24."

Between Garofalo and Mary Lynn Rajskub, I'd say "24" now has one of the best girl-geek quotients on TV. I don't think Garofalo can singlehandedly save "24," though; that will depend much more on the writers being able to bring a fresh plot line to the seventh season. What do you think?

Source