Maybe my expectations were low, but I was impressed by the two-hour
24 "prequel" to the seventh season,
"Redemption." Here are a few thoughts on why I liked it:
- For whatever reason, it's still strangely comforting to see Jack Bauer back on TV, doing what he does best (picking off the bad guys, saving the good guys, enduring torture, etc.).
- Kids. Little African kids are at the heart of Jack's major struggle here and while it might be a manipulative tactic, it definitely worked in getting me to care about the story.
- Overall, and especially toward the end, I was on the edge of my seat, stressing out about these people and yelling at my TV again, as though it were the first season of 24 or something. I love that this show is back to having that effect on me.
- I really like this new lady president, right down to her cemented hairdo.
Considering it's the Sunday before a major holiday, tonight's a pretty big one for TV. In addition to the
Stephen Colbert Christmas special, Fox is pulling out all the stops for a special 24 event, and HBO bids a first-season farewell to a new hit drama.
24's movie,
24: Redemption, has been a long time coming.
I've had a love-hate relationship with
24 for a long time, now. When it's bad, it's preposterously bad, but when it's good, it's one of the best things ever. Like, jumping off the couch yelling, kind of thing.
It's been 40 years since his last regular TV role, but Jon Voight has seen something he likes in
24. Voight will be
joining the show for its upcoming seventh season, playing a tormenter of Jack Bauer's.
The Oscar-winning actor — and father of
this lady — will play Jack's "uber-nemesis" who's running this season's terrorist plot, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Even without the
writers' strike, the seventh season of Fox's 24 might have been in trouble. The show had some
fairly legendary production problems that caused the writers to scrap one entire plotline that would have sent Jack to Africa.
Now, it looks like some good will come from the delay after all: The producers will finally get to delve into their Africa storyline — not for a whole season, but for
a two-hour prequel designed to fill in the long gap between seasons of the show.
