4. The Mysterious Villain Is... Jack's Brother? (Day 6)
Throughout the final stretch in day five, Charles Logan received orders from a mysterious group of men which fans dubbed the "Bluetooth guys." They were led by a figure known only as Graem, and their ultimate identity and agenda were not revealed at the end of the season. In season six, however, the writers felt they had figured out the ultimate reveal. It turns out that Graem was...Jack Bauer's brother! This overlooked the fact that Jack's brother was never mentioned prior to day six, as well as the reality that Paul McCrane and Kiefer Sutherland look nothing alike, for the sake of a lame twist that would barely befit a soap opera. Worse, Graem Bauer was killed (by...his and Jack's father) after only three appearances early in day six. The family connections only continued to pile up from there, and by the end of day six, the plot had pulled in Jack's brother, father, sister-in-law, and his nephew (who the writers suggested may have actually been Jack's son or, in a Chinatown-twist, Jack's half-brother, although neither scenario was confirmed). The Lesson: Piling on too many coincidental character connections strains your credibility. 24 ran into this problem before (Mandy showing up to cause some critical damage for three different terrorist organizations; Mike Novick showing up as the chief of staff to Democrat David Palmer and later Republican Charles Logan), but never to the degree it did in day six.