24 Mind-Blowing Facts About 24

6. The "Palmer Effect" Suggests 24's Black President Helped Barack Obama Get Elected

One of the most widely-praised aspect of 24's earlier seasons was the appointment of a black Presidential candidate who actually went on to become President, in David Palmer, played superbly by Dennis Haysbert. Though Palmer sadly decided not to seek re-election and was eventually killed off, many critical commentators have noted that the show may have, in a subtle way, opened up more conservative viewers to the idea of voting for a black President. They dubbed it the "Palmer effect". Of course, Barack Obama was elected a few years later, and fans of the show couldn't help but draw a line between the two, even though Obama's election was obviously a more complex series of events than what happened on a mere TV series.