One of the most ground-breaking and technically proficient TV shows ever made, 24 smashed the spy-thriller mold to pieces with its central gimmick, that events occur in real time, while stylish multi-screen displays were employed to show numerous events taking place simultaneously. Kiefer Sutherland is revelatory as CTU agent Jack Bauer, as has easily become his most-associated role, a fiercely determined and totally bada** protagonist who loves his country, while trying to balance this with a difficult family and romantic life. The tendency for episodes to end on an enticing cliffhanger made 24 one of the most addictive, must-watch TV shows of the last decade, and while its best days are evidently long-behind it, even the relatively lackluster 24: Live Another Day is watchable largely because of Sutherland's grizzled persona and the slick, high-budget production. With more twists and turns than a pretzel factory, action on the small screen is rarely this fiendishly compelling.
18. South Park
If the typical rule is that shows get worse the longer they drag on, Matt Stone and Trey Parker's South Park has mostly managed to buck the trend. What began as a relatively simplistic and crude cartoon series revolving around four boys residing in Colardo progressively moved to experiment with social satire, and due to the short turnaround time to produce an episode, Stone and Parker are able to make fun of considerably more current subjects than, say, The Simpsons or Family Guy. What truly makes South Park so fun to watch is that anyone and everyone is fair game for mockery: they rib on conservatives, liberals, celebrities both alive and dead, gamers, and even comatose patients. Though it's still frequently crude and profane, it is often executed in an exaggerated style while making an intelligent point: more so than any of its similar contemporaries, South Park has its finger on the pulse of both pop-culture and modern politics. It truly is the best of both worlds: it's current and cutting, but not at the sacrifice of the laugh-count.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
