Every Season Of 24 - Ranked From Worst To Best

Plot: Jack Bauer, an agent with the Counter-Terrorist Unit in L.A. is rebuilding his life with his wife Teri and daughter Kim. When CTU learns an assassination attempt will be made on Democratic presidential candidate David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), he's called into action.

It's easy to forget where the show began: with a bold premise, but a fairly boilerplate action plot. Nick of Time is a good reference point. Stephen Hopkins, director of '90s action films like Predator 2 and Judgment Night, was brought in to direct.

Few pilots debut with such confidence, but 24, with Brian Grazer's money behind it, was a pretty sure thing. The kinks that needed to be worked out through the first season were few, with the general thrust of the series in place from the beginning.

The season's real tragedy is the casting of Dennis Hopper as the central villain, who had entered the phase of his career where trying wasn't an option. He's awful, with a ridiculous foreign accent. Fortunately, he was accompanied by seasoned character actor Zeljko Ivanek.

There are some plot twists that were clearly there, as with every season, to kill a few hours. An amnesia subplot with Teri Bauer, Hopkins' contribution, is particularly silly.

And then they kill her. Setting the dark tone for the rest of the show. It's as effective as intended.