Ranking All Seasons Of 24 From Worst To Best

Season 5 cemented itself as one of the most gripping and thrilling seasons of television when right away, within 15 minutes of the season's first episode, three long-running major characters were attacked and two were killed off. The fifth season saw Jack Bauer thrown into a highly cerebral conspiracy that was gripping from the get-go.

The multiple stories and arcs of the fifth season intertwine so well, the whole season could have unfolded like one giant movie. For once, the presidential plots actually affect the narratives CTU take part in, and vice versa.

A true standout was Jean Smart playing President Logan's anxiety-riddled wife Martha, an unreliable protagonist who ended up turning the tide in the season finale in one of the twistiest ways possible.

Kiefer Sutherland was a force to be reckoned with as usual, but his portrayal of a fugitive Jack - hungry for revenge for the death of his close friends - added a whole new layer of malice to Jack. We'd seen him take previous days VERY personally before, but had the conspiracy left him and his friends alone, he'd never have thwarted the day's events.