The First Season
The first season of 24 aired on Fox from November 6, 2001 to May 21, 2002. As noted above, the series was widely acclaimed during its run for providing an interesting new twist on episodic television: this drama-based program ran for twenty-four episodes, which paralleled the twenty-four hours in a rather intense day in the life of Jack Bauer (played by Kiefer Sutherland), who is head of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit which becomes aware of an assassination attempt on Senator David Palmer, the first African-American to be a serious contender for the United States presidency.
Cast
The cast for the first season is listed below, in alphabetical order by character:
Carlos Bernard portrays Tony Almeida
Elisha Cuthbert portrays Kim Bauer
Kiefer Sutherland portrays Jack Bauer
Leslie Hope (I) portrays Teri Bauer
Tanya Wright portrays Patty Brooks
Paul Schulze portrays Ryan Chappelle
Currie Graham portrays Ted Cofell
Misha Collins portrays Alexis Drazen
Zeljko Ivanek portrays Andre Drazen
Dennis Hopper portrays Victor Drazen
Karina Arroyave portrays Jamey Farrell
Michael Massee portrays Ira Gaines
Tamara Tunie portrays Alberta Green
Xander Berkeley portrays George Mason
Sarah Clarke portrays Nina Myers
Kara Zediker portrays Elizabeth Nash
Jude Ciccolella portrays Mike Novick
Dennis Haysbert portrays David Palmer
Vicellous Reon Shannon portrays Keith Palmer
Megalyn Echikunwoke portrays Nicole Palmer
Penny Johnson portrays Sherry Palmer
David Franco portrays Philip Parslow
Eric Balfour portrays Milo Pressman
Sara Gilbert portrays Paula Schaeffer
Zach Grenier portrays Carl Webb
Richard Burgi portrays Alan York
Episode Synopses
Here's a brief, largely spoiler-free list of episode synopses for those interested.
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Written by Robert Cochran & Joel Surnow
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on November 6, 2001
The day starts off normally for Jack Bauer and his family, with Jack and his daughter Kimberly Bauer playing a game and Kimberly going to bed. However, Jack takes a peek into Kimberly's room and discovers the window open and Kimberly nowhere to be found. As he gets ready to go out looking for her, though, he's called into work: the CIA's Los Angeles Counter-Terrorism Unit. Once there, he's told that an assassination attempt will be made in the next twenty-four hours on the life of presidential candidate David Palmer and it's up to him and his team to keep Palmer alive. Meanwhile, Teri Bauer (Jack's wife) sets out to look for Kimberly.
1:00 AM - 2:00 AM
Written by Michael Loceff & Joel Surnow
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on November 13, 2001
Teri receives a phone call from Alan York, who tells her that his daughter, Janet, is a friend of Kimberly's and that Janet is also missing; Teri and Alan spend much of the episode working together to try to find the two girls. At the Counter-Terrorism Unit, Jack is given a key card (under some weird circumstances) with encrypted data on it about the Palmer assassination that seems to indicate that there is a dirty agent in the CTU. Also, a Boeing 747 is blown up over the Mojave Desert under mysterious circumstances.
2:00 AM - 3:00 AM
Written by Michael Loceff & Joel Surnow
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on November 20, 2001
Kimberly and Janet realize that their two dates are actually their kidnappers, so they try to think of a way to get out of the situation. Meanwhile, Senator Palmer, ignoring the threat on his life at the moment, sneaks out of his hotel to meet with a newspaper reporter who claims to have devastating information that could damage Palmer's presidential campaign. Meanwhile, Jack has Jamey Farrell (one of his team member) decrypt the information from the key card, while Jack starts to act a bit erratic.
3:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Written by Robert Cochran
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
Originally aired on Fox on November 27, 2001
One of the members of Jack's team, Tony Almeida, becomes convinced that Jack needs to be relieved of command, so he calls a higher-up in the CIA, George Mason, who comes in and locks down the CTU. However, with the help of his second-in-command, Nina Myers, Jack is able to escape from the CTU and heads to an address that was obtained from the encrypted information on the keycard. When he arrives at the address, a shooter is waiting, who seems to hint that the kidnapping of Jack's daughter Kim is just a small part in a much bigger plan. At the same time, the two boys deliver Kim to a man named Ira Gaines after discarding Janet.
4:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Written by Chip Johannsen
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
Originally aired on Fox on December 11, 2001
Jack follows the shooter to the police station following the shooter's arrest in order to interrogate him, but when Jack gets to the station, he finds out that Mason has already taken over the situation. However, the shooter, when interrogated by Mason's men, refuses to speak to anyone but Jack, but Mason refuses to allow the two of them to speak to each other. Jack comes up with a plan to break the shooter out of jail so that he can find out who kidnapped Kim. Meanwhile, Senator Palmer finds out more about the potential information leak that could destroy his campaign.
5:00 AM - 6:00 AM
Written by Howard Gordon
Directed by Bryan Spicer
Originally aired on Fox on December 18, 2001
After receiving a call from his wife, Jack meets Teri and Alan York at the hospital where Janet has been admitted. However, the reunion is interrupted when Ira Gaines calls him, telling Jack to follow his instructions if he hever wants to see his daughter again. Meanwhile, a dead body found in a car trunk is identified as Alan York, so when Nina calls Teri and asks her to relay this information to Jack, Teri realizes that the person she's with is not the real Alan York and that she is also likely in danger.
6:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Written by Andrea Newman
Directed by Bryan Spicer
Originally aired on Fox on January 8, 2002
It turns out that Jack has been under constant surveillance from Gaines for quite a while. Jack goes back to the CTU where Nina, seemingly by accident, gets in the way of Gaines' plans. Meanwhile, Teri tries to escape from "Alan York," but when she calls the CTU, more help shows up for "York," lending creedence to the idea that someone in the CTU is a rogue agent. Meanwhile, Senator Palmer and his family have a meeting, where they discuss telling the press about a secret tragedy from their past before its too late and the story destroys his chances at the presidency.
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Written by Joel Surnow & Michael Loceff
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on January 15, 2002
In exchange for his wife and daughter, Irv Gaines orders Jack to deliver a briefcase to a man at Senator Palmer's rally. Realizing that this briefcase is likely an assassin's weapon and that he would be delivering the weapon of choice right into the assassin's hands, Jack tries to find a way to protect both Senator Palmer and hs family. Meanwhile, Nina and Tony back at the CTU believe that they have determined who the traitor within their organization is.
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Written by Virgil Williams
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on January 22, 2002
Although he manages to prevent the assassination attempt on Senator Palmer, Jack is arrested and taken to police headquarters, where he tells them of the kidnapping of his wife and daughter. The police don't believe the story. Realizing that his family will only be kept alive if he is able to do what Gaines orders him to do, Jack decides that he must escape from the police station. Meanwhile, back at Gaines' headquarters, Teri and Kim both struggle to stay alive, while at the CTU the "traitor" reveals that the whole unit has been wired so that Gaines can keep an eye on their every move.
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Written by Larry Hertzog
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Originally aired on Fox on February 5, 2002
The episode begins with a new boss (Alberta Green) taking over the CTU. Even with this change in direction, Nina secretly continues to help Jack locate Teri and Kim while Jack looks for Ted Cofell, an investment banker whose name was mentioned in the decrypted information from the keycard. Back at Senator Palmer's hotel, he discovers to his amazement that one of his associates may be willing to kill in order to protect Palmer's campaign from being destroyed.
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Written by Robert Cochran
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Originally aired on Fox on February 12, 2002
A man named Andre Drazen contacts Ira Gaines. Andre is clearly disappointed that the morning's events did not go as planned, and he threatens to "relieve" Gaines of his assignment if things don't quickly begin to improve. Meanwhile, Jack kidnaps the heavily-accented "Ted Cofell" and, upon hearing the accent, has Nina break into an old case file that details a secret mission that Jack was on in Belgrade and Kosovo in 1999. Then Jack meets Cofell's contact: the bogus "Alan York."
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Written by Howard Gordon
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on February 19, 2002
Alberta Green, the new head of the CTU, pressures Nina and Tony into revealing Jack's whereabouts. At the same time, "Alan York" leads Jack to Ira Gaines' compound, where Jack attempts to rescue Kim and Teri without CTU backup, because of his suspicions of a conspiracy there. Meanwhile, Senator Palmer's plan to prevent a murder involving his own staff fails and he begins to suspect that his wife, Sherry Palmer, may be involved in the conspiracy.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Written by Andrea Newman
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on February 26, 2002
The show begins with a confrontation between Jack and Ira Gaines. Gaines realizes that he has failed the orders of Andre Drazen and chooses death over helpling Jack in any way. Meanwhile, Nina and Tony interrogate the traitor's mother and learn of a secret bank account containing deposits from Belgrade, as well as hints of additional assassins on their way to Los Angeles to ensure that Palmer is finished off.
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Written by Michael Loceff & Joel Surnow
Directed by Jon Cassar
Originally aired on Fox on March 5, 2002
Jack heads back to the CTU for debriefing while Teri and Kim are taken to the clinic to be examined for their injuries. Meanwhile, Senator Palmer finally acts on the fact that the name Jack Bauer is very familiar to him. When Palmer discovers that Jack was the only survivor of a scret mission to Kosovo that Palmer authorized years ago, the senator becomes convinced that Jack is out for revenge and insists on talking to Jack face to face.
This was the episode that irrevocably hooked me for the remainder of the series.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Written by Michael Chermuchin
Directed by Jon Cassar
Originally aired on Fox on March 12, 2002
After a rather heated confrontation, Jack finally convinces Palmer that he is not out to kill him, the two of them review the file from the Kosovo mission. The mission's goal was to kill a man named Victor Drazen, and a rather surprising section of the file convinces both Jack and the senator that they are both being targeted by the assassins. Meanwhile, a scare at the clinic results in both Teri and Kim being taken away to a "safe house."
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Written by Robert Cochran & Howard Gordon
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on March 19, 2002
Jack discovers that one of the assassins, Alexis Mecir, is actually the son of Victor Drazen, Alexis Drazen, and has become intimate with one of Palmer's aides. In an attempt to find out who the man is that is ordering the assassinations, the aide agrees to plant a tracking device in Alexis' wallet. Meanwhile at the safe house, Teri and Kim overhear some communication that reveals to them that their location is no longer secret or safe.
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Written by Michael Chermuchin
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on March 26, 2002
During their attempted escape from the "safe house," Teri and Kim are separated. While wandering about looking for Kim, Teri becomes overwhelmed with stress and exhaustion and passes out, bumping her head. When she reawakens, she's badly disoriented and confused. Kim assumes her mother has been kidnapped again, and so Kim begins to conduct her own search for information about her mother's abductors. Meanwhile, the plan to track Alexis goes badly awry, and so Jack pretends to be Alexis and goes to a planned rendezvous with one of Alexis' contacts.
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Written by Maurice Hurley
Directed by Frederick K. Keller
Originally aired on Fox on April 2, 2002
Against the wishes of his family, Palmer decides to go public about the secret scandal that involves his family. We are also introduced to Alexis' brother, Andre Drazen, who seems to be in charge of the plot as he sends an assassin to the Bauer house in hopes of finding and taking out Teri and Kim. Meanwhile, a confused and frightened Teri meets Dr. Philip Parslow, a man who claims that he and Teri are good friends. Unaware of the danger that Teri is in, he gives her a ride home.
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Written by Joel Surnow & Michael Loceff
Directed by Frederick K. Keller
Originally aired on Fox on April 9, 2002
The contact that Jack meets turns out to be an employee of the power company who was being paid to shut off the electricity to a power grid. When Jack traces down this grid, it turns out that it is merely an empty field. Jack and Mason decide to work together to figure out what is going on with this lead. At the same time, Kim winds up being arrested during her search for information, and Palmer's press conference gets underway, where the secret he reveals could land his own son in jail.
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Written by Robert Cochran & Howard Gordon
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on April 16, 2002
Jack discovers that the empty field where the power grid is located is actually an underground government prison and that the night's scheduled arrival is none other than Victor Drazen, the man Jack was sent to kill in Kosovo (and believed that he did kill). Now, Jack is convinced that Andre and Alexis are going to attempt to break their father out of prison. Meanwhile, Kim tries to convince the police to call the CTU so things can be straightened out.
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Written by Michael Loceff & Joel Surnow
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on April 23, 2002
Jack's suspicions from earlier are shown to be true when Andre Drazen breaks into the underground facility to rescue his father. When Jack attempts to stop this, Victor captures Jack and places a call to the CTU. Mason answers, and informs Victor that he doesn't negotiate with terrorists. When it appears as though Victor is about to kill him, Jack buys a bit of time by telling Victor that his son Alexis is still alive. Meanwhile, the police seemingly release Kim, but when she tries to reach the CTU, she is kidnapped again.
9:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Written by Michael Loceff & Joel Surnow
Directed by Paul Shapiro
Originally aired on Fox on May 7, 2002
Jack has Nina connect Victor Drazen to the hospital room of his son Alexis; now that she knows the situation, she informs Palmer of the latest events. Palmer urges Mason to make the exchange that Victor proposed: Jack for Alexis. Although Alexis is delivered, Victor reveals that he has one final card in his hand: Kim, and if Jack doesn't do one final thing, then he will never see his daughter again.
10:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Written by Robert Cochran & Howard Gordon
Directed by Paul Shapiro
Originally aired on Fox on May 14, 2002
Jack arrives at Palmer's hotel with a phone on which Victor will call and ask Palmer to unfreeze $200 million of his assets. When Palmer tells Jack that Victor knows that this is impossible, Jack grabs the phone and throws it off the balcony; the phone explodes a couple of seconds later. Realizing that Drazen will never give up until both Palmer and Jack are dead, Jack suggests having the media report that Palmer died in the explosion, leaving Jack to offer himself up in exchange for Kim.
11:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Written by Joel Surnow, Michael Loceff, Robert Cochran, and Howard Gordon
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Originally aired on Fox on May 21, 2002
Hmm... how to synopse this one spoiler free...
When Jack arrives at Drazen's location, he calls and asks to speak to Kim. Andre angrily refuses and says that they know that Palmer is not really dead. Stunned, Jack hangs up and calls Nina, letting her know that there is still a traitor inside of CTU. Nina then calls back with tragic news, and with that in hand, Jack formulates a plan.
Innovations
This series features a number of innovations that are noteworthy, but two innovations truly stand out above the rest.
The first is the nature of the program itself, in that it shows twenty four hours of a person's life in more or less real time, along with the intertwining threads around it. Thus, at least for the central character, a strong and deep characterization occurs.
The second is more in terms of cinematic techniques. During many of the episodes, a split-screen is used to show two parallel threads of activity occurring at the same time, which in many cases do not directly overlap. This is a great technique that provides a much greater sense of a "real-time" progression of events.
Availability
The first season of 24 is available on DVD at most major retail outlets for a price less than $50 US. For those interested in region markings, I have been able to verify its availability in Region 1 and Region 2 at least, which means most of the English-speaking world should have little difficulty finding a version that they can watch.
Is it worth picking up? Well, if the concept of the series is intriguing to you at all, then it likely is; it far exceeded my expectations.