Is '24' running out of time?

techcn · 2007-05-04 23:32:20

JACK BAUER, America's favorite counter-terrorism agent with the violent code of honor and the weird sadomasochistic bent, is squaring off against a stealthy and unforgiving new enemy.

His fans.

After peaking in the ratings last year, Fox's thriller "24" has been getting dumped on by seemingly everyone in this, its sixth season. Critics and fans alike are aiming tomatoes at the stage, carping about the soapy and repetitive plotlines that unspool Jack's unlikely familial past, tiresome romantic triangles in the security bureaucracy and endless bickering among Oval Office advisors.

Last week, with a fresh episode designed to lay the groundwork for what the creators promise will be a typically suspenseful finale next month, "24's" ratings in the key young-adult category swooned to their lowest level in more than three years, with a total audience of just 10.4 million, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

More than one-third of viewers have bailed since the special four-hour season premiere that aired over two consecutive nights back in January. And if that wasn't enough bad news for the series, last week "24" was one of the prime-time shows that the Federal Communications Commission singled out in urging Congress to curb TV violence.

The vox populi protests have not escaped the attention of the show's producers, who promise that some big changes are on the way for Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) and other regulars next season. There's also speculation that something else might be at work in accounting for viewers' tune-out this season, but more about that in a minute.

more at：http://tvnewsinfo.blogspot.com/2007/05/ … -time.html

Last edited by techcn (2007-05-04 23:32:50)

smitten · 2007-05-07 12:54:52

The situation doesn't seem all that desperate to me, I am still very much hooked, though I realise that they are scraping the barrel to come up with new plots. I was interested to read what Howard Gordon said recently about changing the format, and I think this could work. They have been steadily moving away from the real time aspect of it since the first series anyway, as it's clearly restrictive for the writers/editors, so I could see them, for example, calling it 24/7 and having a mini-series of 7 programmes, each charting a day in a week-long crisis. That could give us a lot more variety of pace and intensity. They could cover one day per month, having the story last a year (=12 programmes). That would allow for a lot more character development and movement across the globe.

I totally respect that 24 is not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it, and I trust that they can keep me on the edge of my seat for another few years.

bartolah · 2007-05-07 23:31:18

The keyword here is "gleeful suspension of disbelief". 24 is candy. Enjoy your candy.

24nut · 2007-05-08 09:28:15

24 is still going strong, otherwise none of us would be watching, trust us, if the show gets too boring, we wont watch anymore.

deadmanmoz · 2007-05-08 15:22:22