“In the post-9/11 world, torture has hit the public radar in news reports about Abu Ghraib, congressional questioning of Cabinet nominees and, increasingly, as a featured interrogation tactic on … 24. As politicians, pundits and the public debate extreme interrogation, 24 — which is enjoying a surge in critical praise and a 32% jump in viewers this season — has jumped to action …

For 24’s producers, … ‘It goes with the 24 conceit that we need information and don’t have days to break this person …’ Howard Gordon says …

Alistair Hodgett of Amnesty International credits 24 and A&E’s MI-5, which follows the British security service, with realistic depictions that provide ‘a clearer idea of what torture involves … They do more to educate than desensitize.’

Gordon says 24 taps into the public’s ‘fear-based wish fulfillment’ of having protectors, such as Bauer, who will do whatever is necessary to save society from harm … ‘In some ways, he is a necessary evil.'”

source : www.usatoday.com