Television Review
Sure glad that Jack Bauer is back on Fox's '24'
Originally Published:Tuesday, January 12th 2010, 6:55 PM
Updated: Wednesday, January 13th 2010, 11:29 AM
Updated: Wednesday, January 13th 2010, 11:29 AM
Foreman/FOX
Kiefer Sutherland (l.) and Freddie Prinze Jr. as new CTU agent Cole Ortiz in the eighth season of '24.' Fox's "24" is a little creaky getting out of bed to start its eighth season. But once it wakes up, it reminds us that no current TV show is better at action-adventure.
As we rejoin "24" Sunday, retired government counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is relaxing at his daughter's New York apartment.
He has spent the day at the zoo with his adorable 3-year-old granddaughter and now he's decided to move to L.A. with his daughter and her family - this afternoon.
Dream on, Jack.
But it's all so pastoral that it does slow the pace at which Jack is plunged into this season's battle against evil forces who endanger the world.
That starts with a plot to assassinate Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor), a Middle Eastern leader who is about to sign a historic peace deal with U.S. President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones).
That plot crystallizes through a pair of two-hour episodes, Sunday and Monday nights, and at times it crystallizes slowly.
This is partly because Jack again keeps insisting that he really wants to get out of the game this time. Fans can only hope it doesn't suggest that the show itself, like Jack, is finding that getting up in the morning and plunging into battle gets tougher as years go by. Seven full seasons of "24" is like 56 in counterterrorist years.
As in the past, this season brings a flock of new cast members and seems to have lost at least one really good one: the shadowy Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard). But happily, FBI agent Renee Walker (Annie Wersching) makes a surprise and welcome return.
President Taylor is back, but her husband and daughter are missing - thanks to, respectively, a nasty divorce and a prison term for murder.
Because Jack now finds himself working with the New York CTU office, he has a new boss, Brian Hastings (Mykelti Williamson), who seems to be in over his head. Jack's faithful comrade and computer whiz Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is back, but he has fallen in with two new agents, Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff) and Cole Ortiz (Freddie Prinze Jr.).
Dana has some serious backstory issues. She's also engaged to Cole, to the disdain of her genius/slacker office colleague Arlo Glass (John Boyd).
Other things have changed, too. Jack's son-in-law (Paul Wesley) is now better known as Stefan, the Good Vampire in CW's "Vampire Diaries."
Speaking of vampires, fans may feel some legitimate initial concern here that "24" is getting long in the tooth. But once the action gets underway, it seems more likely that the producers couldn't resist a few more moments with the adorable 3-year-old for whom Jack Bauer is making the world safe.
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