24

If you saw Kiefer Sutherland on "Inside the Actor's Studio" you may have been turned off by the fact that this guy's favorite word is the Latin word "Gravitas" (meaning weighty, heavy). The fact of the matter is though his response seems so pretentious "Actor's Studio" is all about pretentiousness. James Lipton has made pretentiousness an art form but I digress, my acerbic transgressions belie my true intent, that is to review Season 4 of 24.

24 is probably the most compelling program on TV. Each hour represents an hour in the day which unfolds each season. It draws you into the lives of Jack Bauer and his team at CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit) located somewhere in downtown Los Angeles. Just like the great blockbusters on the big screen 24 pits Bauer versus the end of the world. This year he finds himself against a group of Arab terrorists out to breakdown the safety controls of a group of nuclear power plants, cause the plants to meltdown and kill millions. Creating images based on recent news events (such as the taking of hostages and broadcasting it on the news) 24 terrorizes the audience.

With the exception of Sutherland and a few cameos the cast is all new, a move that definitely gives a freshness to the storyline. While Bauer tracks the bad guys a mole has infiltrated CTU and must be found and dealt with. A mother and son grapple with their loyalty to the terrorists cause and self preservation. Old friends (e. g. Tony Almeda as played by Carlos Bernard) are brought in to help Jack save the day, and Kim Bauer though nice to look at is thankfully at camp for the season. Put this all together and you have what I believe is the best season of 24 so far.

Certainly there is a lot going on in these peoples' lives and a little suspension of disbelief is necessary. Each hour is chock full of events that bend and draw the story leaving you craving for more as the last few seconds tick away each week. What makes Season 4 so good is that all the storylines are interesting, there are no duds in this lot, no fly in this ointment, no rotten apples in this bunch, no stained g-string in this laundry, no scratch in this finish, no James Lipton in is Dinner for Five. It's just a good tight show.

24 airs Monday Nights at 9pm on FOX.