24 - Season 6 [DVD] [2002]

The further adventures of Los Angeles’ Counter Terrorism Unit’s finest initially sees Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer in a Chinese prison and not in good shape. But, this being 24, it’s not too long before the breakneck plot has revved into gear, and the wheels are turning again on a frantic real-time ride that’s thoroughly in the tradition of what’s become television’s finest thriller.

You won’t be finding plot spoilers here, because half the fun of 24 is not knowing what unexpected twist the scriptwriters have for you around the next corner. All that matters is that the world is under threat, and it’s up to Jack Bauer to lead the fightback. And it’s Kiefer Sutherland that’s the real asset to series six; whereas particularly in season five he took a sideways step to accommodate stronger supporting characters, here he’s shouldering a greater degree of the show’s narrative thrust.

You’d be hard pushed to declare that season six is vintage 24, but that’s more to do with the context of particularly the excellent run that preceded it. But few shows can match its audacious verve, and repeated ability to surprise and enthral. So while season six may have too many villains, and may ask you to bear with it through a few troughs, there’s still nothing out there to match it. Jump aboard… --Jon Foster