Clocking Out on 24

This week saw the end of two of the biggest dramas on TV, which also happened to be two of my favorite shows from the past decade. While most of the attention has been paid to Lost for many obvious reasons (more build-up, more unanswered questions, less of a drop in quality over time), I'm still processing its polarizing ending and am not yet ready (ie don't have the time) to do a full write-up. Though while I can't say I loved the very ending, I still liked the episode overall.

Compared to Lost, 24 didn't try to do too much. While it was cancelled in plenty of time to craft a series finale, it still felt very much like just a regular season ender. Up until the last five minutes there was nothing broader-reaching than ending the season's plot. No references to earlier seasons, no surprise returns of previous characters, just...well...about what you'd expect.

I admit that I was behind for most of this season, and spent the past few weeks rapidly catching up so I could watch the finale on time. And overall it was uneven. After a very slow start and one of the stupidest storylines in 24 history with anything having to do with Dana Walsh, the middle of the season kicked it into gear as the Hassan assassination plot came back with a vengeance, and it felt like vintage 24 was back.

That momentum carried in briefly to phase 2 with the return of President Logan, 24's Benjamin Linus or Arthur Frobisher, and one of its most enjoyable villains. But as Jack got a little too into his crazy revenge killing spree, something happened that frequently happens to long running shows: everybody lost their likability. Jack's always walked a fine line between good and dark, but even if he was trying to expose the truth it was clear he had just straight-out lost it. Since most of us watch the show to see Jack be badass, crazy Jack just isn't as much fun. With President Taylor having gone crazy in the opposite direction and most of the cast already written out, that pretty much left Chloe as the sole person worth rooting for.

So much of the finale was about bringing everyone back to sanity. Chloe talked Jack down off his Russian president-assassinating ledge to get him to expose the conspiracy. President Taylor called off the peace treaty at the last second to announce her involvement in the cover-up. Even Pillar wanted to call off the hit on Jack....before Logan went full-out crazy and shot him because...oh, who knows. Was it believable Logan would kill his trusted aide just to be extra sure nobody would find Jack on time? Not so much.

If Logan's end didn't make a whole lot of sense, it was at least somewhat surprising. For a show that's prided itself on its big twists and shocks, these final two hours were surprisingly by the book. The biggest character death was Pillar's, since we were led to believe Logan would survive. There were no shocking reveals or reversals. Even ending with Jack in exile isn't anything new. Previous seasons have seen him fake his own death and go into hiding, be captured by the Chinese, and wander around the world hiding from a government investigation. Other than setting up the movie we all know about, Jack's end didn't accomplish much.

For me though, what brings 24's end from unambitious to disappointing was the relative lack of Jack Bauer throughout its running time. He basically spends the second hour in a gurney. There's no awesome Bauer moments where he does something crazy and badass. He doesn't outwit anyone in any clever way. He starts off crazy, and ends just sad and depressed. There's something wrong when the finest moments in the episode are between President Taylor and Dahlia Hassan. This is Bauer Hour, and Jack didn't go out on top.

I wish 24 had gone out with a bit more of a bang. I wish we could have had a surprise visit from Mandy, or Tony, or at least Aaron Pierce. Seriously, how was the final season the only one out of eight to not feature our favorite secret service agent? But it just goes to show that this was the right time for 24 to end. It didn't overstay its welcome with an embarrassing end, just an unexceptional one. I'll have more to say about the 24 legacy eventually, but this final season certainly didn't harm it. It may be awhile until any show comes close to matching 24 for action, suspense, and daring, but until then we can look forward to the movie.

Tell Me Where the Unsecure Nuclear Materials Are!

There's a reason I haven't written about 24 yet this season: I've been consistently behind by at least 2-3 episodes. Starting with four episodes in a row is tough on those of us with lives (however minimal they may be). But tonight, after over a month and 9 episodes, I've finally caught up.

So what's the verdict? Not great. 24 long ago gave away its position as top dog among buzzy, addictive serials to shows like Lost, Dexter, and Damages, but last season it was able to act as fun TV comfort food - not leaving you breathless for the next episode, but usually pretty enjoyable.

This year so far feels closer to the much maligned season 6, in which there's not enough Jack, and way too much lame filler plots. Most guilty among them this time is Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff aka Starbuck), whose storyline falls somewhere below Kim's cougar and Terri's amnesia on the list of stupidest 24 plots ever. As a woman with a shady past whose blackmailing ex is threatening to expose it, Dana has done no actual work all season nor performed any logical actions, and each week keeps getting more and more absurd. It seems to be over now that the ex and his psycho friend are dead, but we'll still be subject to the unfortunate "what do we do with the bodies" episode. Hopefully once that's done Dana and Cole can get back to work and stop wasting the show's time.

Also in this category: David Anders as the son of the Russian with the nuclear rods that make up this season's MacGuffin. Anders played one of Alias' most memorable characters and was the only good thing to happen to Heroes after season 1, but somehow 24 made him boring. He mostly just complained about his brother, then became main villain for all of 5 seconds before being killed off this week. For that matter, how many villains have we had? Vladimir, Sark's dad, Sark, Middle Eastern Jason Schwartzman, and now his band of merry terrorists. And none of them are memorable. Who knew we'd so miss the days of Nina and Sherry Palmer?

As far as Presidents Taylor and Hassan.......sorry, I fell asleep. I liked the idea of making the big threat an assassination a la season 1, but that threat was resolved within the first four hours. Now we're back to the same threat as every season: nukes. Whether rods or in a suitcase, it's the same thing. Hassan's turn from benevolent leader to paranoid dictator should be interesting, but it just isn't. And Taylor's trapped scheduling meetings, while her new chief of staff just makes phone calls.

That leaves Jack and Renee in charge of carrying the season, given that Chloe gets three lines per episode, Hastings/Dana/Cole don't really work, and Shia LeBeouf just wants to gossip about Dana. And I admit to usually enjoying Jack's undercover plotlines. But when they drag on too long, that's too long when Jack's not in control. All the worse since Renee's the primary undercover agent here. And I'm not sure Annie Wersching is a good enough actress to pull off psycho Renee. Sure, she's more interesting that way, but it's all a little silly.

Still, if there's one thing that always succeeds, it's the classic "Jack Bauer is awesome" moments. It's no wonder the most talked about scene this season has been when Jack pulled Renee's knife out of his body and threw it in some guy's neck. I also enjoy any occasion in which Jack kills a guy with his feet, or knocks a guard out by karate chopping him in the neck. Next week Jack leads a team to rescue Middle Eastern Jason Schwartzman, so we're bound to get some good action there. And when Jack's onscreen, the show definitely improves.

Problem with 24's method of basically introducing a new cast every season is the show's not all that great at creating characters. The writers seem to hope 2 out of 10 will stick (last year it was Renee and President Taylor), and the rest can just be killed off, as is 24's way. But despite the high number of new characters and the impressive actors playing them, not one of them has made a positive impression so far. Which means it continues to be the Jack Bauer show, and anything else is just running the clock.

TV Midseason Preview 2010

Hey everyone, happy New Year! I know we're already a few days into 2010, but for the first Zandervision post of the year I thought it would make sense to look ahead to all of the various TV show returns, season premieres, and new shows over the next few months. Many thanks to Entertainment Weekly for essentially already doing this, and if you're curious about a show I don't watch, go there.

Scrubs and Better Off Ted (January 5th, 8-10 PM, ABC)

These shows have been airing straight through the holidays, but starting Tuesday they begin doubling up to expedite the burning-off process. While Scrubs' likely cancellation may be for the best, Better Off Ted just keeps getting funnier. Maybe think about giving it a shot before it disappears for good?

Modern Family (January 6th, 9-9:30 PM, ABC)

The funniest new show of the season returns with Benjamin Bratt guest starring as Manny's father.

How I Met Your Mother (January 11th, 8-8:30 PM, CBS)

Not only is this the date that HIMYM returns, but it also marks its 100th episode with Rachel Bilson guest starring, the promise of actually seeing the mother, and best of all, a big musical number featuring the entire cast in suits.

30 Rock (January 14th, 9-10 PM, NBC)

30 Rock returns with two episodes in a row? I want to go to there.

Archer (January 14th, 10-10:30 PM, FX, NEW SHOW)

I missed the preview during the fall, but this animated comedy for adults from some Adult Swim writers is supposed to be well worth a look.

Project Runway (January 14th, 10-11 PM, Lifetime)

If it seems soon for another season of Project Runway, it's probably to wipe away our memories of last season's disaster. But since this time it's back in New York with all judges present, I'll give it at least a few episodes.

The Golden Globe Awards (January 17th, NBC)

The awards themselves don't mean much (if they gave Nine 5 nods they clearly don't watch the movies), but Ricky Gervais as host should make for an entertaining night.

Human Target (January 17th, 8-9 PM, Fox, NEW SHOW)

A comic book based action show starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earle Haley. Sounds cool to me.

24 (January 17th & 18th, 9-11 PM & 8-10 PM, Fox)

Yes! Bauer is back, and this time in New York with a ton of new blood including Freddie Prinze Jr., Starbuck, Indian Regis Philbin from Slumdog Millionaire, and Bubba from Forrest Gump. Plus some old blood in Chloe, Renee, and President Taylor.

Life UneXpected (January 18th, 9-10 PM, The CW, NEW SHOW)

TV Guide Magazine calls it "Gilmore Girls meets Juno." Since it's about a teenager who becomes friends with her biological parents, if you like Gilmore Girls, you'll probably like this. Not my kind of show, but at least it's not yet another remake of something from the '90s

The Office (January 21st, 9-9:30 PM, NBC)

With the sale of Dunder Mifflin, maybe The Office will find yet another way to keep itself relevant in its 6th season. Just as long as they never do something like "Scott's Tots" ever again.

Dollhouse (January 22nd, 9-10 PM, Fox)

Not a return but an ending, as Dollhouse airs its series finale. Since the episode is titled "Epitaph 2," it looks like Echo and De Witt's fight against Rossum won't stop the eventual apocalypse, but we may find out what happens to everyone after tech takes over.

Caprica (January 22nd, 9-11 PM, SyFy, NEW SHOW)

If you want to get a headstart on this prequel series to Battlestar Galactica, you can catch the two-hour pilot on DVD. Having just watched it, I can say it's nowhere up to BSG quality yet and is a lot slower paced, but I still found enough cool and intriguing stuff here to want to check out the show. Seems appropriate to be premiering the night Dollhouse ends, since I could certainly use something to fill the sci-fi void.

Spartacus (January 22nd, 9-10 PM, Starz, NEW SHOW)

This attempt to essentially turn 300 into a TV show is probably far too silly for my taste, but if the idea of Lucy Lawless doing something somewhat back in the Xena realm sounds exciting, this is the show for you.

Damages (January 25th, 10-11 PM, FX)

Heading into its third season, Damages is looking to be just as complex and crazy as ever. This time the case centers on a Bernie Madoff like figure (played by original Sweeney Todd Len Cariou) and his wacky family, including wife Lily Tomlin, son Campbell Scott, and secret keeper Martin Short, in an attempt to go serious. If nothing else, Damages always wins for creative casting.

Lost (February 2nd, 9-11 PM, ABC)

Beginning its final season, Lost is easily my most anticipated return of all of 2010. Since the writers say even a single clip would give away everything, all I can say about season 6 is that Claire's back, a bunch of dead people guest star, and it's going to be awesome.

Parenthood (March 1st, 9-10 PM, NBC)

Originally slated for the fall, Parenthood intrigued me then and still does now that Lauren Graham's starring. Though does that mean I need to see the movie?

Gossip Girl (March 8th, 8-9 PM, The CW)

Why such a long break mid-season? Hopefully the writers are taking their time to come up with something good to close the season, because Dan's threesome and Tripp's bug-eyes certainly don't count. And no, neither does bringing Chuck's mom back from the dead.

V (March 30th, 10-11 PM, ABC)

It's looking like a massive ratings drop is inevitable given ABC's idiotic decision to take a long break after airing the initial four episodes. But if you keep watching, the mistake doesn't have to be fatal.

Glee (April 13th, 9-10 PM, Fox)

Another mind-bogglingly long mid-season wait, but the promise of Sue Sylvester singing and dancing makes it worthwhile. The bigger problem will be what to watch first now that Glee and Lost share a timeslot.

Top TV Shows of the Decade

Yesterday was movies, today is top TV shows of the decade. In some ways, picking the TV shows of the decade is even harder, as what shows belong to the '00s? Should we count a show like Buffy, that spent half its time in the '00s but had all its best seasons in the '90s (I'm saying no)? Or what about a show like True Blood, which has already made an impression this decade even though most of its seasons will air in the '10s (again, no)?

In most other ways though, picking TV shows is a lot easier. You don't have to sift through previous lists to find the brightest gems; these are shows we've watched for years and spent countless hours obsessing over. So before I begin, I just want to explain a few high-profile omissions: The West Wing may very well deserve to be on this list, but I never regularly watched it, something I'll someday remedy on DVD. While I do love The Wire, the two seasons I've seen aren't enough to beat what's already on here. And finally, I've never seen a single episode of The Shield.

With that out of the way, let's get to it:

11. Freaks and Geeks

Ok, I'm cheating, but I couldn't leave Freaks and Geeks off. In only 17 episodes, Freaks and Geeks became the most believable high school show on TV, with kids that actually looked their age and problems they would actually face. And in one of my favorite storylines, the geek won his dreamgirl...only to immediately realize she's boring! The show would go on to launch the careers of Judd Apatow, James Franco, Jason Segel, and Seth Rogen, to name but a few, but on its own it's a high school show that anyone can relate to, even those of us too young to be there in 1980.

10. Mad Men

Mad Men may still be young in its run, but it's gone through so much in three seasons that it has certainly earned its spot. A historical show so compelling it actually got me to watch (unlike Deadwood and Rome), Mad Men makes 1960s New York come alive while also serving as a great character piece for any age. In every way it earns the title of "the next Sopranos."

9. Battlestar Galactica

It may have been set in a sci-fi universe, but Battlestar Galactica had more to say about our world than anything else on TV, and showed sci-fi can be a powerful way of making a statement. With fascinatingly dark characters and twists out of nowhere, BSG's four seasons stand as a fully realized vision complete with a great ending.

8. Farscape

Keeping up with the sci-fi theme, Farscape may be the least watched and least remembered show on this list, but it's also the first sci-fi show I loved and one of the first shows that showed me what TV can do. With cool plots, great characters, and muppets, Farscape was the kind of cult show you felt unique for watching, which just made its cancellation all the more difficult.

7. The Office (UK)

The American remake may have more viewers and has certainly had more episodes, but I still say the original 12 episodes + Christmas special of the British version accomplished more. Less cartoonish and more heartfelt, the original let Tim be as pitiable as he was likable and made Gareth the kind of rule-following dork you might actually find in your office (as opposed to Dwight's over-the-top buffoon). The second series finale is still one of the most depressing TV endings I have ever seen, and the Christmas special one of the happiest. That's some impressive range.

6. Dexter

Hard to believe a show about a likable serial killer could be one of the best shows of the decade, but with other shows glorifying killers like Tony Soprano and Vic Mackey, Dexter Morgan's killer with a code doesn't seem so bad. More importantly, Dexter started big with the Ice Truck Killer, and every year works to up the ante with the Bay Harbor Butcher and the Trinity Killer. With four great seasons, it's not only one of the most consistent shows on this list, but also the most addictive show to ever air on cable.

5. Six Feet Under

Further proof that Michael C. Hall has had a great decade: that he was equally convincing in the most un-Dexter part imaginable. You didn't always like everyone in the Fisher clan (in fact, I hated everyone for a full season each), but that just made their stories all the more compelling. It may have started as American Beauty: The TV Show, but by the time it reached its unforgettable ending it had evolved into something more.

4. The Sopranos

No show had more of an influence over the '00s than The Sopranos. Not only is it single-handedly responsible for the emergence of cable as a place for quality original programming, but it also led television to be taken seriously as an art form. Without The Sopranos, there would be no Mad Men, no The Shield, and no Dexter. And regardless of what you thought of the still-discussed finale, it had a pretty remarkable run.

3. 24

The Sopranos may have had the biggest influence on TV this decade, but 24 best represented the decade on TV. Premiering right after 9/11 in 2001, 24 brought the War on Terror to TV screens, and cemented terrorists as the new communists as far as action villains go. With its crazy twists and infamous character deaths, 24 is the reason every show goes kill crazy each May. And as much as I like Christian Bale's Batman, Jack Bauer is the real superhero of the decade.

2. Arrested Development

It may have only lasted three low-rated seasons, but Arrested Development is also the smartest and funniest comedy of all time. That's right I said it: Arrested Development is better than Seinfeld. After all, what other show do you need to watch five times just to get most of the jokes? Or features so many recurring gags that real fans always laugh harder than casual ones? With one of the looniest ensembles on TV and the most endlessly quotable lines, Arrested Development is a no-brainer for comedy of the decade.

1. Lost

So many shows have tried to imitate it (cough FlashForward cough), and so many have tried to explain its roots, but the fact is that Lost is a true original, the kind of experience that can only come but once a decade, if ever. A cult show that finds room for oven ten million viewers. A mystery that asks three new questions for every answer it gives. And a character piece that regularly makes even the most minor supporting character seem fascinating after a few well-placed flashbacks. With some of the most iconic characters, images, and storylines currently on TV, Lost is more than a more popular Twin Peaks, a more serialized X-Files, or a more intelligent Gilligan's Island. It's the show of the decade.

So there's my picks. Some shows that just barely missed the cut include The Wire, Veronica Mars, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, Alias, The Office (US), and 30 Rock.

Which shows topped your decade? What am I overrating? What am I missing? And what do you think will make this list ten years from now for the 2010s? Let me know in the comments.

Finale Fever: Serena Blasts Back and Jack Takes a Nap

Tonight marked the last night of the TV season for shows I watch, yet I'm also just beginning to discuss the finales here. I still owe you a big post on Lost's explosive (yes, I went there) finale and the far tamer cappers on NBC Thursday, but for now I'm sticking to Monday night TV (minus How I Met Your Mother, due to DVR constraints).

For a show that's had such a messy, ADHD-plagued season as Gossip Girl has, it actually did a surprisingly good job of tying together some of the many loose threads. Remember that New Year's Eve Blair spent with annoying Uncle Jack? Here it is! Ditto Nate's easily forgettable romp with the Duchess. And Jenny's strip-tease photos. And Teenage Teacher. Gossip Girl played the great unifier for bad plotlines.

Better was how Gossip Girl had something to do besides narrate. Sure, Serena's vendetta over being called "irrelevant" was kind of silly (and most of the labels were confusing or lame anyway), but it did get back to the title of the show. And as much as I generally dislike anything to do with the mean girls, it did seem in the spirit of how the series began for Jenny to be crowned leader (but will she get to meet Jacob?)

Still, there were a few things that bugged me. First off, we've seen the Chuck and Blair "I love you" "I don't love you" scene almost as many times as we've seen Dan and Serena break up. I'm over it. Second, what's with Dan suddenly going to NYU? I assume it's because he couldn't afford Yale, but newsflash, NYU is more expensive than Yale. Maybe he got a scholarship, but it would have been nice if they explained that, or people might start believing Blair that NYU is a state school.

This year's finale was less ambitious and less disappointing than last year's, creating a solid end to a less than solid season. More importantly, the set-up for next season seems promising. Everyone's set to stay in New York except for Serena (who will stay at Brown for...2 episodes?) More Georgina messing with Blair (though a little Georgina goes a LONG way). And most intriguing, Dan's supposedly dead half-brother wants to be his new bff. Am I foolish to think Gossip Girl may be the rare teen show to avoid the college curse? Probably.

Season 7 won't go down as one of 24's greatest, but it was a consistently entertaining comeback from season 6. Which made me expect more than the bloated tearfest we got in these final two hours. I'm used to the main action ending with a half hour left to go, as that's happened every year since season 4. What I'm not used to is nothing else happening instead.

Let's start with the good stuff: Tony's only sort of evil. You knew when he asked to meet Kaaara's leader he was planning to take him down. That was even clearer when he went all Locke, asking Jack to be his Ben in killing Jacob (Lost references will not end). You knew Tony would get taken down before he could kill Wilson, but his little speech was still kind of moving, especially for how it tied together with 24 history, justifying all his good guy/bad guy flip-flops. Mostly I'm glad to see Tony survive the day, which no sort-of bad guy has done since Nina.

Once Tony was out of the picture, what was left? Mostly Olivia's rather tiresome cover-up story about indirectly ordering Jonas Hodge's hit. When I'm questioning Aaron's involvement, it's a bad sign. But hey, if it gets Olivia and the First Gentleman off the show before season 8, then I suppose it was worth it.

Then there's Kim. The writers did everything in their power to free Kim from her cougar-bait image: stabbing a guy with a pen, pulling a laptop out of an exploding car, yelling "Dammit!" She was a regular mini-Jack. Fair enough, writers. I'll stop the cougar jokes. But the last 45 minutes of the episode was mostly Jack lying in bed being read his last rites Islam-style. Better than staring off into the water after being told off by Audrey's dad? Not sure.

Finally, the torture debate. Jack gave a whole long speech about how torture is wrong but it feels so good, which I guess was suppose to make people on both sides of the aisle feel good. Or it was just there to let Freckles get her Bauer on, pulling a gun on liberal punching bag Janis to torture solo. I kind of wished she had given Janis the sleeper hold and said "Don't fight it," but what can you do. If this was meant to be a cliffhanger, it was a really lame one. I just hope it's there to set up Freckles as part of Jack's rogue torture team in New York. That is, once the magic stem cells bring him back to life.

There's No Crying on 24

We've known since season 1 that 24 writers don't have the attention span to keep an entire story going all season, so they break it up into story chunks. Well, tonight saw the end of one of those chunks (or did it?), as Tony blew up the missiles, the FBI took Starkwood, and the President had Hodges arrested. Outside of Jack's whole dying thing, it seemed like the season was pretty well settled. Until the ending...

But there was a lot that happened before then. Such as Hodges' meeting with the President. Man, he just gets crazier and crazier with each episode (though not killing Chairman with rocks glass crazy this week). Walking in all officially with his brochure on the US of Starkwood, he seemed positively shocked that the President did not want to hand him over the government. If that's the full extent of his plan, he really is delusional.

Even bigger news was the return of cougar survivor Kim Bauer - same blonde hair, less annoying attitude. No, instead of her usual whining, the kidnapping-prone Bauer instigated a little love fest with her estranged pop, with plenty of heartfelt reconciliations and tears. Touching, cowboy, touching. But not enough to get Jack to agree to the magic stem cell treatment. Yet. We all know Kim will win out, cause otherwise there would be no season 8.

Finally, that final scene, which provided an unfortunate surprise. I remember back to the beginning of the season, when I disliked Bad Tony and was pleased to see he was actually good. But now Tony's bad again, pulling a Michael Dawson in killing an ally to let a bad guy go free. I do not support this. If Tony's bad, 24 law dictates that Jack kills him at the end of the season, making me again wonder why they bothered to resurrect him. And it makes little sense. So 24 writers, you better step it up in the next few episodes and sell this twist to me, cause right now I'm skeptical.

Gossip Girl Returns With a Whimper as Jack Goes on the Run

It's been a month and a half since the last new Gossip Girl. While that's got nothing on the 8 months we go through between seasons of Lost, that's still a pretty sizable midseason break. The kind of break that you come back from wondering whether you still care about what's going on. And this week at least, that answer was a resounding no.

When was the last time that every single one of the storylines fell completely flat? Well, ok, don't answer that, I remember the Jenny the Designer episodes too. But let's go through all of this week's stories anyway, shall we?

1. Dan and Teenage Teacher.
During the break, I had thought she had already left the show. No such luck. Instead we get the non-surprise that she's been sending things into Gossip Girl, not that it makes any sense. Why would Dan tell her about Blair and the British dude? And why did she target Serena if her vendetta was against Blair? Whatever, at least she's gone.

2. Chuck and the Sex Club
This storyline had an impressive trifecta of being lame, preposterous, and finding a woman Chuck had no chemistry with. Add to that the return of minor season 1 character Carter for no other reason than to make googly eyes at real-life girlfriend Blair, and you've got some serious filler.

3. Nate and Vanessa
This storyline involved Nate and Vanessa, so there was no way it was going to be good. No surprises on that front.

4. Serena and Theater Man
Congratulations Gossip Girl. You made Aaron look interesting.

5. The play
Ok, I kind of liked the connections between all the characters and their roles, and Nelly Yuki in a fat suit. But since the play's breakdown involved Nate, it brought in Theater Man, and nothing about it made much sense (a real theater director would do a high school show....even though the cast was non-actors required to do the play....and a NYT critic would go there), this goes down too.

On the plus side, Gossip Girl storylines only ever last for 3 episodes max (because the writers have the attention span of a goldfish), so we're on to something completely different next week. Let's hope it's more interesting.

24's last few episodes may have been just as silly as Gossip Girl, but at least it's been a hell of a lot more entertaining. The White House invasion seems a clear parallel to the season 5 CTU poison gas arc. Both came at the 2-hour midseason episode mark, both involved a heroic sacrifice, and both killed off a long-running character in a less-than-ideal way (Buchanan's death was way better than Tony's, but it still wasn't as big as past sacrificial deaths). These episodes don't hold up to 24's best season, but they were still the kind of big action arc you come to 24 looking for.

On to this week's episode, which saw Jack yet again on the run from, you know, everyone. This may happen every season (perhaps even every episode), but 24 needs Jack to be working on the outside, getting the job done while ducking the authorities. Part of the fun is watching Jack form the Jack Bauer Club - the select group of friends and colleagues allowed to know the secret threat and help him thwart it. That second body in the presumed body count just rackets up the suspense.

Speaking of the late senator, 24 finally made him into a real character tonight. Previously he had been the token liberal straw man, meant to show how stupid and naive and terrorist-loving we all are (like the NAACP rep from season 4). But tonight he listened to Jack, helped him, and even called him son (tear). Not only that, but the writers actually let him make a real argument against torture, instead of just saying filler for Jack to tear down.

Which is why he had to die. Any plan that could potentially work out Jack's problems wasn't gonna fly. And with the assassin now dead as well, Jack's got even less to clear him. So who's joining the Jack Bauer Club? First up, Tony, who's back from his multi-episode vacation to, judging by the promos, do a lot of shooting. Then there's Freckles, but she's already become the victim of Janis' terrible spying and Moss' comically unnecessary surprise capture. That still leaves Chloe and Morris, but that assumes they stop bickering long enough to be useful.

With Jon Voight's creepy new baddy, the President's totally evil daughter, and a whole new threat to unravel, 24 part 2 should have enough juice to last, oh, at least a few episodes. And then I'm sure the writers will be off to something even crazier.

Pandas, Freckles, and Gossip, Oh My!

You might ask why I bothered watching Kung Fu Panda. It's a fair question. But after the Panda beat Wall-E in all the Animation Guild's awards, I was curious to see what would be losing to the robot come Oscar night. Getting past its obvious inferiority to the Pixar masterpiece, it's a surprisingly enjoyable watch, as far as straight-out kids movies go. Certainly if I was to take a kid to a movie, I could do far worse. The movie's best selling point is the animation. The various animated fight scenes do look really, really cool. I'm sure that's what the animators saw in it.

The Panda also stands out for its rather odd voice casting. Jack Black brings a little too much Tenacious D to his titular slacker. Angelina Jolie's voice has little enough personality you might think her Tigress is animatronic. Dustin Hoffman isn't the first name to come to mind when you hear "kung fu master." Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu are the token Asians in a movie set in China. And David Cross and Seth Rogen are clearly just there for the paycheck (seriously, Monsters vs. Aliens will be Rogen's 3rd animated movie. He really loves the easy money). Kung Fu Panda's not necessary viewing for anyone, but it's a perfectly nice way to waste some time.


Now to shift gears completely, Entertainment Weekly's TV critic, Ken Tucker, wrote this morning that he considers Jack's partner, FBI Agent Renee Walker, to be 24's weakest link this season. He calls her a "wimpy sentimentalist," a "sap," and even goes so far as to call her this season's Kim Bauer. Now, I personally think he's being rather hard on Freckles. Finding it difficult to hold a mother and baby at gunpoint seems like a rather reasonable response. Jack used to have some conscience issues once upon a time as well.

Now, I'm not saying she ranks on the list of memorable 24 characters, but how can you call her the weakest link with so many others to choose from? All Monotone does is make googly eyes at Uglier Sarah Jessica Parker and annoy everyone. Boring Boss seems to be the most extreme justification of torture, just because you'd never want to agree with someone like that. But the award for this season's Kim Bauer goes to the First Gentleman. Acting stupid and getting himself kidnapped? No contest.

Quick recap of Monday night's episode: Jack tries to become besties with his 3rd US president. Do you think when he asked President Taylor to "ask around" about him, he was referring to the dead and possibly dead Palmer brothers? Who else does he know that's still alive? Taylor eventually gives Jack his directive: find the First Gentleman within the hour. I like when 24 episodes have hourly goals; it gives them purpose. Plus, it meant the promise of a shoot-out at the end.

Meanwhile, Taylor lets Buchanan stick around and make policy decisions because she doesn't dare question the hair. Boring Boss enters the Jack Bauer Club...just to lecture everyone for the 8000th time about torture. Jack kills a guy because he's Jack Bauer. Freckles questions her desire to be Jack's torture apprentice for approximately one minute, 49 seconds. And Dubaku goes to confront his waitress girlfriend's wheelchair-bound sister for....reasons unknown. Seriously, does he actually plan on seeing the waitress again? Also, I think Uglier Sarah Jessica Parker is the mole. Otherwise what does she do?

Finally, the weekly gossip on Grey's Anatomy (why is the gossip so much better than the show? Watch any given episode to find that out). Costar James Pickens Jr. (The Chief) told Us Weekly that TR Knight and Katherine Heigl will both be leaving the show. Spoiler King Michael Ausiello at Entertanment Weekly says it's not a done deal, but it will likely happen sometime early next season.

Now, my first thought is to be happy for the actors. TR Knight's George has probably had around three lines an episode since episode four this season. Characters like "Nurse #8" have more screentime. Katherine Heigl's Izzie has had one of the stupidest subplots I've seen on any TV show in recent memory (you know which one I'm talking about). Watching the way these once-likable characters have been tossed aside is just sad, and both of the actors deserve to move on to bigger and better things.

But if they really leave, and only three of the original five interns remain, what's the point of even continuing the show? The show seemed to introduce a major new character every week, but the only one who survived was Army Doc. After another season, will there even be any Greys left? All I can say is I'm glad I stopped watching when I did.

Monday Night TV Overload

Since when was Monday the most happening night of TV? I haven't caught How I Met Your Mother yet, but that still leaves 3 shows that had big enough episodes last night to be worth discussing.


Last night's Heroes premiere had something to prove: Could Heroes learn from its mistakes, or is it doomed for crappiness? By fixing many of its biggest criticisms, the premiere definitely leaned toward the former. The episode felt less cluttered by slowing down the pace to give every character some time. The characters were all back in the real world, instead of the sci-fi land they've been in the past two seasons. And we're back to just the core cast, as the only major new character introduced was villain The Hunter (Zeljko Ivanek). So anyone thinking about catching up on seasons 2 or 3 someday, don't. Just start now.

That said, there wasn't anything too exciting about the episode until the ending. I'm unclear why Parkman suddenly gets to draw the future. Isn't mind reading enough? Sylar's quest to find his parents seems completely separate from everything else going on (and I'm sick of him). I'm not entirely sure why HRG is working for the bad guys again. And Claire's annoying me. That's not really a new criticism, I just thought maybe she would have improved.

But the plane crash at the end leads me to think the season has promise. Promos for the rest of the season show everyone working together, which could end the era of many uninteresting stories competing for time. Fighting against government hunters is a nice twist from the usual Company/Sylar threats of seasons past. So for the moment, at least, I think Heroes appears to be worth watching. But in a season where Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Damages, and even 24 are all having pretty exciting seasons, is there really room for Heroes at the watercooler? It'll have to do a whole lot more to earn its place.


You know it's a good episode of 24 when a ton has already happened and it's only been 15 minutes. This was one of those big arc-ending episodes, where Jack and Team Buchanan successfully made it into Dubaku's headquarters and killed all his guys...but not him. Nice to see Freckles become one of the team, even seconding Bill in highest level of paranoia by fighting Jack in getting outside help. Also cool to see Jack, Tony, and Bill take on Duabku's whole crew without getting a scratch. That's the Jack Bauer I know.

We also got another type of classic 24 plot in Kidron, Ohio, in which a minor character was introduced only to soon be killed. He may have called Janis honey, but his heroic sacrifice held up a strong 24 tradition. Looks like Kidron, OH can take down those signs asking for Jack Bauer's help. Any thoughts on the odd scene with Duabku's waitress girlfriend at the end? Will she be played against Dubaku only to stab him in betrayal, a la Alexis Drazen's girlfriend from season 1? Will she be collateral damage? Is there any other option in 24 land? With little screentime for the First Gentleman, an all around good episode. Let's keep it up.

Finally, Gossip Girl. I'd like to take a moment to take stock of how many seasons' worth of material Gossip Girl has blown through so far. Let's see, there was Lord Marcus and the Duchess, Serena the Socialite, Jenny the Fashionista, Cyrus and Aaron Rose, Bart's Death, Uncle Jack, the Rufus/Lily baby, and now the sexploits of the Teenage Teacher. I think that averages out to an entire different story every two or three episodes. Way to go.

So this week, Teenage Teacher found herself mixed up with The Police, as Dan was humming. "Young teacher/the subject/of schoolboy fantasy." It's like that line about how if you show a gun in act I, it has to go off in act III. If a teacher is introduced who looks younger than the students, she has to end up sleeping with somebody (actually, on Gossip Girl, you could just say "if a character in introduced, he or she has to end up sleeping with somebody"). So, after denying it all episode, she and Dan did the deed. I guess that's what happens when teachers give their address to all of their students.

My big question is this: Dan and Serena have now broken up for, by my count, about 800 trillion times. And each time, the scene goes exactly the same way. This time they even seemed to be going through the motions, as if to say, "Do I really have to talk about the Bass brunch again?" So why not grant that wish? We know now that anytime they get together, they will inevitably break up within two episodes, so can't the cycle end? I doubt it. I'm predicting at least two more make-up/break-ups before the season ends.

Oh, and how could I have forgotten Chuck Bass' trip into Eyes Wide Shut? A little odd, but at least Chuck Bass is being Chuck Bass. The whole secret society that (probably) killed Elle for telling their secret is just wacky enough for me to be intrigued. I'll hold off judging until I see where it goes.

High Schoolers Love Opera; Jack Buries Freckles

Stuck at work with no TV to watch the Inauguration? Don't worry! Just about every relevant site has a live stream of the event. Here's a few to choose from:

Hulu
CNN
NBC
MSNBC

So far, it looks a little bit like New Year's Eve, with a whole lot of people standing around waiting for something to happen. While waiting for Obama's speech, how bout a little of last night's TV?

It was a week for comings and goings on Gossip Girl, as Uncle Jack said goodbye and Teenage Teacher said hello. Jack's dismissal seemed a bit sudden, with little of his build-up having paid off. What the hell was the point of his tryst with Blair on New Year's Eve if it would never be mentioned again or have any impact on anything? Was it just to put that icky image in our minds? It almost makes me wonder if this was a case of premature Aaron Rose syndrome, when the producers realized a character wasn't working and kicked him off. But they did try a little too hard to make him evil, what with trying to rape Lily. An older Chuck Bass could have been fun. Oh well.

As for Teenage Teacher, the fact that she looks younger than most of the cast should make it less creepy when she and Dan inevitably start hooking up. How is it that Dan and Serena went instantly from back together to seriously dramatic fights? This whole Yale divide seems a bit overdone. Is it a rule that Dan must ignore Serena's call in every episode?

So now that Lily's adopted Chuck, I think it's only a matter of time before Rufus and Lily get married, Nate gets adopted too, and every single character on the show is in one big happy family. It seemed like everyone was related on The OC, but on Gossip Girl they really are. Brady Bunch 2, perhaps? And how many high schoolers really like opera that much? I guarantee they all fell asleep halfway through the overture.

24 had a bit of an off week, taking in the excitement of the last 2 hours while setting up stuff to come. I know it seems weird to say nothing much happened in an episode where the First Husband got drugged and Agent Freckles got buried alive, but what can I say, it's 24. And no Chloe and Buchanan automatically makes for a weak episode. But I will give credit to the super creepy ending, with all those shots of Freckles from behind the tarp looking around scared at Jack and Tony burying her alive. Seeing Freckles' POV as the last dirt went down heading into a silent clock makes up for any inactivity beforehand.

Ok, Obama's gonna speak any moment now, so enough with last night's TV. Time to watch history.

And Just Like That, 24 is Awesome Again

24 writers, you have my apologies. Everything I said yesterday about a weak start? All undone by last night's two high-action, plot-twisty hours that were 24 at its rule-breaking, mole-hunting, undercover-going best.

The turning point came when it was revealed that Tony was thankfully not evil, but undercover. Now, I love undercover stories in general. All of the questions of will they get caught, how far will they go to keep their cover, that's all golden for me. So Tony and Jack undercover is just double the fun. But the best part is that it puts Jack and Tony back together, the CTU dream team bashing heads and taking names.

Even better is that he's undercover for Chloe and Buchanan, leading their own rogue, black ops version of CTU. Before you can shout "No more CTU!" they make it clear this is a different game entirely. If their sketchy warehouse doesn't do the trick, there's Buchanan, looking very spy-like with his black turtleneck, scruffy beard, and slick white hair. When he talks about sacrificing Jack and Sengala PM Metobo to keep Tony undercover, you know straight-arrow Bill is as gone as CTU. No wonder Jack's not sure if he can trust them.

With the real Chloe and Bill back, their FBI fill-ins get to be the "people who try to stop Jack." Chloe-Clone may still be lame, but the tech battle between the former Larry Sanders Show costars during the FBI escape proved her worth. Then there's Agent Freckles, betrayed over losing her teacher in the art of torture. She wants to torture so bad she tries it on her own, nearly killing a guy when he laughs at her lack of confidence. Jack better watch out for her, not because she'll arrest him, but for whatever weird S&M torture fantasies she's got planned.

We also saw the return of 24's favorite plot device: the mole. Unlike in previous seasons though, this time MOLES ARE EVERYWHERE! Sounds paranoid, but since this is 24 it's gotta be true. As far as Taylor's mole goes, it's gotta be the dull Chief of Staff, cause otherwise why is he there? As for the FBI, Creepy Guy's wife may be on that plane, but that doesn't make him innocent. Still, he looks way too evil to actually be evil. Freckles could pull a Nina Meyers, but a good mole wouldn't risk her job by torturing for thrills and worshipping Jack Bauer. That leaves Boring Boss and Chloe-Clone as the main suspects.

Sure, we've been through all of these scenarios already. The four-man CTU operation is just a variation on season 5's Jack Bauer Club, where a select but growing few helped Jack expose Logan's treachery. But at least now if 24 is predictable, it's predictable in a fun way. And as long as they keep coming up with great action sequenences like Jack and Tony's escape from FBI headquarters, I'll be hanging on every "dammit."

On 24, The More Things Change...

24 kickstarted its long-delayed seventh season last night with the first two hours of its four-hour premiere. Usually the four hours are somewhat self-contained and highly action-packed. As many flaws as season 6 had (and it did have many), it delivered a kick-ass opener with Jack biting a guy's neck, Jack kicking a terrorist out of a subway car, a nuclear explosion, and Jack killing Curtis.

Last night's two-hour opener started out in the same spirit, with a suspenseful car crash and kidnapping of engineer Latham (John Billingsley) by risen-from-the-dead Tony Almeida and his nameless terrorist cronies. But for the next hour and 55 minutes, action largely gave way to exposition, as all the many storylines were set up and all the many new characters were introduced.

To make up for last season's failures, the writers wiped the slate clean with a new location and a whole new cast of characters. But while CTU may be disbanded, Jack's new FBI home might as well be its less popular identical twin. Chloe has given way to Janeane Garofalo's socially awkward techie. Rhys Coiro's analyst is basically the same character Zachary Quinto played in season 3. And while their boss could transform into the next Bill Buchanan or George Mason, for now he's just boring.

There are a couple of new additions who might pull their weight. Jack's FBI partner Renee lets Jack do his thing and can take down 300 pound guys in 3 seconds, so she can stay. President Allison Taylor seems to follow President Roslin (Battlestar Galactica)'s playbook on how to be a badass female president, but she needs better material than a lame justification for the war in Iraq. Her husband drags things down further with the investigation of his son's death. We know from Redemption that his son was killed by Jon Voight's minions, but that doesn't make watching him threaten hot brokers any more fun.

Of course, 24 is the Jack Bauer Show, so the supporting players are just there to help and hinder his terrorist hunt. But, as I asked in Redemption, who is Jack Bauer? He's been put through such ridiculousness over the course of the series that any humanity in him has long since seeped out. His former friendship with Tony gives him some connection to this season's stories, but he mostly answers everything with, "I don't care." Yeah, he got to threaten a guy with a pen, but these first two hours showed very little of Jack Bauer being awesome and a whole lot of him justifying torture. We don't watch 24 for serious political discourse. It's a superhero show for the War on Terror. Lighten up and kill some terrorists.

As for Tony, he had probably the worst send-off in 24 history (and there's been a lot). But while it's nice to have him back, a lame villain in a goatee does not seem worthy of the Tony Almeida we all knew and loved. I'm hopeful that his early capture last night means there's a better explanation for his actions, and maybe he will team up with Jack Bauer once more to save the day. Cause Tony just doesn't seem to work as a villain, even if he has the motivation. Also, the vague terrorist plot taken from various Die Hard movies isn't holding up to terror threats of the past. Maybe once everything comes together a little better we'll start to see the 24 of old. Tonight seems like a good time to start.

Midseason Preview

2009 may have just begun, but the TV midseason isn't wasting time, beginning on January 5th. I'll help you figure out when my favorite returning shows come back and what new shows may be worth considering.

Gossip Girl (January 5th, 8-9 PM, the CW)
When we last saw the Upper East Siders, Chuck was a mess over his father's death. This week introduces his Uncle Jack, played by Desmond Harrington (Quinn from Dexter). Elsewhere, Jenny finally goes back to school, but no word on whether she'll start looking human again.

Scrubs (January 6th, 9-10 PM, ABC)
Now on ABC, Scrubs is back for its (probably) final season, starting with two episodes. The season starts with Courtney Cox as the new Chief of Medicine and, judging by the promos, awkward facial hair for JD. There's also a Hawaiin wedding for Janitor later this season.

Nip/Tuck (January 6th, 10-11 PM, FX)
At the end of last season, Sean was stabbed by his crazy fake-publicist Colleen Rose and Julia was shot by her girlfriend's crazy daughter Eden and was left with amnesia. Eden should hopefully be gone, given that her portrayor (Annalynne McCord) is now on 90210, but Colleen is definitely back. No word on how long they'll continue the never-successful amnesia device, but don't expect a creative comeback anytime soon.

Top Chef (January 7th, 10-11 PM, Bravo)
Season 5 returns with new judge Toby Young (author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People), and two chefs will be eliminated.

Damages (January 7th, 10-11 PM, FX)
Damages tries to top season 1 with a boatload of top-tier new cast members like William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, and Timothy Olymphant. After settling the Frobisher (Ted Danson) case, Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) is moving on. When a whistle blower (Hurt) tells of her of shady practices coming from his company, it seems she's got her next case. Meanwhile, Ellen (Rose Byrne) works with the FBI to bring Patty down, and Frobisher survives his shooting to come back for more mischief.

30 Rock (January 8th, 9:30-10 PM, NBC)
30 Rock continues to become the next Will & Grace by having Salma Hayek and Peter Dinklage both guest star.

Grey's Anatomy (January 8th, 9-10 PM, ABC)
The surgeons have to work on a death row inmate, and it's not even a sweeps month? What are they saving up for February, an operation on Ghost Denny? Also, Jessica Capshaw joins the cast as a pediatric surgeon and a romantic interest for Callie (since she hasn't had enough this season).

24 (January 11th and 12th, 8-10 PM, Fox)
As it has the last two seasons, 24 will begin with a two-night, four hour premiere to kick things in motion. These year-old episodes see Jack on trial in DC for his actions after CTU has been shut down. But he gets off when the government needs him to stop Evil Back-From-the-Dead Tony Almeida from his terrorist activities. Also, there's a Lady Prez.

How I Met Your Mother (January 12th, 8:30-9 PM, CBS)
Reality stars taunt Marshall from a magazine, as they do to us all. Ted and Robin become friends with benefits. That should last about as long as it did for Jerry and Elaine.

The Office (January 15th, 9-9:30 PM, NBC)
I don't have an episode description, but expect fall-out over Phyllis telling the office about Dwight and Angela.

Battlestar Galactica (January 16th, 10-11 PM, Sci-Fi)
In the final season, Earth has been found, but now what? Will they try to live on that post-apocalyptic planet? Will the human/Cylon truce hold? And who is the last frakking Cylon?

Big Love (January 18th, 9-10 PM, HBO)
I still haven't seen season 2, so I got nothing on season 3. But this is when it premieres.

Flight of the Conchords (January 18th, 10-10:30 PM, HBO)
You could wait until January 18th to see Bret and Jermaine's newest adventures. Or you could go to Funnyordie.com and watch it now.

The United States of Tara (January 18th, 10-10:30 PM, Showtime, NEW SHOW)
Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense) plays a woman with multiple personality disorder. John Corbett (Sex and the City, Lucky) plays her husband. Steven Spielberg's producing. Diablo Cody (Juno) wrote the pilot. With all those big names and Showtime's recent hot streak (Weeds, Dexter), this is certainly worth checking out. But it is paired with the ultra-dull Secret Diary of a Call Girl, so who knows.

Lost (January 21st, 9-11 PM, ABC)
After a year of waiting, it's finally here. Lost is back. Season 5 will find Jack and Ben getting the Oceanic Six back together to return to the island while we learn just what "bad things" happened to those who stayed on the island. Those who have already seen the premiere say the new time-jumping device makes flashforwards seem like child's play. They also say it's awesome.

Lie to Me (January 21st, 9-10 PM, Fox, NEW SHOW)
Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, The Incredible Hulk) plays a human lie detector that heads some special FBI agency. Is this just a lame procedural a la The Mentalist? Too early to tell, but it could be fun to see Tim Roth on TV.

Trust Me (January 26th, 10-11 PM, TNT, NEW SHOW)
If you've watched TNT at all in the last month, you've surely seen tons of ads for this new show in which Tom Cavanaugh (Ed) gets a new boss: his best friend, played by Eric McCormick (Will of Will & Grace). I have yet to get into TNT's other original shows (The Closer, Saving Grace), but the leads seem likable enough to make me want to give this one a try.

Heroes (February 2nd, 9-10 PM, NBC)
After season 3 got bogged down in too many characters and too little logic, why am I still watching this show? Well, cause season 4 looks kind of cool. After Nathan leaked word of the heroes to the government, the Hunter (Damages' Zeljko Ivanek) will start rounding them all up. Seems like a welcome break from the typical "stop big threat to save the world using lots of time traveling" formula. But the second it starts to lag, I'm out.

Dollhouse (February 13th, 9-10 PM, Fox, NEW SHOW)
In this new show from Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Firefly), Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy) plays Echo. She works at a secret agency (is there any other kind?) as a blank slate, with personalities put into her depending on what her mission calls for. The show has suffered some bad early buzz, due to conflicts between Whedon and Fox and some production issues. But the plot sounds badass, and it's Joss freaking Whedon. If given time to grow, it can definitely stand with his previous classics.

24 Still Seeks Redemption

After the mess that was 24's 6th Season, it's clear the producers wanted to shake things up. But in the 2-hour TV-movie Redemption, the only reminders that you're watching 24 are from the clock, the split-screen, and the presence of Kiefer Sutherland. After various scenes about child soldiers, we find Jack has left LA for the fictional African country of Sengala. It seems he's been traveling around the world, avoiding a subpoena for a Congressional hearing and everything from the past 6 seasons. He's now helping his Special Forces buddy, Carl Benton (The Full Monty's Robert Carlyle) run a school for annoyingly cute kids. When General Juma (Candyman Tony Todd) and Colonel Dubaku (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) try to take the kids as soldiers, Jack Bauer wakes up and fights back.

Raising awareness about the horrors of child soldiers is all well and good (though having them shout cock-a-roach just brings up Tony Montana), but it doesn't really have any place on 24. Gone for a year and a half, 24 needed to remind us of what it does and who Jack Bauer is. Jack may have been steadily losing his humanity, but a warmer, gooeier Jack Bauer doesn't bring it back. Not until around 45 minutes in when he kills a guy with his feet do we remember this is Jack Bauer, terrorist-killing superhero. In that respect, Carlyle seems particularly ill-used as the nice, quiet, forgettable character, when he could have been Jack's equally badass partner.

Much like the beginning of season 4, the movie chose to keep Jack pretty much the only returning character (Daniels and Tom Lennox don't count). But since 24 has a spotty record on introducing new characters, few of them made an impression. The exception is the Washington DC subplot, in which new president Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) is sworn in. Outgoing President Daniels made Bush's approach to the transition look really good with his creepy, scotch-swilling advice for Taylor. Can't say I'm sad to see him go. And while the storyline about her son Roger (Eric Lively, brother of Gossip Girl's Blake) is basically how every season of 24 starts, I'm still intrigued. I'm sure Taylor will butt heads with Jack for awhile, but she seems like a promising new addition. Unlike Jon Voight's head baddie, who so far is just like any number of forgettable 24 villains.

At its best, the special reminded me why I should be excited for a new season of 24. The split-screens, the clock, Kiefer Sutherland's real time announcement, it all brought back good memories. And in some ways, the attempt to do something different made me miss regular 24 all the more. Of course, more than any other piece of entertainment, 24 really was the defining show of the Bush era, premiering directly after September 11th. 24's world is one in which the terrorist threat is extreme enough that no measures are too strong to stop it. While I think the idea that people only want happy things in an Obama presidency is ridiculous, it will be interesting to see how 24 reacts to a post-Bush America. Regardless of quality, Redemption left me ready to see what comes next.

TV Reminder

Just a reminder to everyone that beyond the usual Sunday night shows, there are two specials worth noting tonight. The first is 24: Redemption (Fox, 8-10 PM), the 2-hour movie to bridge the gap between seasons 6 and 7. It's been, what, a year and a half since season 6 ended? And most of us probably aren't too excited after the disappointment that was season 6. But even in Africa and not LA, Jack Bauer is Jack Bauer, and Redemption might give a sign of whether season 7 will be a return to must-see form.

The second TV event of note is A Colbert Christmas (Comedy Central, 10-11 PM). Despite the constant advertisements during Colbert Report and Daily Show the past few weeks, I'm not entirely sure what Stephen Colbert will do for his full hour. I'm expecting a mix of cheesy, Bing Crosby style Christmas talk with some songs and special guests. Must see? Who knows. The bigger question is why Christmas movies and specials now seem to only come out during Thanksgiving (see also: Four Christmases. Or don't).

I'll try to comment on both as soon as I've seen them. No promises on when that will be. Also coming up this week: What to See With Your Family on Thanksgiving, Top Thanksgiving TV Episodes (hint: nearly all of them are from Friends), and maybe that review of Slumdog Millionaire I've been meaning to write for weeks now.

What Obama Can Learn From the Palmers

There's no doubt that the election of President Obama has brought one of the most hopeful times to the United States (and the world) in recent memory. Not only is it a historic election (I hate "an historic," the "h" is not silent!) because Obama will be the first non-fictional African-American president, but there's a real sense that he can unify the country and solve our problems for reasons that have nothing to do with race. There's no question though that he faces a near insurmountable to-do list right away: the economic crisis, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, threats in Iran and Pakistan, terrorism, the need for energy independence, health care reform, and so on.

But the little we have heard about President Obama's first steps as president-elect all seem like they are in the right direction. His short lists for key Cabinet positions all show a willingness to rely on experienced advisors and often across party lines. His first announced pick, Representative Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff, has been criticized by some Republicans for showing less of the nonpartisan approach. As the fourth highest ranking Democrat in the House and a reputation for toughness in getting the job done, he's most definitely planted on the Democratic side. But that's exactly why he's a perfect pick. See, while Obama may be the first black president in reality, he has two predecessors in the land of 24. And their presidencies offer some very useful advice for how Obama should lead.

1. Hire a Chief of Staff you can trust
David Palmer thought he did with Mike Novick, a man who had stood with Palmer all the way back to the primaries. But when the war hawk Vice President tried to oust Palmer from power by inaccurately interpreting the 25th amendment, Novick jumped abord, betraying his boss. While Palmer refused the resignations of his Cabinet after the crisis passed, he demanded one from Novick. Because there's no use for a Chief of Staff who doesn't have your back. David went with his brother Wayne as a successor, but Obama should do just fine with fellow Chicagoan Emanuel.

2. Do not select a war hawk Dixiecrat as your running mate
Thankfully, this is a lesson Obama has already followed, as Joe Biden seems unlikely to invoke the 25th amendment the first time he and Obama disagree. Somehow David's brother Wayne failed to learn from his brother's mistake. Once again, a Palmer chose a running mate who barely resembled a Democrat, let alone one who shared his president's vision. While VP Daniels at least waited until Wayne was in a coma before taking power, his Cheney-like appearance and creepy affair with his assistant made him an unfortunate choice in VP.

3. Do not be perceived as soft on terror
David Palmer went down in history as one of the greatest fictional presidents for avoiding a war on false pretenses against "those three Middle Eastern countries." But everything Wayne did painted him as too young, inexperienced, and unready to lead. Watching season 6, Wayne Palmer seemed to be right-wing creator Joel Surnow's warning to America about an Obama presidency. But because this is a matter of perception, not policy, President Obama will be unlikely to suffer that fate. Wayne Palmer's biggest problem was that he came off as so unpresidential in his address to the nation. In that way, Obama better mirrors David.