robin2099

Full disclosure. I started watching during Season 2, and watched every season of the show until I stopped watching 24: Legacy around episode 3 because I thought it was awful. So for the last 18 years I've never watched season 1 of 24. So how does it hold up after 18 years?
Honestly, the first season is kind of hit or miss. In some ways watching it almost feels like a parody of the show. The things about it that were fresh at the time(the real time format, the clock, the split screen, the mole in CTU) were so played out after ten years that it was hard to look at them from the same perspective. Also, when you know all the twists in the first season its a little harder to get emotionally invested in the story. Which brings me to:

Story: The main plot of someone trying to assassinate Palmer, kidnapping Jack's family and the intertwining of the two was still pretty interesting. The Palmer storyline fell apart a bit when it came to the involvement of his kids, but overall I was surprised how well it held up even knowing all the major plot twists. Honestly that final episode of the season could have a legit place for being one of the greatest episodes of a drama series ever. The big problem with the story is when you try and keep characters in the show by giving them stupid subplots because the writers had to have something for the actors to do to justify paying them(hello Teri getting amnesia or Kim getting Stockholm syndrome with her kidnapper). And man did the writers have some big balls to go with that ending.

Characters: Jack Bauer was a great everyman character this season. He isn't some buff badass he was just an everyman in a tough situation. I don't think Sutherland owned the role yet like he did in later seasons, but it was still fascinating to watch him in the early stages of it. Palmer was a great character, he was serious, stern, intelligent and he made you believe that he was a good man. Watching him realize that his wife did not have his best interests at heart was great. How in the hell Haysbert never won an Emmy for this role I have no idea. Sherri Palmer was a great character that you manage to do a complete 360 on during the season. I actually thought Kim was alright in the beginning of the season when she was first kidnapped(and man was Cuthbert cute back then) but the longer the season went on the more we started to see wacky hijinks Kim where the writers just have to keep her around so she ends up in one goofy scenario after another. Teri was a terrible character who had the worst storylines in the season(hello amnesia) and getting rid of her was the smartest thing they could have done because she was basically dead weight. Nina was a pretty good character and you would have never expected her storyline to play out how it did.

So overall I would give this season a 3.5/5 and I kind of wish I had seen it when it first aired instead of after so much of it was cliché after ten years of watching the show. Watching the genesis of what the show would become(both the good parts and the bad parts) was fascinating and you could definitely see what made this show unique and special in 2001.

DWilson

The thing that surprised me most about "24" is how much the producers/writers made things up as they went along. I would think with such a limiting premise that you'd have a solid framework for the entire season from the very start. However, they admittedly winged a lot of it, which explains some of the more oddball plot-turns.

mwbmis

Yep, there is a reason why the first 13 episodes of season one were fairly tight (the original production order), and then things kind of went off the rails. They did not learn from that lesson in future seasons.

No season one discussion would be complete without at least some mention of Naked Mandy.

Paff

Good god, was it really EIGHTEEN years ago??

I only watched the first 13 episodes, and wonder if I should keep it that way. It felt like a natural conclusion (it was planned to).

robin2099

Yeah I was going to mention her but I forgot. I will say I was disappointed that they never kept her around more.

MLBFan24

dex14

I remember my mind being blown at the twist with Alan York.

Michael Corvin

180

Shannon Nutt

Season 1 seems tame re-watching it compared to later seasons of 24. They REALLY tried to take the "real time" thing seriously, unlike later seasons where Jack Bauer would make it from one side of Los Angeles to the other in 5 minutes.

DJariya

I think the season finale was probably one of the greatest endings in TV history. It was so unexpected at the time and man Kiefer really sold that final moment with Teri's death.

The original ending, which is on the DVD set, shows Jack, Kim and Teri have a happy ending. I'm glad that was scrapped and they had the balls to do what they did.

The one thing I liked about season 1 was that Jack wasn't yet the badass that he became. He was a relatively normal guy, who had a troubled marriage he was working through, and his world was rocked when he friend and mentor was murdered and then he was forced into stopping a major terrorism plot.

Fun fact, Richard Burgi aka Alan York originally auditioned for the role of Jack Bauer.

The show was sold and developed as 24 hours in the day and life of Federal agent Jack Bauer. They wanted to do 24 episodes whether you thought they succeeded in every episode is another story. But, it's hard to make 24 hours in the life of a person compelling all the way through.

Original Desmond

Season 1 isn't the best but it's still solid TV. I love all seasons of 24, especially 1 to 5

Yes storylines aren't perfect but there is always plenty of good stuff

and i love what 24 does in that it has a baddie, who is set up as the big bad and you get the payoff of the big bad getting deaded, then a bigger bad is revealed

So plenty of payoffs.

Shannon Nutt

Well, let's not forget for the few couple of seasons, Kiefer was primarily a co-star with Dennis Haysbert, who got just as much screen time. It probably wasn't until Season 4 that Kiefer became the sole lead.

Paff

Except they went to that well WAY too many times, till it became a parody of itself. There was always a several episode story arc of an Evil Scheme, only to find out it was just a diversion from the Real Evil Scheme. A nuclear bomb going off outside LA was forgotten about within HOURS (in show time).

DJariya

It's been a really long time since I've seen season 1, but I recall in the finale Nina was talking to some mystery people on the phone who were her bosses and was speaking German. I think that's one of the storylines that was never resolved. Who hired her and planted her into CTU? Although I seem to recall that turning Nina into the mole was decided during production of the back 11 episode order.

Also, 24 originally premiered in November of 2001 and they had to take many 2-3 week breaks to pad the season until May. It wasn't until season 4 when they decided to air it for 24 straight episodes.

MLBFan24

I still think Season 5 is immaculate and the Emmy wins were well deserved.

Season 2 is my favorite, due to the core set of characters. But Season 5 was just perfect in every way.

Season 6 was awful though. I may be biased with 24, but not that bias to defend season 6 haha

Michael Corvin

I still maintain that all the odd numbered seasons are the best while evens lag behind. 4 & 6 were abysmal. 2 & 8 were okay.

MLBFan24

Shannon Nutt

Gregory Itzin as Charles Logan was the series high-point in villainy.