Content Warning: This article contains references to terrorism, racism, substance misuse and murder
With Kiefer Sutherland having recently insinuated that he is open to returning to the role of Jack Bauer, many 24 fans are wondering as to what direction the show could go. Since the franchise had already begun to move on without him, with 24: Legacy several new characters, there are a few questioning if they want to see him in the lead role again or a supporting one.
Depending on what the writers have planned, it would be a waste not to include Sutherland as he played a pivotal role in the show's success. Not only had he helped make some of the show's storylines more compelling, but even the users on Ranker remembered the series fondly because of him. But which season do they think is the best?
Worst: Season 6
Agent Jack Bauer learns that his family's technology company is complacent in a nuclear detonation in suburban LA. With several "suitcase nukes" missing, Jack pursues a middle eastern terror cell working with ex-Soviet operatives. He manages to secure the nukes but must recover proprietary software that he traded to Chinese Intelligence in exchange for his former lover's release from captivity.
This season is often cited as the worst primarily for its racial bias and frequent depiction of torture. At times it seemed recycled, copying elements from previous seasons like incursion on foreign soil, nuclear catastrophe, and a dependence on kidnapping and political betrayal troupes. Although Hollywood actors James Cromwell and Powers Boothe do try their best to provide a memorable performance, it wasn't enough to save the season.
Season 8
Until an informant knocks on his New York City apartment door, Jack was retiring back to LA to live with his previously estranged daughter. However, a plot that succeeds in assassinating a foreign leader tempts him down a different path of self-destruction. Beginning with an attempt on Jack's life and murder of his partner, Renee Walker, he embarks on a campaign of retribution against Russian agents that forces him to disappear off the grid.
Day eight is ranked lower than other seasons because of its ending, with Jack switching gears from hero to vigilante in the final episodes puzzling fans who were accustomed to seeing him foil horrific acts of violence instead of committing them. The writing suffered from unresolved secondary plot points, including a supporting character's past, which was later transformed with a convenient mole trope.
Season 3
Three years after the nuclear bomb incident, Jack is fresh off an undercover assignment with a Mexican drug cartel, which he means to use to acquire a weaponized virus loose on the black market. Bauer loses control of the deadly contagion to a former British intelligence officer disillusioned with the American "military machine." He also settles a score with a former colleague responsible for a personal tragedy from day one.
Not many fans were particularly fond with this season given the fact that the writers didn't balance the storylines between Jack's battle with addiction and him saving the world. Instead, they just pushed the former aside. Although audiences did praise the departure of Jack's daughter, Kim, as the main character, there were a few criticisms as to how the writers quickly got rid of others.
Season 7
Lured out of exile by a forum to tell his story, Jack finds himself a guest of the FBI who believes an old friend of his is leading a terrorist effort to undermine the nation's defense grid. He comes to learn every facet of the government has been compromised by a foreign tyrant and traces the conspiracy back to a private military firm.
The fanbase embraced the return to the show's roots by resurrecting Tony Almeida as a double agent, contrasting him and Jack as light and shadow. It also introduced the first female commander-in-chief, played by Broadway actress Cherry Jones. Jon Voight also put in a convincing performance as the main villain, Jonas Hodges. The result was a well-rounded season that challenged Bauer's methodology for dealing with grave threats.
Season 1
The first 24 hours found Jack Bauer as a family man living in a nice Santa Monica home on a government salary, trying to distance himself from a troubled military record. When a terror cell from the Balkans controlled by a dead tyrant's heir kidnaps Jack's family, he is forced to play a role in their plot to assassinate an aspiring presidential candidate. Bauer learns he and the candidate played a role in the death of the tyrant and the terrorists desire an eye for an eye.
The series' formula of Jack discarding the rules to save his family resonated with audiences and earned Kiefer Sutherland a Golden Globe that year. To demonstrate the series' unpredictable nature, the first day concluded with a shocking twist that made any character vulnerable throughout the series' run. Hollywood icon, Dennis Hopper (Speed), also put in a memorable performance as the main villain, Victor Drazen, whose unpredictable nature had fans on the edge of their seats for weeks.
Season 2
Jack is tasked by now President Palmer to find a missing nuclear weapon believed to be in the hands of middle eastern terrorists and could be detonated at any moment. Following its acquisition, Jack suspects the bomb was part of a domestic plot and only has a few hours to prove it before the United States begins retaliatory initiatives.
For a series that seemed hellbent, at first, to argue the ends justify the means in terms of stopping apocalyptic disasters suddenly took a left turn into the politics of war when confronted with World War III just hours away. Tobin Bell (Saw) played the mastermind of the day's events as an oil businessman determined to profit from a war in the region.
Season 9 - "Live Another Day"
Four years after disappearing following his New York ordeal, Jack is on the run from American and Russian agents in London. However, he is given a pardon in exchange for stopping a crisis involving the US drone fleet made vulnerable by a piece of hacking technology that eventually falls into the hands of Chinese operatives making Jack's last few hours on the job a personal vendetta.
Sutherland has stated his wish was for Jack to die in the final scene after trading his freedom for his long-time ally, Chloe O'Brian's life. While that ending did not come to pass, the 12-episode revival allowed for his character's redemption after the events that concluded season 8. Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones) served as the principal and dangerous villain.
Season 4
No longer employed by the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit, Jack Bauer is attempting to settle down with the daughter of the secretary of defense. His plans are disrupted by a plot to steal technology capable of causing every nuclear power plant nationwide to meltdown. Later, to catch the culprit, Bauer is caught entering the Chinese Consulate and must embrace a new lifestyle afterward.
In season 4, Jack is at the pinnacle of his character arch. These 24 hours played tug-of-war with his commitments toward a lover and loyalty to his country's security. He chose the latter and passed a point of no return. It represented a shift in the series' storytelling from a central theme to several short-term serial plotlines that connected back to the main story. Serving as a partial reboot, this season introduced new characters and slowly reintegrated familiar faces.
Best: Season 5
Following the murders of President Palmer and two of Jack's allies from CTU, he comes out of hiding to track down the clandestine group carrying out chemical weapon attacks throughout LA. At first it appears that the murders, a hostage crisis, and the weapons are the work of a Russian splinter cell. Jack's subsequent investigation leads him to suspect the commander-in-chief, Charles Logan of quarterbacking the criminal enterprise.
Peter Weller (Robocop) played Jack's mentor Christopher Henderson, who challenged Sutherland's Bauer to a battle of wills, arguing lives needed to be sacrificed for the bigger picture. The season, at times, became a quest of vengeance for Jack like something out of a Quentin Tarantino movie and flowed exceptionally well with many strong standalone episodes.