Season 6 is a big pile of shíte

PullMyFinger!

Upto this season Ive been a fan.

Upto now Ive watched hours upon hours of the first few seasons back to back.

Upto Ive defended the show passionately against mates who said it was a big pile of shíte.





But now I agree with them





Season 6 has been nothing but a shambles and even the biggest 24 fanatic cant deny that watching this show sober is tough going.

What started off very promising (when the first 4 episodes were leaked) has turned a once great show into a live action cartoon. In fact Im only going to watch the last few episodes left of this run to see what exactly they can do to possibly turn it around. Ive gone for days without remembering "oh jaysus there's a new episode of 24 I have to watch" whereas with Prison Break this year I had to watch it hours after it had aired.

And I think I know why:

I watched every other season of 24 on either DVD or back to back episodes by other means, this meant even a really bad episode could be dismissed as I had the following episode to watch there and then to redeem it.

Not so this year

Maybe Im not "getting it" this year because of this but are there any regulars of this forum who watched this show normally (i.e. once a week) who would agree with me on the quality of this season?

Im not here to offend anyone. I just dont "get" this show anymore and Ive seen every single episode upto now (and in the case of Seasons 1 and 2 Ive seen them twice). The re-hashed plotlines and acting from Mary Lynn Rajskub and that guy who was in Scrubs/Silver Spoons makes me nearly scream at the PC screen.

Let me share a quote from an interesting article called The Top 5 Shows that Gotta Go


http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/53602/The-411-Top-5:-Week-58.htm

I'm gonna catch hell for this one, possibly even from some of my fellow 411 writers, but I'm sorry – it had to be said. Yes, this show was one of the coolest of the decade. And yes, Jack Bauer is still one of the baddest bad-asses to ever kill, torture, and blast his way across a network television show. But things have changed, and not in a good way. Remember when this show at least had one foot planted somewhat in reality? I mean, sure, 24 fans have always had to put up with the occasional unrealistic and moronic nonsense, but at least it used to be somewhat confined to the retarded exploits of Jack's daughter, Kim. This season, however, 24 has gone completely off the rails, with the writer's clearly adopting an annoying "can we top this" mentality. And yet, despite that, it still also somehow remains frustratingly formulaic (oh look, another traitor working at CTU). Worst of all is the show's stubborn insistence on having every national crisis have some sort of personal link to Jack Bauer. I mean, c'mon, Jack's brother is an evil criminal supervillain? Really? If we don't put a stop to this show soon, it's only a matter of time before Jack's long-lost evil twin brother Zack Bauer shows up. Or, even worse, next years villain will turn out to be Kim herself, complete with her trained cougar.

I couldnt have put it better myself.





PS: Before someone takes a look at my sig and compares 24 to Lost.

Dont.

They're 2 completely different genres. If you're going to compare it to anything compare it to Prison Break

unreggd

Its not the best season at all, but still really good

Pepe LeFrits

There have been a couple of great episodes but a load of absolutely terrible ones too.

I've lost interest. All the worthwhile characters on the show (bar Jack, who is a parody now) are gone.

Necronomicon

While I'd agree it hasn't been the best, I don't think it's been a disaster either, although

bringing the Chinese back into it has made for a poor last two episodes imo

.
Season 4 was my least favourite, but Season 5 was my favourite so who's to say that Season 7 won't be a big step up from Season 6?

A couple of sub-par episodes isn't enough to stop me watching. If it bothered me that aspects of the show are being repeated I would've stopped watching a long time ago.

Mossy Monk

Last weeks episode was ****e but overall I am enjoying it.

Victor_M

^Couldn't agree more

kaimera

After only really getting into 24 in Day5, I was expecting Day6 to be of the same high quality.

Yes, it started brilliant, best opening hours but my god has there been some tripe in between which has outweighed the good eps by far

Disappointing day but not crap enough for me to stop watching.

Kel Varnsen

With regard the article: this season has been terrible by 24's standards, I wouldn't be watching if Jack Bauer wasn't on the show, but to write it off as though it were on an inevitable spiral downwards is just wrong, the powers that be can pull a fantastic episode/arc/season out of their hat at any given time(season 5 following a poor season 4, Chapelle in 3,

Fayed's death sequence

etc.), and I'm not saying they should be given unlimited patience, but they've earned the chance to redeem themselves. I'd be surprised if next season isn't a big change on this one, and extremely kickass.

lukin

I have to say I agree and think the series is now past it's sell-by-date. I still watch it as I've watched it from the first series so it's kind of more by habit than enjoyment.
The last series that I really enjoyed was season 3 (I don't actually agree with the people who drooled over last season;it was average in my opinion).
The anticipation after each episode of "Oooh, I wonder what's going to happen next?" is gone.
I suppose that's because after six series' we can predict what's going to happen next but the writers are partly responsible for this because of the constant re-hashing of storylines like torture, someone "cutting a deal" with the president to help capture the bad guys, moles in CTU, history between the terrorists and Jack, someone trying to undermine or unseat the president etc.
I think the writers are well capable of introducing more interesting storylines but I also think they are worried that if they change things too much will lose them viewers. The formula has worked for six years so they probably see no reason to change it.

Kojak

Mossy Monk wrote:

Last weeks episode was ****e but overall I am enjoying it.

Same here. I would only have seen bits of seasons 1-4. season 5 was my first "full" day of 24 and, IMO, day 6 is not as good as it. It fine, but not up to Day 5 standards..

silvine

Like any television show that drags on for more than a year or two the freshness of the programme wares off.

If you look at past successful television shows you will see generally see the writers reshash old ideas season after season. Some times it works, if they can do it in a new way, and some times it doesn't and things become a parody.

How many times did Star Trek through up the alien who wants to be human character (Spock, Data, Neelix etc) or the bad boy seeking redemption chacacter (Tom Paris, Ensign Ro etc)?

How many times did Buffy through up the vampire with a soul lark or the biggest most evil demon yet who this time really was going to destroy the world? Hell they even took the piss out of it themselves, calling each villain the "big bad of the season".

Yet for every piece of rehashed boring tripe produced, the writers could also churn out a Buffy or Star Trek idea done in a new appealing way seven years on.

Fact is, with anything there is a law of diminishing returns, you can have too much of a good thing.

And, the writers are not going to shake things up too much for fear of alienating viewers, plus the premise of any show stagnates after being churned out week after week for a number of years.

24 is a great show. The writers still have it in them (eg episode four of Day 6) but they are equally guilty of rehashing what made 24 fresh. Another mole in CTU, Jack vs Authority, etc etc.

And, the question remains just how many bad days can one guy have before it gets a little silly. When the ratings drop, Fox will have the answer.

In the meantime, no one does it like Big Jack.

Chillwithcian

Its hard to find a balance bewtween keeping the genuine basic plots that everyone loves...while also satisfying new ideas and scripts so we dont fall asleep...the problem is now with so many episodes done, will the writers be able to keep the show going for another 3 or 4 seasons?

Mr. K

I don't think this season has been great, but it hasn't been a disaster either. The last few episodes could redeem it. But the show is in need of a new direction and, as long as the new direction involves Jack, so be it!

ixoy

I stopped watching half way - I just got bored. I'd seen it all before and it wasn't doing anything new, just more of the same with bigger body counts and extra torture, just like the OP says.

Others are in agreement too, including the writers it would seem if this article from darkhorizons is anything to go by:

'24' rebooting after a bad day

Things seemed stellar for "24" going into 2007. An Emmy for best drama under its belt, the show had been going on for five years with ever increasing ratings and quality reviews.

Short of a lukewarm third season, the drama was considered one of the most consistent in terms of good quality, and the fifth season in 2006 was easily most well-reviewed season yet of the show. Hopes were high for the sixth to potentially push the Top 30 rating show into the Top 20.

Three months on from its premiere and the 'jump the shark' time seems to have arrived. The show drew 10.4 million viewers this week, its lowest rating in three years and down a full third from its early episodes this year. The number is the bottom of a slide that has been taking place consistently - enough of a drop to lower its average rating to 13.6 million for the season. It's a number most shows would kill for, but a decided step back nonetheless.

The reaction has hit in critical circles too. "24" was one of the few shows that seemingly stood above criticism, many columnist praising the show and delighting in the assorted twists. In the more conservative post 9-11 environment, the fast paced quick solution approach of the show's politics proved a fun and welcome diversion.

Those same people are now fairly criticising this season's predictability - ludicrous (even for "24") twists and over-the-top torture has become the norm, the pro-Republican agenda of the producers and the 'write as you go' approach by the season's writers has become more noticable.

Most commonly though, memorable characters like the Logan's from last season have been replaced by dull new CTU agents, bickering White House staffers, and a lack of engaging antagonists or storyline. Whilst it's too early yet to say, the revelation of Jack's never before seen family members involvment in the day's events has easily gotten the most votes over at JumpTheShark.Com as the moment it all went downhill.

The viewer bleed has been enough executive producer Howard Gordon told the Los Angeles Times this week that he and the other executive producers plan to make Jack's next mission of crises unrecognizable from anything he survived before. They said that about this season didn't they?

"I don't dispute it's been a challenging season to write for us. But it's reinvigorated our determination to reinvent the show. This year could be seen to be the last iteration of it in its current state" says Gordon.

silvine

ixoy wrote:

The viewer bleed has been enough executive producer Howard Gordon told the Los Angeles Times this week that he and the other executive producers plan to make Jack's next mission of crises unrecognizable from anything he survived before. They said that about this season didn't they?

"I don't dispute it's been a challenging season to write for us. But it's reinvigorated our determination to reinvent the show. This year could be seen to be the last iteration of it in its current state" says Gordon:

I read this with some amusement. Every season, the producers make a similar promise: Jack will face a new, unforseen threat that will completely change things yadda yadda yadda...

Day 7: Jack vs. The Backlash

Jesus Wept

big 24 fan here, and this season is just total dung. So disapointed, I no longer look foward to each episode as I once did.

They had an opportunity to make this season interesting, Jack trying to escape the chinese/china etc, (would of cost more $) but decided just to do what they had done the previous 4 seasons.

I honestly think they could have/may have used 50% stock footage, previously unused from prior seasons. It has that feel to it, like they have made the 6th season by splicing bits that failed to make the cut in seasons 1-5.

I used to watch this show fanatically too, but I think it started to go dwnhill when they brought in that crazy cow chloe.Just watching her makes me cringe, especially when she starts banging on about protocols and a whole other bunch of complete bull****.If they stopped tprturing people every 10 minutes and stopped rehashing the same plot devices every series I might be tempted to watch it again, oh and get rid of chloe and miles.

lukin

silvine wrote:

I read this with some amusement. Every season, the producers make a similar promise: Jack will face a new, unforseen threat that will completely change things yadda yadda yadda...

Day 7: Jack vs. The Backlash

Totally agree. I no longer take their pre-season promises seriously, it always turns out to be a false dawn. They simply don't have the balls to take the show in a different direction.

Kel Varnsen

Difference being that, every season to this point, the ratings have been on the up. I'd say it'd take more balls to not mix it up next season.

Jesus Wept

Kel Varnsen wrote:

Difference being that, every season to this point, the ratings have been on the up. I'd say it'd take more balls to not mix it up next season.

ratings are down this season.

Kel Varnsen

Yes.....that's my point.

PullMyFinger!

Even the finale couldnt salvage it!

I was hoping for something mindblowing in the last few minutes but it wasnt to be. I think they just wanted to wrap up everyones story as according to reports

the only character returning next year is Jack, all the rest will be new

Worst. Season. Ever.

del_boy85

It's been a very poor season. The whole thing was just a bit of a mess. Let's hope it gets back on track next year.

Zapp Brannigan

Really lost interest in this season! I'm really hoping next season gets back on track though!
I don't think they can ever top the opening of Day 5 though, I actually gasped and shouted

when Palmer gets assassinated and the later car bombs

Chillwithcian

Found this article on the tv.com website, seems the show producers themseleves admit the **** hit the fan this season (still defensive though)!


David Fury says sixth season of the hour of Bauer power has suffered from repetitive writing, but it's still one of the best.
In the most recent crop of weekly television ratings from Nielsen Media Research, there weren't many surprises. American Idol and House continued to boost Fox, taking the top three spots of the period's most watched shows. However, a one-time Fox juggernaut, 24, wasn't near the top. In fact, it wasn't in the top 20 at all.

The thriller has run into some problems this season--its sixth--and has seen a drop off in both ratings and positive fan fervor. Instead of pointing fingers outward and pinning blame on others, the show's co-executive producer, David Fury, copped to a season that hasn't been as sharp as past seasons--particularly the Emmy-award winning fifth season.
A Los Angeles Times article earlier this week described the disappointment of the show's fans, and Fury responded.
"It's been a very tricky year for us, it's been very difficult," Fury told TVWeek.com in a podcast. "This is year six on the show...you try to keep things interesting, find new ways to tell the story, and unfortunately we wound up repeating ourselves somewhat."
He added, "Sometimes we make the right decisions, sometimes we don't. I would still claim that regardless of the quality drop off, what people are saying about it, the show is still very strong and still one of the best things on television."
Fury and the rest of the 24 crew certainly had their work cut out for them in season six. The previous two seasons are considered by many to be the best of franchise.
"In the early seasons of 24, [the writers tried] to map out stories and arc out stories [beforehand] a little bit more than they did, say in seasons four and five, and four and five turned out to be two of most successful seasons. It just so happens that maybe this year it's caught up with us."
As for next year, the writers will try to avoid the problems that have come about with the current season by fusing the two writing methods they've employed in the past.
"[Seasons four and five] were two seasons where we were just winging [the writing]," Fury said. "As for as next year, I think you are going to see a little bit more of a mixture of those approaches. We're going to figure out a little bit more, so we don't find ourselves running into [the same problems as season six]. They'll be a little more groundwork done. We're already talking about next season, and we've got a lot of great things planned.

silvine

Season Four might have did the job ratings wise but it built its success on the back of the first three seasons.

The threat of the week nature of Day Four made the whole thing look a little silly. Marwan blew up a train so he could get codes to melt down nuclear power stations, so he could infiltrate the US airforce so he could attack airforce one to get the nuclear football to and launch a nuclear missile... sorry what?!

For some reason 'winging it' worked in Day Five - hence the awards and the ratings. It's hard to believe the writers didn't know what they were doing. I watched a few of the earlier episodes of Day Five recently and they actually seem to make sense with the idea of Logan being an uber-villain.

Come Day 6, the wheels came off. The same ****e from earlier seasons was rehashed and the whole thing ran out of steam hours before the day was due to end.

Then again maybe there's only so many times you can write about an attack in Los Angeles featuring our heroes in CTU and the White House.

Froot

Yeah season 6 was cock.