24: Changing the Way America Watches TV December 14, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog , add a comment
I am a HUGE 24 and Keifer Sutherland fan and can’t wait for the sixth season to get underway in January. There is a great post by Aaron at watching-24.com commenting on how the serialized nature of 24 has changed TV from the “need to have it all wrapped up in a bow in 60 minutes” television of the 80’s and 90’s. I agree…while I am still a little at a loss as to what is going on in the current Lost show, I love 24 and the weekly heart-pounding excitement (as well as Heroes). Here’s the gist of Aaron’s argument:
Back in 2001 the first season of 24 premiered. It was a modest hit. Then the DVD came out which started selling like mad. In an interview with IGN in 2002 Kiefer said that the DVD sales, for 24, in the UK actually knocked Lord of The Rings out of first place, something totally unheard of in the TV/DVD world.
People were beginning to catch onto the fact that they’d have to watch every week religiously to understand everything that was going on. Overall the viewing public was becoming smarter and keener to what was going on. It seemed that FOX had finally found out that an audience in mass proportions, could stomach a show like 24. The second season of 24 was a huge hit sky rocketing from the 8.60 million viewers the first season was able to pull in, to an 11.73 million viewers. 24 was beginning to shape a phenomenon that we only really got a glimpse of this year. After 24’s success ABC premiered Lost in 2004 garnering huge praise from critics and audiences alike. Serial dramas were off and running……
…..24 has become an icon in television viewing. The television world has become serialized due in large part to 24’s success. I really think that 24 changed the way we view TV. Networks are realizing that we as a viewing audience can follow a show from week to week, season to season without becoming lost. We don’t need everything spelled out for us in one episode. In consequence the networks have had to up the ante and give us higher quality more complex shows. 24’s success has truly been instrumental in altering the TV world.
