24

Another of my favorite TV series is 24, so named because each season covers one day in the life of Jack Bauer, an agent for CTU, the Counter Terrorist Unit. Each episode covers one hour of real-time events, a unique format for a TV series. When the series first began we chose not to watch it, the only reason being that we did not care for Keifer Sutherland, who plays the main character, Jack Bauer. A co-worker kept telling me how great the show was, but I really had no interest in watching it.

The following September, the cable channel FX ran the entire season non-stop on Labor Day and I decided to tape it. When I got finally got around to watching it, I was hooked. This is another example of how a particular role that an actor plays can completely change your opinion of them. I now love Keifer Sutherland as an actor and think he's brilliant as Jack Bauer. Jack is tough, smart and not above going rogue if need be in order to protect his country.

In addition to the unusual real-time format, another thing that sets this series apart from others is the fact that no character (except Jack) is safe from the possibility of being killed. Just like in real life, there isn't always a happy ending. After Jack's wife was killed in the first season, I knew not to count on anyone making it out alive.