The screen goes black, save for an orange digital clock ominously counting down the seconds. Terrorists straight out of a Carhartt catalog attack a government agent. A computer genius from CTU looks up everything from coordinates to security cameras and license tags with unnatural ease. Jack Bauer screams into the phone while driving a truck like a bat out of hell.
Wait: That’s not Jack Bauer?
Welcome to 24: Legacy.
Fox's latest reboot of the now-immortal 24 series, which will air Mondays, has a brand new star with an all-new cast. Yet apart from the new faces, not a thing has changed. This is the old 24 we all know (and love? More on that further down).
Legacy keeps the real-time format that made the original series groundbreaking. It pretty much had to, right? It wouldn't be 24 without it -- and without all the head-scratchingly short travel times and lack of sleep/bodily functions that come with it.
Our would-be Jack Bauer is former Army Ranger Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins of Straight Outta Compton). He has a résumé appropriate for filling Bauer's shoes -- he led the Rangers squad that took out an Osama bin Laden-level terrorist -- and he's even trying to live a normal life, albeit in witness protection.
Unfortunately for Carter, like Bauer before him, peaceful living is never on the table. His cover gets blown, throwing him right back into the thick of saving America from -- you guessed it -- a terrorist attack. He's aided by Rebecca Ingram (Miranda Otto, Homeland and Lord of the Rings), the former head of CTU (Counter-Terrorism Unit, for the uninitiated) who's suddenly not so keen on leaving the job.
As familiar as this plot feels, don’t expect Hawkins’ Carter to be the carbon copy of Kiefer Sutherland’s Bauer. Despite a willingness to pull crazy stunts and fly solo, Carter lacks the crazy will-do-anything edge of Bauer. He doesn’t even yell “DAMMIT” in the episodes I’ve seen, much to my chagrin.
Yet Hawkins manages to pull off the role. He's a non-Bauer thrown into a Bauer role, but Carter is something of an everyman's super agent, with tangible stakes and relatable-enough weaknesses. It's the one real twist on the 24 formula, and it's refreshing.
Otto's Rebecca fits well into the vein of CTU sidekicks we've seen before: She's completely absorbed into the job, has a take-no-s*** attitude and isn't above gagging and throwing a co-worker into a closet simply as a precaution. That escalated quickly? Get used to it: This is 24.
And since this is 24, terrorism isn't the only issue on the table, of course. We've got politics! Conspiracy! Betrayal! All in 4-48 interwoven and easily confusing plot lines! If you've ever watched a single season of the franchise, it's easy to figure out that this small matter of an impending attack will soon give way to some enormous scheme that threatens the fabric of America -- and at least one relationship biting the dust with bitter gusto.
Overkill? For most shows, yes. But 24 has had a knack for making the absurd not just borderline-believable but exciting. Is every episode likely to be littered with plot holes and deus ex machina? Yes, but you won't care too much. If the early episodes are any indication, Legacy follows its predecessor's blueprint closely enough to pull off dramatic escalations and twists.
There is a problem with following that blueprint so closely, though: Legacy might be doing it too well.
Look at current real-world events. The Islamic State still clings to power in a large portion of Syria and Iraq. President Trump’s strategy to protect America from “radical Islamic terrorism” has so far included a temporary travel ban for citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries and a total halt on refugees coming to the States. Fear of refugees in particular, largely based on events in Europe, has become a polarizing issue.
Now enters 24: Legacy, where the main threat remains the same as 24 has almost always had: Islamic terrorists with a grudge originating from the Middle East. It's a tried-and-true plot element for the franchise, but it returns at a time when a resurgent sense of Islamophobia is on many would-be viewers' minds.
That said, it remains to be seen how long these terrorists remain in Legacy: Given 24 history, the Russian government, a mega corporation or a U.S. president could become the Big Bad in no time. And the show does nod to other timely controversies -- notably police violence toward African-American people -- but the bogeymen in this series could've been conjured up in 2002.
So if you're looking for an escape from the fears running rampant today, don't look to Legacy.
But since when has 24 ever been an escape? Since the franchise's post-9/11 premiere, it's reflected the fear many Americans have of terrorism (both foreign-born and domestic) and provided the satisfaction of seeing it mercilessly beaten (literally, usually) by a rogue knight. That it comes with a high cost for the knight makes for better television.
And don’t get me wrong: Legacy makes for great television. It’s action-packed, suspenseful and riveting, and you quickly become invested in the well-being of its stars.
That Legacy is all but exactly like it's predecessor is either an advantage or its downfall. It all depends on what you're hoping to see.
24: Legacy begins with a two-night series premiere, with the first episode at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, after the Super Bowl, and the second on Monday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.
