<p>well- despite the warnings not to start watching 24- I did.</p>
<p>I admit that the first couple DVDs ( 4 episodes each) were compelling, but then the character development, and the holes in the plot got to me.
But still I wanted to find out what happened.</p>
<p>So I turned to [Televison without pity](<a href=“http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.html”>http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.html</a>)- to find out what happens next
( an added plus- TWP has funny bits- something 24 really could use some of- plus * reading* about torture isn’t nearly as throw-up making as watching it- I got nauseous just seeing that woman with the fingernails she hadnt cut since 1979-* why was that news?* 
)</p>
<p>I haven’t read any trashy novels on the beach- but I watched 24, while sitting in my garden- does that count?
( BTW looking for a trashy novel suggestions)</p>
<p>LOOOOVE TWP! Those folks are seriously funny. I’ve been chortling over the “24” recaps for the past few weeks - they’re more fun than the show. Still, I define myself as a fan, though you’re right about the lack of character development and beyond-ridiculous plotting. I just can’t believe how convincing the actors are, given that the script keeps yanking the rug out from under them week after week.</p>
<p>The torture sequences are disturbing, and become more so as the seasons progress (were you watching season 1?). No idea of how accurate they are, but it seems as if the bad guys spill their guts immediately while the innocent ones are tortured within an inch of their lives before convincing their torturers that they really DON’T know where the virus/nuclear bomb/nerve gas is.</p>
<p>After years of formulaic TV genres, ya gotta love a show that actually keeps you guessing about the outcome.</p>
<p>So how trashy is trashy? 
I haven’t read anything that fits the description this summer. I’m annoyed as can be that I left the book I was reading somewhere in my wake this past week, getting d to college.</p>
<p>24 fan here, too! I know what you mean about character development, but think about it… each season only happens over a day! How much does your average “character” develop over the course of a day? There is some character development over the course of the seasons, though.</p>
<p>TWoP used to have priceless recaps of CSI before it went into PH.</p>
<p>If you’re ever bored, dig into the recaps of 7th heaven. They’re hilarious. </p>
<p>Not a 24 fan (too confusing) but I follow some other shows like America’s Next Top Model on TWoP exclusively because the recaps are better than the show!</p>
<p>I guess by faulting the show’s character development I mean a lack of consistency in behavior just to introduce a plot twist, as when the ditzy bride-to-be on season 2 suddenly becomes something entirely other, or when Jack’s most steadfast supporter reveals that she’s really a criminal mastermind - stuff like that. It’s okay occasionally, but it loses its shock value after a while. </p>
<p>Some of the villains are too mustache-twirling for me (mhwahahaha). I think that Arnold Vosloo and Shohreh Aghdashloo in season 4 gave excellent, fully-dimensional performances as bad guys, so it can be done. And Gregory Itzin was amazing this past season and had better walk off with that Emmy next weekend … (and Jean Smart! Kiefer too, of course - I’ve been a fan of his for almost 20 years).</p>
<p>Some interesting themes on the show: the angst-ridden parent-child relationships; people always looking over their shoulders at work to be sure no one knows what they’re really up to.</p>
<p>“24” is the closest thing we have to the old Saturday afternoon cliff hanger serials. It honors the singing cowboy who rescues the damsel tied to the railroad tracks by the greedy “Robber Baron”. Instead of the white hat-ed cowboy, we have the grim Jack Bauer who saves us from evil doers. </p>
<p>Due to the show’s success, people in the blogshere now ask the question: “What would Jack Bauer do?” I discovered that Patrick Buchanan and Republican Bloggers have adopted “Jack Bauer” as their poster child. The clock is “ticking”, Constitutional niceties be damned. Torture or coercive interrogation is a major tool in Bauer’s arsenal to keep America “safe”. Liberals should be grateful that the Jack Bauer’s of the world (and Chuck Norris) are so willing to spill blood to keep us free. </p>
<p>For an interesting read on the topic of Bauer and torture: <a href=“http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060425_jack_bauer_pat_buchanan/[/url]”>http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060425_jack_bauer_pat_buchanan/</a></p>
<p>For a more humorous take on Jack, see this British site: <a href=“Random Perspective: News Satire and Other Humour”>Random Perspective: 37% of Americans Believe Jack Bauer is Real;
<p>Dave Barry’s recaps of 24, especially those that he runs through babelfish a few times, are hilarious as well.</p>