Official Synopsis:
Midnight. Jack Bauer, head of the CIA's Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit, is suddenly thrust into a chaotic and exhausting 24-hour marathon of death, deception and terror as he struggles to prevent the assassination of a presidential candidate, find the traitor within his own organization, and save his kidnapped wife and daughter.

  
Our Take:
24: Season One – Special Edition is the first time a TV series has had a special edition DVD created from an existing DVD set. Normally I tend to frown on double dips, but in this case I actually have to applaud Fox for this one. 24 isn’t just a TV show any more, it’s a pop-culture institution. In many ways, it helped transform the landscape of television with its serialized plots and deaths of major characters, and it showed that a true action-adventure show could thrive in a landscape populated by romantic dramas and sitcoms. It also allowed Kiefer Sutherland to reinvent himself as a serious dramatic (and award-winning) actor. Not too shabby for a show that nobody knew anything about before it debuted to so-so ratings.

The original 24: Season One DVD set included only a brief intro by Kiefer Sutherland, an alternate ending, and a sneak peek at season two. It was rushed by Fox to hit the streets before the second season’s premiere, so not much time, money, or effort was put into the set. The subsequent seasons are well-known for their superb bonus materials, filled with deleted scenes, commentaries, featurettes, and more. So Fox went back to the beginning (and what better time for it, with a strike-delayed season seven still a long way off?) and has added a whole new extras package to the Season One set, wrapped it up in a very cool steel case with a countdown clock, and thrown it out there for fans who just can’t get enough of television’s biggest bad-ass, Jack Bauer.

Here are the extra features included on the DVD:

* Season One Introduction by Kiefer Sutherland.
* Audio Commentary - On the Series Premiere Episode by Director Stephen Hopkins and Director of Photography Peter Levy.
* Audio Commentary - On the Season Finale Episode by Actress Leslie Hope and Director Stephen Hopkins.
* Extended and Deleted Scenes (26 minutes) – 25 cut or extended scenes.
* Alternate Ending to the Season Finale Episode (3 minutes) – With optional commentary.
* All-New Documentary: The Genesis of 24 (25 minutes) – A very nice making-of focusing on the show’s origins, with interviews from most of the major players.
* The Rookie Vignettes (6 minutes) – Originally an online series of shorts, this vignette video takes place in the 24 universe.
* Letter from the Co-Creators.

24 has had it’s ups and downs (mostly all ups, really; Season Six was the only down I can think of), and 24: Season One – Special Edition is a great way to not only go back to the beginning in style, but also to re-watch one of the show’s greatest years. You’ll be shocked at how young everyone looks (especially Sutherland; clearly this show has aged him), but you won’t be surprised to see that the show holds up well because it’s simply that good.

RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Show: A-
DVD: A-

- Mike Spring

Editor