Reading 24 TV against the Clock

by Peacock, Steven

• ISBN13: 9781845113292
• ISBN10: 1845113292
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-02-15
• Publisher: Atlasbooks Dist Serv

Summary

Time has named 24 one of the Best Television Events of the Decade. With an innovative format that uses one hour of real time for each episode, and a season that comprises one twenty-four hour period, the show zeroes in on the fears and dangers of a post-9/11 world and the ways in which threats are transmitted, tracked down, and fought. From assassination attempts and germ warfare to horrific terrorist plots, Kiefer Sutherlands Agent Jack Bauer embodies Americas darkest fears and its perilous place in the world today. This is the first book to bring together critical discussions of the series from many different perspectives. It covers everything from the shows unconventional format to discussions of globalism, oil, the politics of torture, and gender, and includes an episode guide.

Author Biography

Steven Peacock is Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at the Southampton Solent University.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Splitting the Screen: Rewriting Television Conventions

24 and Twenty-First Century Quality Television

24 and New Directions in Televisuality

Multi-Panelled Narrative in 24

Reasons to Split Up

Interesting Times: The Demands 24's Real-Time Format Makes on its Audience

America under Siege: Terrorism, Globalisation and the Politics of (American) Morality

"So what are you saying An oil consortium's behind the nuke?"24, Programme Sponsorship, SUVs, and the "War on Terror"

Days and Hours of the Apocalypse: 24 and the Nuclear Narrative

24 after 9/11: The American State of Exception

Just-in-time Security: Permanent Exceptions and Neoliberal Orders

"Tell me where the bomb is or I will kill your son": Situational Morality on 24

"You're going to tell me everything you know": Torture and Morality in Fox's 24

Unmasking Identities: Sexuality, Difference, Culture

Damsels in Distress: Female Narrative Authority and Knowledge in 24

Gender and Genre in the Action-Soap 24

Techno-Soap: 24, Masculinity and Hybrid Forms

"She May Be a Little Weird": Chloe O'Brian

24 and Postnational American Identities

Afterword

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