Jack Bauer. The name says it all. When '24' comes on, nobody says, "24 is starting," we all say, "Jack Bauer is on!" They even have an encyclopedia entry on him, he is so cool. (It's a pretty good read, btw.)

When the show first aired, I saw an episode midway through the season. I thought to myself, " Wow, this looks Good, it definitely has potential." But then I was distracted like I so easily am, and forgot about it.

It wasn't until season 2 that I saw another episode, and this time I caught it in the begining, so I wasn't too lost. I saw the whole episode, and by the time the clock was ticking the seconds down to end the hour, I was HOOKED.

The TV rarely comes on in my house, but on Monday nights, guaranteed, it'll be on. So what is it about this show that makes it so addicting? It may be it's unusual 'real-time' format, in which every hour episode is actually an hour in the day. "Events occur in real time" It could be the plot; fighting terrorism parallels real life situations today. Could it also be the unexpected, you never know what's going to happen next, or if your favorite character is actually an enemy spy. It could be all these things and more.

But for me--it's all about Jack. Tougher than nails when it comes to dealing with terrorists, he still has a soft side. Granted, we don't see it often, but it's there. He's the glue that holds this show together. Nobody else could do what he does. Who would ever have the guts to do what he does? '24' would just not be '24' without Jack Bauer. (and that's saying nothing about his good looks! ) Kiefer does an excellent job portraying Jack.

For all of you who have not seen '24', it's on Fox at 8/7 central, Monday nights. And there is a 24 Reaction threadin the Cantina where you can find some die-hard fans who know everything there is to know about the show.

Just remember: JACK'S BACK!!