It’s hard to know how to put this, but 24 was kind of a big deal. It was groundbreaking television, and still feels novel to this day, having eight seasons that were each made up of 24 episodes. Also, each episode covered one hour of real-time, with the only time skipped being the minutes the commercial breaks lasted. This proved a dynamite way to keep various storylines always surging forward, with 24, at its best, being remarkably addictive.
The show also dealt with edge-of-your-seat stuff, largely centering on the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) and its members fighting to stop various threats to the U.S., with the protagonist being CTU’s most effective yet rebellious member, Jack Bauer. The following is a run-through of what IMDb users have voted as the highest-rated episodes of the main show, not counting 24: Live Another Day or the divisive 24: Legacy.
24
TV-14DramaCrimeActionRelease Date November 6, 2001 Creator(s) Robert Cochran , Joel Surnow Cast Kiefer Sutherland , Mary Lynn Rajskub , Carlos Bernard , Dennis Haysbert , Elisha Cuthbert , James Morrison Seasons 810 "Day 8: 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m." - Season 8, Episode 24 (2010)
IMDb Rating: 9.0/10
24 was controversial for various reasons throughout its run, but by season 8, the arguable worst thing it did was drag on a little longer than needed. The eighth and final season of the main series (again, not including Live Another Day and its 12 episodes) didn’t represent 24 at its best, but those on IMDb have been generous enough to see some of the season’s later episodes in a positive light.
One of those is the final episode of that eighth season, “Day 8: 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.” It ends with Jack on the run, which he does at the end of more than a few seasons (he makes a ton of enemies, after all), but it feels a little more dramatic here, considering just how rogue he went during season 8, even by his standards. Speaking of which…
9 "Day 8: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m." - Season 8, Episode 22 (2010)
IMDb Rating: 9.0/10
The highest-rated episode of 24 from the final three (not always stellar) seasons, at least according to IMDb, came right near the end of season 8; specifically, the third-last episode in the season’s/show’s run. It sees Jack snap like never before, given he’s a man who’s already lost so much and loses even more in season 8, setting off a particularly deadly quest for revenge that sees him becoming a one-man-army.
It’s admittedly thrilling stuff, and one key episode near the end of the final season that bumps it up a little quality-wise. “Day 8: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.” is unafraid to temporarily turn Jack into an antagonist, really, considering his revenge mission has serious consequences, should he succeed; specifically, starting a global conflict, given how high-profile his targets ultimately are.
8 "Day 4: 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m." - Season 4, Episode 24 (2005)
IMDb Rating: 9.0/10
As far as seasons go, 24’s fourth doesn’t have as many mind-blowing twists or devastating events as some of the others, but it’s remarkably consistent and does still satisfy from start to finish. Admittedly, the finish is a bit stronger than the start, especially once it starts steadily reintroducing key characters who were missing from the season’s earlier episodes (it’s really just Jack and Chloe, for a while there).
“Day 4: 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m.” sees Jack confronting the season’s main villain, Habib Marwan, one last time, ultimately preventing a nuclear bomb from decimating Los Angeles… but that’s not all he has to contend with. Things he did at the Chinese consulate come back to bite him (and far from the last time, at that), forcing him to fake his death and go on the run. Still, it’s a win overall for Mr. Bauer, and he gets to heroically walk into the sunrise, coming to the end of a rare season of 24 which pretty much lacked any friend or loved one of Jack's dying violently/tragically.
7 "Day 2: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m." - Season 2, Episode 24 (2003)
IMDb Rating: 9.0/10
Just as the finales from both the eighth and fourth seasons were well-regarded and highly rated, so too is the finale of the second season, "Day 2: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m." There is, like with season 4, a nuclear threat, culminating in Jack taking part in a dramatic action sequence that was one of the biggest and most explosive the show had featured up until that point.
It’s also neat that he’s squaring off against the Jigsaw Killer from the Saw movies (played by Tobin Bell, who’s undeniably good at playing gruff and intimidating villains). There’s also a surprising cliffhanger ending to the whole season, just going to show that 24 will pretty much never pass up an opportunity to leave its viewers hanging. It could be frustrating, but the cliffhangers also make the show so continually compelling, ensuring it’s hard to stop watching, once one starts.
6 "Day 5: 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m." - Season 5, Episode 24 (2006)
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
24’s fifth season is amazing from start to finish, and takes perhaps the most risks narratively out of any season. Nothing feels safe, and the final episode concludes with some of the most intense drama of the season. It’s not quite as action-packed as other season finales 24 aired, but the confrontation between Jack and President Logan is incredible stuff, emphasizing the political thriller side of 24 more than the action genre, which it of course represented well at other times.
Without giving too much away, it’s fair to say that Logan wouldn’t make anyone’s list of great fictional presidents, but he was a fantastic character, and drove so much of the drama throughout season 5. “Day 5: 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m.” also ends with a particularly cruel cliffhanger, and one that ultimately impacted the early episodes of the divisive sixth season quite substantially.
5 "Day 5: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m." - Season 5, Episode 1 (2006)
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
Just as compelling as the finale of season 5 is the opening episode, “Day 5: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.” Essentially, this one’s up there as one of the biggest game-changers in 24’s entire history, given that before the first commercial break, it ruthlessly eliminates two beloved characters who’d been staples of the earlier seasons, instantly establishing that everyone was in even more danger than usual.
Though 24 is always fast-paced and continually barreling forward, no season hits the ground running quite like the fifth one, owing to the first few scenes of its first episode. Some might be disappointed with all the death here, but it’s electrifying as a severe shake-up to the status quo (if 24 even had a status quo to begin with), and so it deserves its reputation as one of the show’s finest hours.
4 "Day 5: 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m." - Season 5, Episode 12 (2006)
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
Throughout 24, CTU was surprisingly vulnerable to attacks from adversaries, to the point where it’s a wonder the place ever got any work done. There are moles, instances of leaked information, and times when the personnel working there got attacked directly, including a bombing in season 2 and the just as devastating nerve gas attack in season 5, which begins in "Day 5: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m."
This is perhaps the last instance the writers got away with CTU being directly infiltrated, but they make it work here at least (season 6’s retread was less effective, and then seasons 7 and 8 both moved away from the Los Angeles CTU altogether). This episode is intense and particularly high-stakes/death-heavy, concluding in a tragic turn of events that manages to feel similarly heartbreaking to what happened at the beginning of the season.
3 "Day 3: 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m." - Season 3, Episode 18 (2004)
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
"Day 3: 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m." is representative of 24 at its absolute bleakest and most harrowing, with a terrorist having the upper hand and relishing the opportunity. The terrorist in question is named Stephen Saunders, and he’s in possession of a deadly virus; one that he’d already demonstrated the capabilities of by unleashing it inside a hotel a few episodes earlier.
Saunders threatens he’ll unleash it in other areas if Jack and the others at CTU don’t carry out his demands, with the request he makes in this particular episode – the 18th of season 3 overall – being especially difficult. Season 3 really puts Jack through the wringer, given his struggles with addiction early on and the things he’s made to do later on, so it’s no wonder that he’s an emotional wreck by the time season 3’s finale comes around.
2 "Day 2: 10:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m." - Season 2, Episode 15 (2003)
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
A difficult choice once again defines an acclaimed episode of 24: "Day 2: 10:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m." The second season was the first in the show’s run to deal with nuclear weapons as the primary threat, with things getting most emotionally intense during this 15th episode of the season, which saw Jack preparing to sacrifice himself by flying a plane with a nuke on board into the desert, away from civilization.
There ends up being a second option, but it’s also an emotional gut-punch, redeeming a character who, throughout much of season 1, had generally lacked redeeming qualities. It wasn’t the last time a character sacrificed themselves for the greater good, with such acts being the most common cause of death for the heroic (or at least not evil) characters on the show.
1 "Day 1: 11:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m." - Season 1, Episode 24 (2002)
IMDb Rating: 9.3/10
24 had established itself as a uniquely compelling series before its season 1 finale, but it was that finale, "Day 1: 11:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.", which helped solidify it as something legendary. The climactic action is expectedly thrilling, and the overall narrative, centering on the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, is wrapped up satisfyingly… but there’s a good deal more on offer here.
Even if the episode aired more than two decades ago, it still feels rotten to throw out spoilers without regard, but what can be said is this: 24’s reputation as a twisty and shock-heavy show really established itself here. The earlier episodes contained their fair share of surprises, but they saved the most surprising for last, and 24 – and maybe even TV as a whole – just wasn’t the same following the end of the show’s iconic first season.
24 can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.
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