'24' (2001-10)

( FOX / April 20, 2012 )

Premiering in the wake of 9/11, "24" became a political lightning rod for its depictions of the often-extreme methods Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) used in hunting down the latest terrorist threat. But at its best the real-time thriller was a fantastic ride, and it proved that unconventional scheduling -- beginning with Season 4, FOX moved the show to midseason and ran it basically without interruption -- could work.