15 shows that define prestige TV

13. 24

FOX proved it still had a vested interest in making prestige TV in 2001 with the Kiefer Sutherland-led 24. Its later seasons and 2017 reboot 24: Legacy may have obscured just what a behemoth this show was at the time, but that doesn’t take anything away from Jack Bauer’s rightful place in prestige TV history.

24 is probably the most gimmicky show on this list. There are thousands of ways a television season taking place over the course of a single day could’ve gone wrong, and yet somehow this show was able to sustain the high-octane drama for almost an entire decade. When a gimmick works, it works spectacularly.

Sutherland was perfectly cast as the gruff-but-capable Bauer, who was basically the precursor to Liam Neeson’s Brian Mills in the Taken franchise in the sense he couldn’t die no matter how hard he tried. There aren’t many TV protagonists in the 21st century that took as much punishment as Bauer did, and fewer who did so over the course of just nine days.

The show straddled becoming a parody of itself as it kept having to cook up new ways for Jack to have another worst day ever, yet it mostly maintained viewership and critical love. Not many shows can say they won Best Drama Emmys halfway through their run like 24 did in 2005.

That’s a testament to the show’s ability to constantly invent thrilling new challenges for Bauer to face every season. That level of ingenuity allowed it to thrive as a staple of prestige TV for much longer than it had any right to.