Tube Talk: Hours of Bauer

When you tune in to "24," one of Jack's days is also one of yours.

Catching the regular air time of the Fox television series "24" is dangerous enough to TV addicts, but the DVD boxed sets are even more lethal to reformed couch potatoes. Each of the one-hour episodes occurs in real time, which means every 24-episode season takes place during the course of one day. But unlike the average person's day, each hour is fraught with life or death situations that demand decisive action from hero Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), an agent for a government counterterrorist agency. Of course, every hour ends on a cliffhanger to keep viewers in knots between episodes. Thanks to the DVDs, however, that suspense doesn't have to last long. If you're not careful, popping "24" discs could eat up every spare hour of your weekend.

The show's premise alone was enough to keep our household "24"-free for six whole seasons. The irony is that while Jack Bauer combats terrorists, plans intricate rescue missions, and rockets through L.A. traffic, his viewers are practically inert. The series logo—the number 24 presented like the display of a digital clock—tells you exactly what tuning in will cost you, and we didn't want to waste an entire day in front of the TV. Of course, we have no trouble finding time for the ABC series "Lost," which had 24 one-hour episodes during its second season. But there is something alarming about seeing the total time so flagrantly advertised. Also, "24"'s premise adds pressure—obviously every hour has to count, so how can you possibly miss an episode? It smacked of a trap, and we carefully avoided it.

Our resolve completely broke down when my brother thrust the six DVDs for season one into our hands. We recoiled like it was poison, then started the first disc. The show has all the elements TV addicts crave—fast-paced action, high-stakes drama, and surprising twists. A show with this premise risks slowing down for long stretches, but by constantly shifting the focus to different characters, the episodes hardly lose their breakneck pace. Before we knew it, we'd pounded seven episodes in a row! Of course, we were chagrined, but not surprised. It was everything we'd feared, only worse: We'd enjoyed every minute of it.

It's a small consolation that each episode lasts only 44 minutes without commercials, so DVD viewers can get away with 17.6 hours in front of the TV instead of the whole 24. Even so, 17.6 hours! Multiply that by six seasons, and you get a number I can't bear to think about, and that doesn't even account for inevitable future seasons (there may be a feature film as well).

Obviously, the time viewers commit to "24" is really no greater than what they spend on other hour-long dramas, most of which have at least 24 episodes per season. But these are still dangerous times for TV addicts. It used to be that you could catch TV shows only in real-time, with occasional VCR recordings reserved for favorite programs you couldn't bear to miss on your nights out. This encouraged selection. But with digital video recorders and DVDs, any show you ever had a passing curiosity about is within reach. For TV lovers, this could mean more couch time than ever before. In 2004, Americans spent an average of 10 hours per week watching television, with an additional 10 hours per week on the Internet. I would love to research how TV on DVD has affected those statistics, but I can't. We're about to start Season 2 of "24."

First season of "24": ****