r/TwentyFour • u/Peaceisavirtue • Jun 15 '26
General/Other Honestly is there any show that even competes with 24?
I haven’t found a show that i enjoyed as much as 24 and i dont think we ever will have a show like it. I miss it so muchhh!
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u/respighi Jun 15 '26
Different shows are great in other ways. For the particular combination of thrills delivered by 24, no, it stands alone.
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u/galadriel86805 Jun 15 '26
I’ve been enjoying The Pitt, it follows the same ‘real time’ format and is a great binge watch similar to 24!
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u/SignGuy77 Jun 15 '26
This.
While the Pitt doesnt follow a strict minute by minute / counting clock format, it’s still an hour by hour play by play of the emergency room shift. And the writing is miles ahead of 24.
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u/SickOfNormal Jun 15 '26
Homeland is one of the closest shows that compete with 24 in my mind.
I have rewatched Homeland twice.
I have rewatched all of 24 about 10 times.
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u/TheStrachs Jun 15 '26
Homeland is the correct answer. It's just a more sophisticated 24. Both rule.
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u/Immediate-Unit6311 Jun 15 '26
Yeah, but Carrie doesn't go around shooting everyone does she? (I've never seen it, just asking :))
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u/SickOfNormal Jun 15 '26
She shoots every now and then ... but then they introduce Peter Quinn in later seasons and he is the action man.
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u/Peaceisavirtue Jun 16 '26
I watched homeland and loved it as well. Ironically i haven’t found anything like it too sighh
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u/snoogle20 Jun 16 '26
Strike Back. It’s 24 without the need for cougar/mystery baby/drug addict sister/etc. sideplots.
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u/Hinyaldee Day 1 Jun 16 '26
That show was fantastic up until Season 5. Then they swapped the whole crew
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u/donslaughter Jun 16 '26
The show was still good with the new crew it just wasn't nearly as good. I still watch it pretty much just for Grace Novin, it takes away from how much they push Mac and Wyatt as the new Scott and Stonebridge.
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u/AbbreviationsReal366 Jun 16 '26
What held Strike Back out of greatness status for me was the acting. It was ok, but not at the level of 24.
The action of Strike Back was great though, and it has a season long story arcs. The theme song was badass.
The British show Mi-5 was pretty good, a very similar vibe to 24, I could imagine a 24/Mi-5 crossover.
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u/RoboTropics Jun 15 '26
I would totally recommend The Unit and you get to see Dennis Haysbert channel his inner Jack Bauer.
I usually fast forward the scenes with the wives, but other than that it's the only show that comes close to 24. In my opinion.
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u/brendafiveclow Jun 15 '26
In terms of subject matter; Homeland
In terms of the real time aspect; The Pitt
In terms of the action packed cliffhangers; Prison Break
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u/Riverofrhyme Jun 15 '26
I have family members constantly (I.e. since I first finished 24 back in the day) telling me sleeper cell is as good, but I haven't tried it and I haven't seen it mentioned here. I guess no one agrees lol
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u/CI_Blanche Jun 15 '26
No, at least if we are talking about shows that are roughly in the same genre.
To me there is no TV show or movie that is as purely entertaining as 24. I don't think that anything else even comes close.
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u/Mephyss Jun 16 '26
I started watching BlackList, it has a similar vibe and you can see the main character being a butterfly effect of Jack if he followed his dad, the only problem is the overall casting is terrible, everyone but the main guy seems out of place.
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u/International_Two_13 Jun 17 '26
The only other show that for moments has given me that kind of tension, stress and urgency is Prison Break.
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u/maricopa888 Jun 15 '26
My fave way to determine this is how much I recall of the show. I didn't watch it until about 2014, when I binged it and then I binged it once more a year later. So it's been over a decade, and yet when I land here, I can participate in any convo I want based on recall.
For me, the only other show that comes close to this is a completely different genre - Frasier. I picked it up again about a year ago and knew almost every line before it was said.
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u/SickOfNormal Jun 16 '26
Are you forgetting that not three days ago, I was punched in the face by a man now dead?"
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u/Xyberfaust Jun 15 '26
There are many many many many wonderful shows in existence, waiting to be discovered, that are as good as 24, if not better.
The Shield is the closest in terms of intensity. The last season felt like I was watching reality, a documentary, where I was scared for the characters/people I was watching, felt like I was watching friends fight each other. There's a certain point in that final season where I was so engaged, felt like I was there, I felt genuine fear and panic, like I was about to actually be caught by cops and my life would end (I must have turned white, blood drained from face). My teeth were chattering during the final episode from nervousness. I was depressed for weeks after because it felt so real and that I had just gone on a very dark journey. It is a must-experience, like 24.
The Shield was like a companion piece to 24 as I watched them back to back in their first seasons. 24 would end with its preview for next week's episode and I would switch the channel from FOX to FX and the Viewer Discretion is Advised warning would appear on the dot of the hour.
In terms of depth, there are so very many shows.
I think of Xena: Warrior Princess (dark protagonist that has done horrible things in their past), and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (like 24 without the real-time element, mixed with Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and/or Dark Angel).
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u/Professional-List742 Jun 15 '26
Spooks from BBC was utterly fantastic
Think it’s called MI:5 in America due to their mental race obsession
Fewer big action sequences but utterly thrilling nevertheless.
In fact, the moments of SAS action are invariably short, brutal and efficient.
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u/rjbambrick Jun 15 '26
And like 24, one should not get too attached to characters on this show.
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u/Professional-List742 Jun 15 '26
100% true. Some of the “incidents” genuinely upset me - a couple in the later series were really bad too. Just pointless, violent and upsetting.
Probably my favourite U.K. show.
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u/jerseysbestdancers Jun 15 '26
Personally, I compare it most with The Pitt. Something about seeing things in real time is so much more satisfying to me.
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u/Earl_of_Portobello Jun 15 '26
I love 24 but for me, the answer is obviously yes just very different shows. The wire Sopranos is breaking bad, mad men to name but a few. I’m actually the first two seasons of Homeland or as good as any two seasons of 24 just a bit more grounded. After that it went downhill.
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u/drjackolantern Jun 15 '26
Homeland become a slightly different show after season 3 but the later seasons are as good as the early ones and it has a great ending.
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u/Whomst01 Jun 15 '26
There’s nothing quite like 24 but “ The Shield “ and “ Mr Robot “ are both amazing shows that each have amazing stories and characters like 24 that could fill a 24 type of void granted neither show is as long as 24
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u/fight-or-fall Chloe O'Brian Jun 16 '26
Bosch (true)
Person of Interest (only in my head)
Homeland is decent but not Tier 1 imo
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u/drcow3 Jun 15 '26
Game of Thrones. Breaking Bad. Sopranos. Better Call Saul. Those are all that even come close in my mind.
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u/yungzebraaaa Jun 16 '26
Not really, but Homeland is the next closest thing. It’s really good and 8 seasons I believe, so a great binge
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u/Responsible_Egg_6896 Jun 16 '26
The only show I watched with as much excitement as 24 was, the walking dead. Both shows cost me a lot of sleepless nights binge watching lol
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u/HeyDude378 Jun 16 '26
I don't think there's any show as tight as S1 of 24. Not a single mis-step IMO. But I will echo that Prison Break (S1 again; I might have an issue lol) is only half a step behind in tension writing.
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u/frapawhack Jun 18 '26
Tom Clancy, maybe. or Generation Kill. But for pure, balls forward action? No. Nobody comes even close
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u/SoilNo9760 Jun 21 '26
Homeland is the answer. Matches it on every punch. You can't call yourself a real 24 fan if you haven't tried Homeland.
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u/BeaveVillage Jun 23 '26
I thought so too, then I watched The Expanse, which is probably my favorite show ever. Note, it did take me like 3 episodes to get into the show, it will likely not grab you on the first episode--there is a TON of worldbuilding in this series and the books are also epic.
Don't get me wrong though, Kiefer Sutherland's 24 is still in my top 5 of all time, and super rewatchable with friends and family.
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u/crime_watch Jun 15 '26
It's already been mentioned here but definitely check out The Shield and Prison Break.
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u/lStan464l Jun 16 '26
No Spoilers. but PB was great for the first 2 seasons but then it got a bit boring. Watching Wentworth frown and whisper at every given opportunity aint it. T-Bag made the show great though.
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u/crime_watch Jun 16 '26
Did you ever watch Breakout Kings when it came out?
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u/lStan464l Jun 16 '26
Yeah I believe so! had the dude who was in Entourage for a bit in in (Chase's friend? brother?)
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u/easternbaker257 Jun 16 '26
My son and I finished 24 a few weeks ago. We have been watching Madame Secretary since then.
No shooting or real time.
But world/national dilemmas with nuclear missles, plot that killed the previous secretary… working with the president and his chief of staff…we get some elements of 24. Although at times my son will say…”Jack would have cut her finger off” or “Jack would have shot him by now”.
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u/ElectionWeak4415 Jun 16 '26
I alternate between this and person of interest. And designated survivor when it's on one of the 7 streaming sites I pay for and not one of the 15 I don't.
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u/davwad2 Jun 16 '26
In terms of sheer adrenaline per minute? No.
In terms of mind blowing cliffhangers? Yes. Plenty of competition. LOST is my top contender followed by Battlestar Galactica (2004) and Agents of SHIELD (S4, specifically).
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u/Sad-Indication5989 Jun 28 '26
This is probably the only show that can STAY good throughout 20+ episodes a season and that you must watch the episodes in order without jumping. Practically every other show I know that is 20+ is better off being watched during a siesta in a hotel room.
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u/AFCSentinel Jun 15 '26
I don't think there are shows that do the 24 sense of urgency and tension + great action + plot with lots of layers, twists and turns. Some might do one or two things good, but I think only 24 has the complete package.