Even though 24: Legacy is the first installment of the 24 franchise to not feature the character of Jack Bauer, it still remains a solid, exciting, and satisfying next chapter to the saga. The series follows Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins), a former Army Rangers soldier who recently returned from Afghanistan after performing a successful raid on a compound belonging to terrorist Ibrahim Bin-Khalid. Despite being given new identities, Carter and the rest of his Special Forces squad now find themselves targets of Bin-Khalid’s men, who are looking for a strongbox that was stolen from the compound. The strongbox is key to the organization’s plot to stage an attack on U.S. soil. The only person Carter can trust is Rebecca Ingram (Miranda Otto), the soon-to-be-former National Director of CTU, who coordinated his attack on the Bin-Khalid’s compound. Ingram is in the midst of retiring in order to support husband, Senator John Donovan (Jimmy Smits), with his presidential campaign. Someone leaked the names of the Special Forces agents, and one of the few people who had that information was Rebecca’s replacement, Keith Mullins (Teddy Sears). So now Ingram and Carter now find themselves thrust into CTU, trying to identify the person who gave up the names of the soldiers, and attempting to stop a series of domestic terrorist attacks.
24: Legacy follows the same real-time format as the original series, with its split-screens, on-screen clocks, etc.. Much of the series is shot with hand-held cameras, which helps to intensify the action and make you feel like you are right there in the thick of it. There are lots of twists and turns over the course of the action-packed season, as we learn more about the players involved in the attacks on the U.S., the political intrigue happening behind the scenes, and (since no season would be complete without one) a potential mole in CTU. Assisting Carter and Ingram in their efforts are CTU agents Andy Shalowitz (Dan Bucatinsky) and Mariana Stiles (Coral Peña), cousin of Edgar Stiles from the original series. Plus, there are some other fun guest appearances by characters from the original series. While trying to save the world, Carter and Ingram must confront their need for the the adrenaline rush of their former jobs, and also juggle issues in their personal lives. Carter seeks help from estranged brother Isaac (Ashley Thomas) to protect wife Nicole (Anna Diop), but there is some animosity due to incidents from their past. And Ingram is pressured by her husband and his father, Henry (Gerald McRaney), to make the campaign her priority.
The series starts off with an intense two-hour premiere, and also closes quite strong. The story meanders a bit in the middle—though I also found this to be the case with many of the other 24 seasons—but it still remains action-packed and exciting throughout. (One of the story-lines I could have done without was the whole Nicole-Isaac-Carter love triangle.) I really enjoyed binging the series again on this DVD release.
While 24: Legacy received a Blu-ray release in the UK, unfortunately we only got a DVD release stateside. For the most part, the DVD picture is quite nice, but at times it’s a bit dull and grainy, and certainly not as sharp, rich and detailed as the series looked during its original HD airings on FOX. The audio track is quite good, providing clear dialogue, and an intense score. The track also makes excellent use of the surround and stereo channels to bring the on-screen action to life in your living room. The DVDs also include two bonus features—an 11-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, and 7 deleted scenes. The 4 discs come packed in a standard multi-disc DVD keep case.
What’s Included:
Episodes: (8:45:29)
- All 12 episodes of the first season
- 480p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5. Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French,Portuguese
- Closed Captioned
Extras:
- 24: The Legacy Lives On (11:22)
The producers and cast talk about continuing the franchise, the real-time format, how the story for 24: Legacy came about, the characters, working with the cast, bringing back CTU, the stunts, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer Howard Gordon, creators/executive producers Manny Coto & Evan Katz, executive producer Brian Grazer, director Nelson McCormick, production designer Craig Stearns, art director Cameron Beasley, stunts coordinator Eric Norris, visual effects supervisor Sean Thigpin, and stars Corey Hawkins (“Eric Carter”), Miranda Otto (“Rebecca Ingram”), Jimmy Smits (“John Donovan”), Anna Diop (“Nicole Carter”) and Dan Bucatinsky (“Andy Shalowitz”). - Deleted Scenes (6:28)
Collection of 7 deleted scenes. Scenes include “Ep. 102 Sc 255”, “Ep. 105 Sc 509”, “Ep. 107 Sc 706”, “Ep. 108 Sc 816/17”, “Ep. 109 Sc 925”, “Ep. 112 Sc A1247 2 Parts”, and “Ep. 112 Sc DE1249-E1249”.
Final Thoughts:
24: Legacy is a solid follow-up to the original 24 series. It keeps the same format, tone and action of the original series while following a new story set in the same universe, with a new set of characters. While I would have loved another season with Jack Bauer, I never found myself missing him while watching this series. Fortunately the season is also self-contained and provides closure, given that the series was not picked up for a second season. While I wish FOX had released a Blu-ray edition in the U.S. like they did abroad, this DVD release provides decent picture and excellent sound, plus a small number of bonus features. This DVD comes recommended for fans of the original series and those looking for a fun action series.
