Tawnee TV
Let’s admit it, when Fox announced they’d be doing a Kiefer Sutherland-less “24” spin-off our first response was somewhere in the vicinity of “Dammit!” (to quote an oft-used Jack Bauer’ism) and “er, why!?”. Interest in the series, which we’d soon discover would share little links to the original star and feature ‘Dr Dre from Straight Outta Compton’ as the show’s central hero, measured about a 0.2 on the interest scale.
The needle might be about to jump though.
Early critics, many of whom are quite trustworthy and haven’t been seen pictured at any swank parties with Producer Brian Grazer in recent months, have been treated to an early look at next year’s “24 : Legacy”. The response? Very good, if not great. Even without “Dammit!” nowhere to be found in the pilot script.
Latino Review or LRM, as they’re calling themselves now, describe the Corey Hawkins-starring drama as “pretty great” – based on the pilot.
This premise is outlined pretty quickly, as 24: Legacy takes us on a full throttle ride from start to finish. Along the way, we meet Miranda Otto’s Rebecca Ingram, the former head of CTU, and the wife of Senator John Donovan (Jimmy Smits), who is running for President. We also get to know her central conflict, which is that the only reason she left the CTU was to transition into the role of eventual First Lady and let Donovan have his moment to shine during his Presidential run; and yet now, with what’s happening to Carter’s team, she feels herself getting pulled back into the world of the CTU.
The episode is filled with action, twists, and turns. It’s shot with intensity and urgency, and that allows for the smaller, quieter character moments to really shine. Ensemble players Ashley Thomas, Charlie Hofheimer, Coral Peña, and Dan Bucatinsky all do strong work establishing their characters and giving us dynamics that we can look forward to exploring in later episodes, but the main actor we have to speak about here is Hawkins.
The Koalition have equally kind words for the show, saying ”Legacy will take audiences on a roller coaster ride, where every twist is greater than the last.”
24: Legacy is a love letter to the franchise and the 24 universe. It lives and breathes as an extension rather than a cheap reboot (which I feared it would be). While it has been roughly nine years since the original series, Legacy is more timely than ever, taking into account people’s fears, especially with the rise of ISIS and the political climate in America. The show will tackle immigration, terrorism, race and government transparency in America. But in the first episode, it’s all about Carter and his wife’s (Anna Diop) survival.
For those afraid that Hawkins won’t be able to fit into Sutherland’s shoes, he doesn’t. Nor is he suppose to, for this is his journey. This is the tale of Eric Carter, and Hawkins is refreshing as a hero who looks like the every man. When it comes to the action, he doesn’t disappoint. Carefully crafted and skilled, the first episode contains combat that is realistic and harsh. Carter fights with precision and the quiet desperation of wanting to live not only for himself but for his family. His wife’s no pushover either and will fight to protect herself and her husband; together they are a team.
Carter is far from perfect but he is very multifaceted. Written with a true understanding of the character, through the series the audience will see the dynamic of him trying to adjust to his life in hiding, his relationship with his wife, and his strained/complicated relationship with his drug dealing/gang leader brother who must now protect Carter’s wife and his dealings with the CTU — the same organization that failed to protect him and his team from Khalid’s men.
Naturally, there’s going to still be some skepticsm, if only because it’s something ‘new’ and doesn’t have much to do with the long-running “24” mothership series – – but let’s also remember, the adorable ‘Tony’ is set to pop up somewhere along the line, so as the show goes on there will be something for everyone.
“24 : Legacy” airs in February.
