Monday Night Football Character Analysis

follow complex plot lines and character development. The process of synthesizing and sense-making, Johnson maintains, provide an effective “brain workout” for the viewer. Johnson believes that so-called “quality entertainment” such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Frasier, spoon-fed audiences by delivering carefully constructed material that challenged viewers to do little more than watch and laugh (Johnson 280). Johnson believes this sort of programming is no more mentally stimulating that Monday Night Football. Along with plotlines that are more complex, today's program, Johnson insists, includes more fast-paced dialogue requiring viewers to think. The dialogue is not reduced to provide what Johnson calls “flashing arrows,” inserted to cue

As Bellafonte points out, the characters are driven by their mission and personal relationships are sacrificed. The lead character, Jack Bauer, is unable to sustain meaningful relationships with his wife, his girlfriends, or even his own child. The defense of his nation comes first. Bauer's father threatened him, and killed Jack's brother in service of his cause. Another character allowed his son to be tortured to gain information about a terrorist. The family relationships in 24 are a far cry indeed from those portrayed in Leave It To Beaver and The Donna Reed Show, where fathers were the clear, albeit benevolent, rulers of kith and kin. Bellafonte argues that these complex and often dark relationships make 24 a more interesting program to watch. This is true; conflict and dramatic tension have been the mainstays of of soap operas, for example, since radio days. The message, Bellafonte laments, is that the sacrificing of personal relationships is worth the price of national security (Bellafonte