The bad women are great on '24'

The writers of "24" believe in gender equality — the women on that show can be just as bad as the men.

Not all the women, of course. But in a medium that has no problem portraying bad guys but rarely portrays really evil women, "24" stands out. Heck, in the first episode of the first season, a female terrorist (Mia Kirshner) detonated a bomb on an airliner, killing everyone aboard.

From turncoat Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) to the nefarious Sherry Palmer (Penny Johnson Jerald), "24" has had unforgettable female characters who have lied, cheated, murdered and manipulated with the best . . . er, uh, the worst of them.

"I think the women on our show are more evil or conniving or however you want to put it than women usually are on TV," said executive producer Robert Cochran. "But in the world we create, it's an equal-opportunity world. I mean, the men and the women are both equally adept at deceit, murder, et cetera, et cetera, so I don't think we make women more evil than men."

Still, it was a bit of a shock when Dina Araz (Shohreh Aghdashloo) poisoned her son's teenage girlfriend. Of course, being that she's in on the plot to make all the nuclear power plants in America melt down, maybe that was no big thing.

And, despite the fact that her husband tried to kill their teenage son and shot her in the process, Dina isn't exactly repentant in tonight's episode (8 p.m., Ch. 13) — another edge-of-your-seat thriller.

"I think the show is very unflinching in its portrayal of the world and the lengths people are willing to go to to accomplish whatever ends they're after," said Aisha Tyler, who knows whereof she speaks — her character, Marianne Taylor, was a mole working inside the CTU (Counter-Terrorism Unit) to help set off those nuclear plants. "What's satisfying about that, as a female on the show, is that you're able to play a character that is committed to their goals, whatever those are."

Tyler said that in television there's a tendency to "pull a lot of punches. They want the women to be sympathetic.

"What's compelling about this show is they don't pull their punches and they don't soften the female characters because they're worried about anybody being likable. That's what is so rich about this show is that they give you the real deal and they don't spend any time trying to coddle the audience or pet them or make them feel soothed.

"They're constantly surprising you. I think the women are just as driven as the men, which is what's so great about the show."