'24' is back with a bang

In its first season, Fox's "24" was a TV thriller that not only had hearts racing through two dozen episodes but ended the season with a bang — literally — and a big surprise. What do you do for an encore? Once you've saved a presidential candidate from an assassination plot that reaches into secret government agencies, how do you top that?

Well, how about setting up a second season that looks more exciting than the first?

Talk about avoiding the sophomore slump.

"24" returns Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Ch. 13 with the same star, Kiefer Sutherland, a lot of the same co-stars and the same format. Each episode covers one hour of real time; the 24 episodes add up to a full day.

(The season premiere airs without commercial interruption; that will not, however, be true of the other 23 episodes.)

And what a day it's going to turn out to be. The season opens (a year after the events of last season) with scenes of a man being tortured — by the good guys.

Since we last saw counterterrorist agent Jack Bauer (Sutherland), his life has been anything but exciting. He's mourning the loss of his wife (killed in last season's finale); he's left his government agency, CTU; and he's somewhat estranged from his teenage daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert).

Presidential hopeful David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), on the other hand, has become President Palmer. His Lady Macbeth-like wife (Penny Johnson Jerald) isn't anywhere near the White House (she'll show up later in the season), but he's settled into his position of power.

Being president isn't easy, however, particularly not when your vacation is interrupted with news that terrorist have a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. And it's going to go off. Today.

Who you gonna call? Why, Jack Bauer, of course.

The second season of "24" doesn't just hit the ground running, it's moving at warp speed.

If the storytelling seems a bit more straightforward — there are plots within plots, no doubt, but this could be somewhat less confusing this time around — that may have something to do with the fact that, while a critical darling, "24" never became a mainstream hit in its first season. Fans were devoted, but it was more of a cult hit than a smash.

Fox and the show's producers are trying to remedy that situation.

(Not that "24" is appropriate for all viewers. There are scenes of extreme violence, including that round of torture and an unexpected, blood-splattering shooting.)