24 Season premier

Who would believe it that it was possible to make 24 even better but they did. Jack doesn't work for CTU anymore. In fact, the entire staff you've come to know and love has been replaced. It works though with lots of new work drama and a compelling plot. Even the President has been replaced.

Look at what ICONOCAST e-newsletter had to say.

Sunday night Americans experienced two hours of a "typical" weekday morning in America's fight against terrorism. We freely admit that the season premiere of 24 sucked in a few Iconoites with its curiously addictive power. What's the hook? 24 takes a set of fears that currently grips many Americans and turns it into a minute-by-minute, edge-of-your-seat, can't-miss trip.

However real or fictionalized, 24 gives an insider's look at the super tech behind heightened surveillance and communication. (Whew. We feel safer now.) Then again, all that tech only works as well as those counter-terrorists' instincts. (Uh, did they get a good sleep last night?) The emotional rollercoaster continues: A mother dismisses her son's warning; a few minutes later she's murdered. In the world of 24 -- and by extension a terror-alerted America -- looks like paranoia isn't such a bad instinct after all. And the theme beating in the background: terrorism.

Is 24 exploiting our fears? Sure, just like mysteries and dramas have done for decades. Can your message grip consumers in a web of suspense and current events that'll make it impossible for them to resist tuning back in or visiting again? The next time you're exploring taglines and positioning, remember the power of a cliffhanger that speaks to the day.