[Neo]

No TV show can truly be taken seriously. If any of them could, none of us would watch them because they would be as boring as our daily lives. TV is a form of escapism. It's meant to be enjoyed and not disparaged for its unrealistic elements. If 24 were real Jack would have either been killed or thrown in prison before the end of day 1.

We all know that cell phones don't really connect faster than land lines, that not every terrorist hideout can be within a 10 min drive of CTU, and that you can't actually recover from a gunshot wound to the neck in just a few hours. Though speaking of realism, how realistic would it be if none of the main characters ever died? If no one was ever killed then people would just be saying the exact opposite - that it's sooo unlrealistic that none of the main characters are ever killed. Either way the writers can't win.

If they truly made it as realistic as possible then guess what..... nobody would watch!! In the end television is a business and businesses have to make money.