Is Mike Doyle the New Jack Bauer?

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I've been a diehard devotee of 24 from Day One (no pun intended.) For five seasons, I gleefully accepted every leap in logic, every defiance of time and space, every torture scene (I'm thinking all of Day Three's plotline here) that they could throw at me. I never waivered from my devotion to Jack Bauer, no matter how preposterous the plotlines became. After all, the writers were working on the fly, and even they had no idea where it was going. You have to get behind that kind of moxie.

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After the ratings triumph that was Day Five, it was screamingly apparent that 24 would be around for a while. Sure enough, FOX guaranteed it at least three more seasons, and made Keifer Sutherland an executive producer of the series. It also became increasingly obvious at that point that the series was about to jump the shark.

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Let's face it: Day Six has been an almost incomprehensible mess, full of plotlines that sprouted like weeds, and were discarded just as quickly. It's as if the writers realized they'd painted themselves into a corner when they shipped Bauer off on a slow boat to China at the end of Day Five. From the moment Day Six opened, with Bauer released after 20 months of Chinese interrogation, nothing felt right. Within two hours, he got a designer haircut and a shave, (presumably debriefed while he was being groomed) and set about to doing what he does best: killing bad guys in creative ways. And that was all in his first couple of hours of freedom.

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Sure, other things have happened--nuclear attack on LA with 12000 casualties, failed coups, dueling terrorists, near-martial law in the US, paranoid romantic intrigues at CTU--but they were treated as minor annoyances. Bauer got all that cleaned up with six hours to spare--plenty of time to thread a new set-up poised to place Mike Doyle center stage next season.

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I'm not privy to CTU memorandums or FOX board meetings, but in my own private spoiler world, I'm almost certain that Rick Schroder's Mike Doyle will be the new 24 action figure next season. That's not to say Bauer will disappear--he may become next season's CTU director, a position befitting a TV series executive producer. Bauer's days as a renegade lone wolf world savior are almost certainly over, though. He's getting a bit long in the tooth to make it even remotely believable. It's time for Sutherland to pass the torch to younger blood, ala Bruce Willis.

Bauer can still be menacing, even in a desk job.

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The Mike Doyle character came out of nowhere this season, a sort of young Jack Bauer whose dedication to CTU was beyond reproach. While other characters in Day Six come across as plot devices with no discernible motivation, Doyle has been fleshed out as the season progressed, so that now we see him as a man with a shadowy past who keeps people at arm's length as a defensive mechanism. We know he's a student of comparative religion, that he is not above bending rules in the name of the greater good, that his dedication causes him to be reckless on occasion, that he will get his mission accomplished come hell or high water. But most importantly, he's playing Robin to Bauer's Batman.

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When I add all that together, and couple it with the fact that both Bauer and Doyle are blond, grimace at inappropriate moments and have similar tastes in street-fighting clothes, it's not a major leap of faith to see Doyle as Bauer's heir apparent. It makes sense in other ways, too. Schroder has time to grow into the stress lines that are part of Bauer's character. Since there is a bit of a similarity between the two, his presence wouldn't have a jarring effect on audiences. Since he's mysterious at this point, the series writers have a new sphere in which to work. And as the new world savior, he could serve as the perfect foil to a more seasones, wiser, more beauracratic Bauer.

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I could be wrong, of course. This is 24, after all. Doyle could be killed off next week. WWIII might break out, making Day Seven a post-apocalyptic snooze. I sort of doubt it, though. One thing is certain though. CTU is too small for two blond bad boy world saviors.

Sleeper Cell is no 24-- and That's a Good Thing

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It's become a bit trendy among some TV critics (and I use that term advisedly) to compare Showtime's Sleeper Cell to Fox's 24. Not only is that wrongheaded, lazy reportage, it's just flat-out stupid. Beyond the theme of potential terrorism on American soil, the two series have precious little in common. Let me rephrase that--they have absolutely nothing in common.

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I'm not knocking 24--hell, I've followed it religiously for going on six years now, often to the dismay of family and employers. (Random note to self--gotta get a TIVO.) I love the show, despite its leaps in logic, not the least of which being that all this mayhem takes place in a mere 24 hours. Sleeper Cell moves at a more deliberate, but no less deadly pace.

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Sleeper Cell: American Terror picks up where the first season ended, give or take a few months. After thwarting the terrorist attack on Dodgers Stadium last season, FBI operative Darwyn al-Sayeed (Michael Ealy) just wants to get on with his life. After all, Faris al-Farik (Oded Fehr) is in US custody, and his cell has apparently been destroyed. Darwyn emerged unscathed, and he's been offered a teaching position at the FBI Academy. But he's quickly drawn back into the role of field agent when he's persuaded to recon Benny Velazquez (Kevin Alejandro). Darwyn and Benny had met while Darwin was doing his prison stint, and Benny has attracted the notice of the FBI because he's joined a radical mosque in San Diego. Meanwhile, cell leader al-Farik, tucked away in an American prison of undisclosed location, is enduring indignities and unorthodox CIA interrogation techniques, but remains steadfast in his extremist beliefs.

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Thus the stage is set for another tale of intrigue and betrayal told in a grippingly realistic fashion. This is not a story told in black and white, good versus evil--rather, it flows in ever-shifting shades of gray. Darwin is a man torn between his Muslim faith, his racial identity and his sense of duty. As an ex-Marine, an African-American, with an Anglo girlfriend who's married but separated, he has a lot on his plate as it is. But even though his work as an undercover agent requires subterfuge and deception, he wades through life with a stoic resignation, compromising principles in the name of the greater good.

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The imprisoned al-Farik is no less devout, but his fundamentalist viewpoint has led him to believe his terrorist tactics are not only justified, but divinely inspired. Through his eyes, we almost understand, if not sympathize with, his extremist viewpoint. He's a radical terrorist who truly believes the West is responsible for the evils of the world, and that he's justified in taking whatever actions he can to cleanse the world of its influence. He's undeniably intelligent, even charming to a degree, and is steadfast in his beliefs even under duress of torture.

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It's in its unflinching presentation of the dichotomies inherent in the global war on terror that Sleeper Cell: American Terror makes its mark as one of the most provocative TV series around, cable or otherwise. Once Darwyn is forced to kill the leader of a new terror cell who has blown his cover, he finds himself thrust into the role of their new leader. We're introduced to a number of new characters within this cell, each of them with a plausible backstory. There's Mina, a former Dutch prostitute who got caught up in extremist Muslim beliefs through an Iraqi lover; Salim, an Iraqi expat raised in England, where he learned to misinterpret Islam; and the aforementioned Latino gang member who converted to radical Islam while in prison. They all have their own motives, united in their devotion to their ambiguous cause.

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While Sleeper Cell does present any number of viewpoints, it is by no means one-sided. It shows evil as evil, whether it's perpetrated by Islamic terrorists or American interrogators. It's a series that is unafraid to portray the world in which we currently live in no uncertain terms. Perhaps its most jarring moment comes at the end of the episode, when Darwyn's handler from last season, Patrice Serxner, is executed by extremists. It's broadcast via the Internet, and aptly illustrates how insidious this conflict is.

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While Showtime did air this miniseries on consecutive nights during the holidays, and all eight episodes are available on Showtime on Demand, Sleeper Cell: American Terror is beginning its weekly run on the cable network now. If you can see it, do. This is one of the most provocative television dramas you're likely to see.

How to Revive a Dinosaur

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These are trying times for NBC. Only a couple of years ago, the network was the undisputed Goliath among the broadcast TV networks, with shows like Friends, ER, Frasier and the various Law and Order franchises dominating the prime time ratings. Of late, though, NBC has fallen to third place on the ratings totem pole, below CBS and ABC. And while new seies such as the phenomenal Heroes may signal a reversal of the network's fortunes, execs there are conceding "must see TV" ain't what it used to be.

Last month, NBC announced sweeping realignments that included major cutbacks in their news department, as well as a shift in their primetime strategy. The opening 8PM (EST) slot will be relegated to game shows along the lines of Deal or No Deal, and low cost reality series. It's a risky gambit at best. While lower cost programming may increase ad revenue in the short term, it could place the Peacock in a precarious position. By eliminating sitcoms and dramas from the opening slot, the network may find itself scrambling for a series potent enough to stand on its own without a strong lead-in.

NBC Universal remains undaunted, however. Their new business plan, dubbed NBCU 2.0, recognizes the limitations of broadcast TV in the new landscape of ad revenue, and refocuses the network's direction to the frontier of digital distribution. “Success in this business means quickly adjusting to and anticipating change. This initiative is designed to help us exploit technology and focus our resources, as we continue our transformation into a digital media company for the 21st century,” said Bob Wright, chairman and CEO of NBC U, in an official press release.

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A part of that transformation was the November 9 launch of DotComedy, a broadband channel drawing on NBC's "rich heritage of comedy," according to Jeff Gaspin, President, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, Digital Content and Cross-Network Strategy. ( I have to wonder. . . can he actually remember that entire title?) While the content of the site is hardly groundbreaking, it may afford a glimpse into the future of network television. All the networks, including the basic cable outlets such as Comedy Central and the Cartoon Network, have utilized the Internet to promote their product for some time now, even offering full episodes of series via the Web. But with DotComedy, NBC Digital has upped the ante, offering original programming exclusive to the Internet.

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I've been casually poking about DotComedy for the past week, and it looks promising. Mind you, I said promising, not great. True, it does offer some original programming, ranging from the puerile ("Double Dragon") to the slapstick ("Easter Bunny Begins") to the outright funny "The Quest for Length") in its "Digital Shows" section. That's offset, though, by the "TV and Movies" page, which exists as a promo for SNL and upcoming Universal theatrical comedy releases. "Stand Up Straight" serves up, as one might expect, stand-up comedy clips, and "Totally Viral" is a smorgasboard of videos in the vein of YouTube. "Sitcom Flashback", I think, has the potential to lure repeat visits. Besides episodes of old standbys Leave It to Beaver and The Munsters, it goes deeper into the archives to offer episodes from cult classics like Dream On and Significant Others. There's also a "User Made" section, parked for now, vacant now, as it awaits submissions.

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Bearing in mind that DotComedy is taking its first faltering steps, it's not too shabby. NBC is promising more original content before year's end, as well as clips from David Letterman's years there, among other classic comedy from their extensive vaults. It's evolving, slowly but surely, as it updates daily. Its success or failure hinges on just how far the network execs are willing to take it. If they play it safe, DotComedy has little chance of succeeding. With bandwidth and time at a premium, Web users are unlikely to make the site a destination location. Done properly, however, it has the potential to pioneer the convergence of traditional and digital delivery of entertainment.

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That convergence, which has been talked about for years, but never realized, translates into an entirely new platform from which advertisers can hawk their wares. And it's something for which they've been clamoring for at least the past decade. The decline in profits that traditional broadcast and print media have fallen victim to can be directly attributed to their reliance on time-worn methods of doing business. By extension, it helps to explain why profits are down almost across the board for manufacturers and retailers nationwide.

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What NBC has done with DotComedy is open a new vista that could potentially have an unparallelled effect on media as we currently think of it. By putting their brand on a stand alone internet venture (albeit still a promotional tool for the parent company), they've taken the pioneering step of cross-referencing media. Whether DotComedy succeeds is almost irrelevant. A floodgate has been opened, and the convergence of media is set to sail.

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