What was on TV? Sunday, Jan 9, 2005

20 years ago, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston broke up. Let's see what was on TV!

8:00 24 on Fox

4x01 & 4x02 "7:00-8:00 am" and "8:00-9:00" am (record American Dreams on NBC, He Knew He Was Right on PBS, and Carnivale on HBO, and Desperate Housewives on ABC)

Available on Hulu

24 is remembered as a smash hit, and the definitive show of the Bush era. All that is true. But in 2005 it was coming off of mixed reviews for its previous season and it was flagging in the ratings. But Fox still believed in the show, so in 2005 they tried reviving its fortunes with a bold new strategy. They would hold 24 until the spring and then air it straight through. No interruptions for reruns or baseball. Fox promoted the hell out of the new season with tons of trailers, and released the DVD for people who wanted to catch up. And for the people who didn't catch up, season four was basically a total reboot. All the series regulars were discarded save for Jack Bauer himself. They premiered after a big postseason football game and hoped for the best.

There were lots of reasons to delay 24: no reruns, more promotion, no interruptions for post-season baseball, more chances to catch up. But there was one more: delaying 24 a couple months gave people a couple months to put the Abu Gharaib scandal out of their minds. On 24, torture was something you did when you had no other choice, when people were going to die in mere minutes if you didn't do it. Torture was something that heroes did, staining their own souls and making themselves into sad and tortured antiheroes to keep us safe. But in the Abu Gharaib photos, torture looked very different. It wasn't serious, it was casual, juvenile, and downright sickening. But apparently America preferred to pretend that reality looked more like 24, because Fox's strategy worked. 24's audience grew and it became a solid hit, running for several more seasons and inspiring two revivals. We'll explore why that happened and what that means in the next 22 episodes.

These episodes were written by series creator Joel Surnow and Michael Loceff, who worked with Surnow on La Femme Nikita.

These episodes were directed by producing director Jon Cassar.

10:00 Desperate Housewives (recorded)

1x11 "Move On"

Available on Hulu

Susan and Mike say I love you. Lynette fires the nanny. Bree dates the pharmacist. Who cares. All that matters is that a beloved character actress has once again entered the chat. Harriet Sansom Harris has arrived, and not a moment too soon. She doesn't get a lot to do this episode, but everything she does is delicious.

This episode was written by David Schulner. He is the showrunner of New Amsterdam.

This episode was directed by John David Coles. He has directed episodes of Sex and the City, Elementary, and House of Cards.

What Else Was on TV?

• Candice Bergen joined the cast of ABC's Boston Legal.
• Zoey 101 premiered on Nickelodeon.
• CBS aired the People's Choice Awards. Winners included Joey, Passion of the Christ, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sheryl Crow.

TiVo Status

The first part of Masterpiece Theater's He Knew He Was Right, one episode of Carnivale, one episode of American Dreams, and the three-hour Masterpiece Theater miniseries The Lost Prince. 7 hours total.