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Monday night at my house is "all phones are turned off" night, and it's been like that for three years now. When each '24' episode is over the first thing that occurs to me is that it's 6 days and 23 hours before the next episode. Awesome show!

I was also a big fan of La Femme Nikita, upon which '24' is obviously based, so it was really interesting to see the 'Madeline' character from LFN show up in the same role on '24' as Driscoll. I wonder if she will be back?

Although the 'Richards' character on '24' (interrogation specialist) is good, the LFN characters who had the same role were definitely more ominous (disturbing, in fact), especially the short blonde with the glasses. When those two popped open the little briefcase with the needles, you could feel the fear.

Although I liked the 'Michael' character from LFN, the 'Jack Bauer' character from '24' is most definitely better, probably because he is more violent and simply looks the part better. (There is no 'Nikita' character on '24'.)

I would put the 'Chloe' and 'Edgar' characters about equal to 'Birkoff'. (Too bad '24' didn't reprise the 'Walter' character, too.) The various folks that '24' has brought in as "big honchos" have not been as good as 'Operations' was on LFN.

The sets of the two shows are virtually indistinguishable. In fact, it would not surprise me to learn that the 'CTU' set and the 'Section' set are one and the same.

My problem is I always forget "24" is on Monday nights. I liked it better when it was on Tuesdays because then my viewing schedule was easier. As it is, the only show I make a point never to miss these days is "NCIS", which is like "CSI" but with a sense of humor, and "South Park".

For "The Shield" fans, if you haven't seen it, check out "Rescue Me" with Dennis Leary. Very gritty, very morbidly funny, and very closing on HBO or Showtime with the language and other adult scenes.

LFN is a great show about a beautiful moral woman thrust into a world she's unprepared for. She accepts The Section keeps the world safe but doesn't care for the way it does business in contravention of accepted rules of right and wrong. She thinks Operations and Madeline mean well but they're too strict in the wrong way about the job they do. And the Section happens to be a place where there's no compassion since compassion in undercover work gets you killed. Peta Wilson was brilliant as Nikita in the title role. Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran later went on to work on the current hit "24."

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)