24 is ridiculous. It's reliance on technical gadgetry is comical (yeah Jack, go right ahead an carry on the cell phone conversation under the rotating blades of a helicopter... and the cell phones work deep in the bowels of every building) as well as the ludicrous interpersonal relationships that are going on everywhere. Tripeland.
Ian those are Grade A Government issued phones known to work up to 3 miles undergrounds.

The whole concept of the time lines is interesting, but assumes two things: there's never anything relevant occurring concurrently, and that nothing ever happens during the 4-6 commercial breaks.
C'mon Ian that is when Cloe is downloading the schematics for the entire underground system of L.A. to Jack's palm