I kind of wonder what this site would feel like to somebody who knows absolutely nothing about 24, or who Jack Bauer is. I mean, pictures like https://bauercount.com/s1/kills/coffel.jpg really make him look like a villain. Seeing all the different people he kills, without looking at the videos and just seeing the pictures, makes him seem like some sort of omnipresent bad guy that kills people for fun.
It's sort of awesome. It makes me realize what an asshole Jack is, from a certain point of view.
I think I agree with you. Most of the "cop shows" are about restraint, and playing within the rules of the game. In many respects 24 is to, in fact in many ways it is more so, with the exeption of Jack. It might has something to do with that saying, something like, "the true test of a hero is the willingness to sacrafice ones self and having no one else know why." That is why a lot of people can be characterized outside of their true motivations because you don't know the whole picture. Therefore, Jack can appear like a villian to others, but he knows he is doing the right thing and doesn't care what other think.
The main reason why I love jack bauer mostly is because he doesn't take any shit. To some that may seem villain-esqu but really in the world of 24 he is one of the few really getting anything done.
He does do some pretty horrible things but really he is the only one willing to go the extra mile to save the planet.
He really hasn't hurt to many people non-deserving but there has been a few...case in point the first hour of the most recent hours....
Bauer does a lot of illegal stuff, but it's to get the job done. I think he beleives in, "the end justifies the means". He'll do anything as long as the outcome is good. And that's why Jack Bauer is God.