Watched it after I got in from my night shift....
Mostly enjoyed it a lot. The show is as silly as it ever was and yes, Jack and Chloe are still the only competent people on the good guys side, but it still had that utter conviction in its silliness that always made it such a tense watch.
Heller doing the Regan senility thing was a surprise, and effectively means we already know from the off how this latest President is going to be doomed.
Jack's silence for most of the first episode (my, Sutherland can glower) and precision planing of his escape were all perfectly done. I liked the subversion of the (well, my) expectation Jack would have been living on the streets alone for the last four years as well, he's actually got-dodgy-friends and tech support.
Also, the reveal he was there to rescue Chloe and then the double reveal he only did it for his own agenda rather than their friendship (as it's an amazing coincidence she would need rescuing from him the same day he needs her help in a complicated plot did Jack actually set her up to get caught in the first place? Or is that too dark, even for him?) were two genuinely surprising twists from a show that can often be quite predictable once you've twigged it was always try to have the least likely thing possible happen in any scene.
By that token, the skanky girlfriend being a trained assassin was really obvious right from the off and kind of dampened the second cliffhanger. The other main flaw was Kate's (and they've used that name before for one of his blonde female potential interests haven't they?) story arc looks like it's going to be exactly the same as Rene's from season 7. Though I will put a fiver on her turning out to be working for the Chinese after all right now.
I was mildly surprised it was set in consecutive hours as I thought they were going to skip every other one, I wonder when the time jumps will come (if they're planning to move the story to America at any point there's a good few hours flight there they can skip).
I wonder if "Head of station" and a character called Tanner were nods at Bond? Though in the case of the former I suppose as Fleming knew his stuff then MI6 could not only divide it's foreign offices up like that but the CIA (which he of course had a hand in helping to set up) might as well.
This could well wind up being the first season of 24 I watch on a week by week basis rather than a big DVD (or blu ray I should say these days) spurt.
All in all, what's not to love about Jack Bauer driving a knackered old Volvo about a run down council estate?