Fox's 24 is one of the most innovative programs on television for its "real-time" format, but this season it has become one of the most controversial, too. The show, which airs Mondays at 9 p.m., revolves around CTU, a fictional counterterrorism government agency. Now in its fourth season, the show's plot currently concerns terrorists planning an attack from within the United States. But 24 has been getting so much press because of the portrayed enemy: A fundamentalist Islamic-American "sleeper cell." Yet this season has been too "real" for some people. With interest in the show falling, the writers conjured up an amazing plot that includes kidnapping the secretary of defense (played by William Devane) and an attempted nuclear attack. Yet this new, exciting feel has come with a dark cloud.

Shohreh Aghdashloo, an Iranian actress who earned an Academy Award nomination for House of Sand and Fog, portrays Dina Araz, a suburban terrorist. 24's creators say that this plot is as real as it gets in contemporary society. And while this has resulted in one of the show's best seasons yet, this stereotyping may be harmful to Islamic-American relations, especially considering the "realistic" tone of the show.

Islamic terrorists are nothing new to 24. In the second season, a nuclear bomb was placed on American soil by a Middle Eastern terrorist group. When it turned out that this plan was conceived by Americans, the Muslim terrorists' role was placed on the backburner. In this season, however, the Muslim terrorists on 24 seem to be pursuing their own goals.

Many American Muslim leaders are upset about such negative portrayals, and pressure is now being applied for 24 to change its ways. A lobbyist group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has been working with network executives and writers to soften the show's tone. Some scenes have been edited, but the theme has generally remained the same. The council also wrote a public service ad that 24 star Kiefer Sutherland read during a commercial break.

That's why the season's 13th episode, which aired March 14, took a different turn. With Americans now portrayed as the enemy, a group of American Muslims joined with federal agent Jack Bauer (Sutherland) and CTU to help fight off the bad guys and combat the stereotyping. Although this season has been one of the show's best, it hasn't-at least until this point-done anything to fight "Islamophobia." For 24's creators, it's a tough choice: Do they choose to be politically correct, or continue to push the envelope? This season of 24 has chosen the latter. I hope it was the right decision.