24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe
award-winning American television series.
Broadcast by Fox Network in the USA and syndicated worldwide, the show first
aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial thirteen episodes.
In January 2007, 24 was made available online to US viewers through Fox on Demand.[1] It is set in the fictional U.S. government Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU).
24 is presented in real time, with each season depicting a 24-hour period in
the life of Jack Bauer, who works with the U.S. Government as it fights threats on her soil.
Bauer is often in the field for the fictional Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit
(CTU) as they try to safeguard the nation from terrorist threats. Based in Los
Angeles, the show also follows the actions of other CTU agents, government officials and terrorists associated with the
plot.
After leading actor Kiefer Sutherland won a Golden Globe for his role in the first 10 episodes, the ratings of the show increased, leading FOX to
order the second half of the season. There have been six seasons of 24 produced. On May 15
2007, it was confirmed that FOX has ordered seventh and eighth seasons,[2] with the seventh planned to begin airing in January 2008. A motion picture based on the show has been written and was scheduled to be filmed in 2007 for a 2008
release but plans for production were put on hold to focus on the TV series.[3]
Elements
Real time
An example of a
24 split-screen with the running clock
24 is a thriller that is shown in "real-time," with each minute of airtime corresponding to a minute in the lives of the
characters.[4] Commercial breaks are placed at times when
non-essential plot is taking place (i.e. characters driving somewhere will begin when a commercial break starts and arrive at
their destination at the end of the commercial break.) This allows for the show to actually occur in real time without
compromising action.
Actual show run time without commercials is about 45 minutes, as is typical
for hour long television shows on many commercial stations. However, the effect only works if episodes are shown with commercial
breaks during the show (which, for example, is uncommon for public television
stations in Europe), and then only if these are inserted at the right points in time and have the
exact right length, which may not fit in with the normal programming of a commercial station.
Watched continually each season would take approximately 18 hours to finish. This real-time nature is emphasized by an
on-screen digital clock appearing before and after commercial breaks, with a distinct beeping noise for each second, alternating
between C and D tones. This time corresponds to
the in-universe time of the show. The characters will often place time windows (such as the common "within the hour") on certain
events such as terrorist threats, thus strongly hinting that the attack/event will occur before the end of the episode.
The action switches between different locations tracing parallel adventures of different characters involved in the same
overarching plot. As a result, there may be long sections of unseen narrative for each character; in that case, a character may
only be seen for a portion of an episode's overall running time.[5]
Storytelling and visual style
24 employs fast-paced and complex plots.
A recurring theme of 24 has characters faced with the decision of whether or not to let something tragic happen for the
sake of a greater good. In Season 2, a Dept. of Defense staffer has the chance to warn CTU of an
imminent attack on their building, but argues that doing so would put the culprits on alert and thus cause a valuable trail to go
cold.[6] A similar situation occurs in Season 5, when
terrorists plan to release a canister of nerve gas inside a busy shopping mall.[7] In Season 3, the President and CTU agents must choose between the life of a high-ranking CTU official
and the imminent threat of further attacks,[8] while Season
4 is notable for a scene in which two men — one of whom possesses crucial information about a nuclear missile strike, and the
other is the husband of a major character — lie dying in an emergency room, creating the ethical dilemma of whom to save.[9] In addition, the sitting President often has to deal with a
similar quandary. For example, in Season 6, President Wayne Palmer asks Jack Bauer to sacrifice himself in exchange for the
location of a known terrorist.[10]
The first season began and ended at midnight,[11]
leading to the situation that the main characters had to go almost two days without sleep. Later seasons have tended to use a
less punishing time window, starting in the morning[12]
or early afternoon.[13]
For the first two seasons, 24 frequently used split-screen action to follow multiple plots, although from Season 3
onward this was scaled back somewhat and confined mostly to phone conversations and shots leading into and out of commercial
breaks.[14]
Creative influences
Immediately prior to 24, series co-creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran executive-produced La Femme
Nikita for its entire five-year run on USA Network. Both series deal with
anti-terrorist operations, and the lead characters of both series are placed in situations where they must make a tragic choice
in order to serve the greater good. As a result, the on- and off-screen creative connections between 24 and La Femme
Nikita are highly pronounced. Numerous actors from La Femme Nikita have portrayed similar roles on 24, a number
of story concepts from La Femme Nikita have been revisited on 24, and many of the creative personnel from La
Femme Nikita currently work (or have worked) on 24 in the same capacity.[15][16]
24 "borrows" some aspects of the 1997 film Air Force One too. In
Seasons 2, 4 and 6, Air Force One can be seen and the series reused the same set as the
one featured in the movie.[17] Much like in the film, the
25th amendment has been invoked three times on
24 in Seasons 2, 4, and 6. Additionally, three actors featured on 24 — Xander
Berkeley, Wendy Crewson and Glenn
Morshower — played roles in Air Force One.
Counter Terrorist Unit
Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) is a fictional elite branch of the Department of Defence and similar to the real-life FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force and the CIA Counterterrorist Center's Special Activities Division. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C. with satellite
operations in major cities where threats are likely. CTU's primary mission is to disrupt and destroy foreign and domestic terror
cells hostile to the United States, as well as protect it from terrorist attacks. With an office in nearly every major city, CTU
also has a role in creating security policy and fighting groups of organized crime that fund terrorism.[18] Although CTU is fictional, a similar department, the National Counterterrorism Center, was set up by the government.
CTU offices are run by a Director, also called the Special Agent in
Charge, to whom the Director of Field Operations and the
Chief of Staff report. Departments within a CTU office include Communications
("Comm"), Logistics, and Tactical ("Field Ops"). Communications and Logistics personnel report directly to the Chief of Staff,
whereas Tactical personnel are deployed into Tactical Teams ("Tac Teams") by the Director of Field Operations.
The Los Angeles CTU Field Office houses several areas. The first floor contains the Situation Room, as well as the main
communications complex and command center, often referred to as "The Floor." On the second floor is the Director's office and
Field Ops office. Situated elsewhere in the building are the Information Technology department (I.T.), an in-house Medical
clinic, Meteorology department, several Holding Rooms used for interrogation and confinement, and Tech Rooms, which contain the
bulk of the physical computer hardware used by CTU.
The CTU offices within a region report to a Divisional Office, overseen by the Division Director. Divisional offices cover a
larger amount of territory in their jurisdiction. Finally, the Divisional office and all other offices report to a District
Headquarters, overseen by a Regional Director. This title implies that each District Headquarters has jurisdiction over an entire
region of the United States. However, in Season 1, the reverse was implied: the District Director, George Mason, reported to
District Manager Richard Walsh (who was killed in the second episode), and then Ryan Chappelle, the Regional Director from
Division. However, in the Season 2 finale, Chappelle referred to a Mr. Vaughn, the District Director, as his superior.
CTU often suffers setbacks for the sake of plot. Despite the high-profile and high-risk nature of its duties, it is frequently
infiltrated by double agents, and several times has been attacked or seized by terrorist forces.
According to recent rumors about the upcoming seventh season, which takes place three years after the events of season six,
CTU has been disbanded by the government. The season will take place in New York and Washington.
Recurring plot devices
There are some plot devices that are used constantly on 24.
- Weapons of Mass Destruction: WMDs, especially nuclear weapons, are constant threats on the show. Seasons 2 and 6 have
been based around the threat of nuclear weapons. In Season 3, it was a weaponized virus. Day 5 was a fictional nerve gas variant.
Day 4 featured the threat of a nuclear weapon also, but the entire season did not center around this plot.
- Traitors in the government: CTU is often compromised by moles. A major subplot in Day 1 was the presence of a
so-called "dirty agent" working with terrorists. As it turned out, there was 1 dirty agent in Day 1 Nina Myers).(Jamey Farrell was originally thought to be the dirty
agent but was later revealed to had been framed by Nina. Since then, another agent was
found to be dirty in Day 4. Two traitors in the White House were exposed in Day 5 (Walt
Cummings and Charles Logan). Many others have been accused of
espionage.
- Invocation of the 25th Amendment: Section 4 of the 25th Amendment states that if the Vice President and a majority of
the President's cabinet votes that the President is unable to fulfill his duties, he will be removed. It was first invoked during
Day 2, to stop then President David Palmer from aborting an attack that would propel the U.S. into war. He was removed by one
vote, but ultimately prevented the attack. It was invoked on Days 4 and 6, after failed assassination attempts on Presidents
Keeler and Wayne Palmer. Mike Novick was involved with it being invoked in both the 2nd and
4th seasons.
- Insubordination from Jack Bauer: Jack has broken CTU protocol at least once in all
six seasons. He manages to convince other agents to help him (usually Chloe O'Brian,
Tony Almeida or Michelle Dessler). He usually is
granted amnesty for his actions.
- Frequent Change in Command: So far on the series, there have been six on-screen Presidents. Only three of those six
were actually elected into office, and only one served for a full term. Two Presidents resigned, two ex-Presidents were
assassinated, one was poisoned, another was incapacitated by a bomb, and another was seriously injured when Air Force 1 was shot
down. Also, there have been twelve directors of CTU, many of whom have also either resigned or been killed.
- Threatening Family Members to Force Compliance: Villains in the series frequently kidnap and threaten to kill close
family members of the main characters in order to force them to work against CTU or the government (usually covertly). In
addition, Jack has threatened to execute family members of suspects as an interrogation technique, although so far he staged the
executions.
- Physical and Mental Torture of Suspects: Jack and CTU commonly resort to various forms of torture (beatings,
mutilation, pain-inducing drugs, mock executions, etc.) to extract information from suspected terrorists or traitors (including
CTU personnel). Such methods are generally portrayed on the show as being highly effective.
- Death of Major Characters: Only Jack Bauer and Aaron Pierce have appeared in all six seasons. Nine main cast members have been killed off, and many more
recurring characters have been killed as well. Many have been killed with little warning, while others are more anticipated.
Season 5 holds the highest body count of main characters, four of whom have had an immense impact on the show: David Palmer, Michelle Dessler, Edgar Stiles, and Tony Almeida (it has since been revealed that
Tony Almeida is still alive and will return for the beginning of season 7.
- Personal and Romantic Conflicts: To put more pressure on CTU staff, personal drama is often thrown into the plot.
During the first season, Jack was forced to choose between rescuing his family and preventing the death of a Presidential
candidate. Many more conflicts, especially romantic ones, would arise in future seasons.
- Immunity from Prosecution: Several 24 Villains have demanded Presidential Pardons in exchange for crucial information
regarding an imminent terrorist attack. These characters include Nina Myers, Mandy, Jacob Rossler, Collette Stenger,
Christopher Henderson, and Dmitri
Gredenko
Trilogies
Each season of 24 has a primary storyline which is self-contained within that season. However, a number of these storylines
involve backstory established in prior seasons, which continue to play a role in the series.
These cross-season storylines generally take place over the course of three seasons - often being called 'trilogies'. So far
there have been 2 trilogies created - one of which is Seasons 1-3, and the other being Seasons 4-6. Most of the main characters
in Season 1 also appeared in Seasons 2 and 3.
After Seasons 1-3 had been completed, 24 was revamped entirely, to keep the show fresh. This revamp includes a redesigned CTU,
and many new characters introduced in Season 4. Characters in previous Seasons did not appear early in Season 4, with the
exception of Jack Bauer, Chloe O'Brian and President John Keeler.
As a result, there was little continuity from Seasons 1-3 until the returns of Michelle Dessler, Tony Almeida, and David
Palmer late in Season 4. (Kim Bauer returned for a two episode arc in Season 5, but this did not have a major impact on that
season's storyline.)
These new characters, some of which being Audrey Raines, Secretary of Defense James Heller, Bill Buchanan, Curtis Manning,
President Charles Logan, Edgar Stiles and Cheng Zhi, all had prominent roles in the second trilogy of 24.
Once Seasons 4, 5, and 6 had been completed, plotlines involving these characters had been resolved, similar to that at the
end of Season 3. Therefore a third and probably a last trilogy is set to commence, with the confirmed Seasons of 7 and 8, and
possibly 9, airing until at least 2009-2010.
Cast
- See also: List of 24 characters and
List of 24 (TV series) cast members
Main casts
24 is known for making major changes to its main cast every season — the sole exception being Kiefer Sutherland, who is the only main cast member to star in all six seasons to date. Honorable
mention should be given to Glenn Morshower who plays Aaron Pierce - the only actor besides Sutherland to appear in all six
seasons. Due to the unpredictable nature of each season's storyline, main cast members are added and dropped frequently. In a few
cases, guest stars have been upgraded to main cast members during the course of a season. Main cast members who return from prior
seasons — whether they return for one episode or the better part of a season — are often given a "Special Guest Star" billing,
although this is also used for other cast members who are well-known film actors, like Dennis
Hopper, Powers Boothe, Sean Astin, and
James Cromwell.
Because of the intense nature of the series, the number of onscreen deaths is high compared to other television dramas. Of the
28 characters who have comprised the main cast over the past six seasons, nine are deceased. That number is considerably higher
when guest characters — whether they be government agents or terrorists — are also included. Whenever there is a death of a
character, there is always a reason for it, for storytelling's sake, and it always relates back to Jack in some way.
| Actor |
Character |
Episode Count |
Main Cast Seasons |
Recurring Cast Seasons |
| Kiefer Sutherland |
Jack Bauer |
144 |
1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6,
7* |
NA |
| Leslie Hope |
Teri Bauer |
24 |
1 |
NA |
| Sarah Clarke |
Nina Myers |
36 |
1 |
2, 3 |
| Elisha Cuthbert |
Kim Bauer |
72 |
1, 2, 3 |
5 |
| Dennis Haysbert |
David Palmer |
80 |
1, 2, 3 |
4, 5 |
| Sarah Wynter |
Kate Warner |
25 |
2 |
3 |
| Xander Berkeley |
George Mason |
27 |
2 |
1 |
| Penny Johnson Jerald |
Sherry Palmer |
45 |
2 |
1, 3 |
| Carlos Bernard |
Tony Almeida |
95 |
2, 3, 5,
7* |
1, 4 |
| Reiko Aylesworth |
Michelle Dessler |
62 |
3 |
2, 4, 5 |
| James Badge Dale |
Chase Edmunds |
24 |
3 |
NA |
| Kim Raver |
Audrey Raines |
52 |
4, 5 |
6 |
| Alberta Watson |
Erin Driscoll |
12 |
4 |
NA |
| William Devane |
James Heller |
20 |
4 |
5, 6 |
| Lana Parrilla** |
Sarah Gavin |
12 |
4 |
4** |
| Roger Cross** |
Curtis Manning |
45 |
4, 5 |
4**, 6 |
| Mary Lynn Rajskub |
Chloe O'Brian |
88 |
5, 6, 7* |
3, 4 |
| James Morrison |
Bill Buchanan |
54 |
5, 6, 7* |
4 |
| Gregory Itzin |
Charles Logan |
36 |
5 |
4, 6 |
| Louis Lombardi |
Edgar Stiles |
37 |
5 |
4 |
| Jean Smart |
Martha Logan |
25 |
5 |
6 |
| D.B. Woodside |
Wayne Palmer |
48 |
6 |
3, 5 |
| Peter MacNicol |
Tom Lennox |
24 |
6 |
NA |
| Jayne Atkinson |
Karen Hayes |
30 |
6 |
5 |
| Eric Balfour |
Milo Pressman |
27 |
6 |
1 |
| Carlo Rota |
Morris O'Brian |
25 |
6 |
5, 7 |
| Marisol Nichols |
Nadia Yassir |
24 |
6 |
NA |
| Regina King |
Sandra Palmer |
9 |
6 |
NA |
| Bob Gunton |
Ethan Kanin |
3 |
7* |
6 |
| Colm Feore |
Henry Taylor |
NA |
7* |
NA |
| Annie Wersching |
Renee Walker |
NA |
7* |
NA |
| Jeffrey Nordling |
Larry Moss |
NA |
7* |
NA |
| Janeane Garofalo |
Janis Gold |
NA |
7* |
NA |
| Rhys Coiro |
Sean Hillinger |
NA |
7* |
NA |
| Cherry Jones |
Allison Taylor |
NA |
7* |
NA |
* = Attached to star/not yet produced.
** = Was moved from guest star to main cast member midseason.
Notable guest stars
24 features a large number of guest characters in every episode. Below are the guest stars who have appeared in the
highest number of episodes during the past six seasons.
| Actor |
Character |
Seasons |
Episode Count |
| Jude Ciccolella |
Mike Novick |
1, 2, 4,
5 |
58 |
| Glenn Morshower |
Aaron Pierce |
1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6 |
39 |
| Paul Schulze |
Ryan Chappelle |
1, 2, 3 |
24 |
| Zachary Quinto |
Adam Kaufman |
3 |
23 |
| Geoff Pierson |
John Keeler |
3, 4 |
19 |
| Daniel Bess |
Rick Allen |
1 |
18 |
| Michelle Forbes |
Lynne Kresge |
2 |
18 |
| Arnold Vosloo |
Habib Marwan |
4 |
17 |
| Adoni Maropis |
Abu Fayed |
6 |
15 |
| Zeljko Ivanek |
Andre Drazen |
1 |
14 |
| Laura Harris |
Marie Warner |
2 |
14 |
| Jesse Borrego |
Gael Ortega |
3 |
14 |
| Powers Boothe |
Noah Daniels |
6 |
14 |
Cameo appearances
Season synopses
Season 1
-
Season 1 begins and ends at 12:00 AM, and occurs on the day of the California presidential primary. Jack Bauer must protect
Senator David Palmer from an assassination plot, and rescue his family from those responsible for the plot, who seek retribution
for Jack's involvement with a covert U.S. mission in the Balkans.
Season 2
-
Set 18 months after season 1, season 2 begins and ends at 8:00 AM. Jack must stop a nuclear bomb from detonating in Los
Angeles, then assist President David Palmer in proving who is responsible for the threat.
Season 3
-
Set 3 years after season 2, season 3 begins and ends at 1:00 PM. While struggling with heroin addiction, Jack must
re-infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel in order to keep it from acquiring a deadly virus. Jack must then stop the mastermind behind
the virus from releasing it.
Season 4
-
Set 18 months after season 3, season 4 begins and ends at 7:00 AM. Jack must save the lives of Secretary Heller and his
daughter Audrey Raines (with whom Jack is romantically involved) when they are kidnapped by terrorists. The same terrorists then
launch further attacks against America, and Jack is forced to use unorthodox methods to stop them, methods that will have
long-term consequences for both Jack and the U.S.
Season 5
-
Set 18 months after season 4, season 5 begins and ends at 7:00 AM. Jack is believed to be dead by everyone except a few of his
closest friends. Terrorists with connections to the U.S. government attempt to steal nerve gas in order to protect US oil
interests in Asia, and Jack must resurface to stop them.
Season 6
-
Set 20 months after season 5, season 6 begins and ends at 6:00 AM. Jack is released after being tortured in a Chinese prison
for twenty months. Terrorists plot to set off suitcase nuclear devices in the United
States and Jack must stop them as well as prevent sensitive circuitry from falling into the hands of the Chinese to prevent war
between the U.S. and Russia.
Season 7
-
Set three years after season 6, season 7 will begin and end at 7:00AM and will begin airing in the United States in January
2008. Kiefer Sutherland has been signed to stay with the show through 2009. The season is to be more personal than previous
seasons.[21] The initial back story will feature Jack
Bauer on trial for his actions in the pursuit of justice. It will also feature the show's first female president,
Allison Taylor, played by Cherry Jones,[22] as well as the return of Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida, who was presumed dead in
Season 5. Mary Lynn Rajskub, James Morrison and Bob Gunton will reprise their roles from
the previous season.
Feature film
A 24 feature film was originally scheduled to be released in 2008, but in April
2007, it was announced that plans to shoot the film have been put on hold.[23]
The creators of the film originally announced that filming was not expected to start until after the seventh season of 24 is finished in 2008.[24] Later reports suggested that the film was to begin shooting in Spring and
Summer 2007 after season six was completed and before the seventh season.[23]
In an interview with MTV News in April 2006, the show's star Kiefer Sutherland announced that a script was in development and that the film would abandon the
real-time format of the show, but instead would cover one 24-hour period.[25] In May 2006, Sutherland told British newspaper The Sun that shooting of the film will begin in
London in May 2007.[23] Filming will also take place in Prague and Morocco.[26] The film was officially
announced in June 2006.[27]
In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Sutherland confessed, "Anytime
(the production team) got really close to having a great idea for having a film, we needed it for episode 18. So there it
went."[28] Kim Raver
and Mary Lynn Rajskub will appear in the upcoming film according to the official 24
magazine. Elisha Cuthbert has also said that she would be interested in playing her
character, Kim, when the 24 movie is produced in 2008.[29]
Cast
Broadcasting information
US television ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of 24 on FOX.
Note: Each US network television season starts in mid-September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion
of May sweeps. However 24 begins its season in January and runs new episodes
non-stop until May
