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24 (TV series)

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24
24 title screen
24 title screen
Created byJoel Surnow and Robert Cochran
StarringKiefer Sutherland
Kim Raver
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Gregory Itzin
James Morrison
Roger Cross
and
Jean Smart
Country of originUSA
No. of episodes114 (as of April 17, 2006)
Production
Running time44 minutes (60 including commercial time)
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseNovember 6, 2001 –
present

24 (Twenty Four) is a current U.S. television action/drama/thriller series, produced by Imagine Television, broadcast in the US by the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide. It was created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and premiered on November 6, 2001.

Each season covers the events of one day in the life of federal agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland. The show also follows Jack's colleagues at the Counter Terrorist Unit in Los Angeles, as well as the actions of the terrorists and typically an important political figure such as a Senator or President.

This real-time nature of 24 gives the show a strong sense of urgency, emphasized by the ticking of an on-screen digital clock appearing from time to time. Throughout every episode the action switches between different locations, following the parallel adventures of different characters all involved in the same story.

In April 2006, 20th Century Fox Television renewed Sutherland's contract and greenlit 24 for three more years, through season nine. 24 was signed on for a 5th and 6th season consecutively, and has recently been renewed for three more. [1]

Season synopses

File:24 Promo.JPG
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer.

Every season so far follows a similar format, centering on Jack Bauer and the Counter Terrorist Unit of Los Angeles dealing with a central threat posed to national security. Surprise sacrifices, backstabbings, and other plot twists are common. Besides the central threat, each season has several major subplots that span the majority of the episodes and become interwoven within the main plot, which itself tends to change once or twice as a season progresses. Throughout each season, Jack Bauer often faces intense personal anguish in addition to his tasks to stop the terrorists.

Each season occurs in "real-time" and starts at a different time on different days. Each episode portrays one hour of a day, beginning at the top of an hour, and one season comprises 24 episodes. The show is set largely in Los Angeles, so the "time" is set in Pacific Standard Time. Every episode begins with: "The following takes place between [time] and [time]." There are two exceptions to date:

  • The first episode of season one and the first two episodes of seasons two and three have said "The following takes place between [time] and [time]" followed by "Events occur in real time." This was designed to help new viewers understand the show.
  • Season 1 begins each episode with Kiefer Sutherland saying "The following takes place between [time] and [time] on the day of the California Presidential Primary." The importance of this introduction can be understood below in season one's synopsis.

Template:Spoiler

Season 1

Main article: 24 (season 1)

In Season 1, Jack Bauer's wife and daughter are kidnapped by the same people trying to kill presidential candidate David Palmer, who could be the first African-American in history to reach the White House. A mole inside CTU named Jamey Farrell is exposed, but doesn't provide any information that could help the investigation. Because the people behind the day's events have Jack's family hostage, he is forced to do what they say. When it is revealed that the man behind his family's kidnapping is Andre Drazen, Jack eventually realizes everything that has happened ties into his violent past, and Jamey wasn't the only person inside CTU working for the Drazens.

Season 2

Main article: 24 (season 2)

In Season 2, Jack deals with the death of his wife Teri and the estrangement of his daughter Kim, who believes that Jack's dangerous line of work caused her mother's death. Jack is no longer working for CTU, but President David Palmer counts on Jack as the only man he can trust to figure out who is threatening to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, and to stop it from happening. Meanwhile, a subplot develops with Kate Warner planning a wedding between her sister Marie and soon to be brother-in-law Reza, when CTU suspects the groom in the terrorist plot.

Season 3

Main article: 24 (season 3)

In Season 3, Jack has returned from a deep undercover assignment, infiltrating the Salazar drug family, which has ties to terrorism. At the same time, a van drops off a dead body infected with a bio-weapon at the National Health Services. Jack's new partner is a brash but successful agent, Chase Edmunds, who is in a relationship with Jack's daughter Kim who is now employed by CTU. Jack and Chase must stop the terrorists responsible for the virus and destroy all specimens before it is released. Jack is also dealing with a drug addiction that he developed over the course of his previous undercover assignment.

Season 4

Main article: 24 (season 4)

In Season 4, Jack Bauer now works in Washington D.C. for Secretary of Defense James Heller, while having a relationship with the Secretary's daughter, Audrey Raines. CTU is now under the command of Erin Driscoll as terrorist cells operating inside the United States control the nuclear override, a device that can cause meltdowns at every nuclear plant in America. Jack is temporarily reinstated after one of their employees dies in the field, and has to work with CTU to prevent the continuous attacks by the terrorist group under the lead of Habib Marwan. The threat continues to elevate when Marwan comes in possession of a nuclear warhead. Each of Marwan's attacks lead up to the next, which results in a deadly change of scenery for President Keeler and his administration.

Season 5

Main article: 24 (season 5)

In Season 5, Jack Bauer is hiding from the Chinese Authorities under the alias of Frank Flynn, tries to live a normal life until he is forced back into action as he finds himself framed for attempts made on the lives of several people from his past. He then finds himself desperately trying to foil a group of Russian Separatist terrorists holding hostages at Ontario Airport, the Sentox Nerve Gas threat, and the motives of high ranking government officials. Meanwhile, President Charles Logan, who is involved in the conspiracy to assassinate David Palmer and give the terrorists the nerve gas, prepares to sign an arms treaty with the Russians and the first lady Martha Logan attempts to unveil a conspiracy stretching deep within her husband's administration which is linked to the disastrous events which unfold throughout the day.

Active main cast

File:24 Season 5.jpg
The Cast of Season 5.

This is a list of the active main cast for Season 5. See List of characters in 24 for a more thorough list. (Possible spoilers implied in "active main cast.")


Unexpected use of template {{24}} - see Template:24 for details.

24 has received critical and popular acclaim, and has become a true "watercooler show." However, the necessities of its format sometimes lead to egregious padding and manifest absurdities. For example, traffic jams are surprisingly uncommon for a show set mostly in Southern California, which along with the fact that the main characters never seem to use the bathroom, have become popular subjects of parody and stand-up humor throughout the show's history, and call upon the audience for a considerable amount of suspension of disbelief. However, some argue that because the show takes place in real time, and often cuts between characters and scenes, that it is not necessary to show characters actually using restrooms, or even consuming food (although the latter has been shown a few times in past seasons, perhaps to emphasize the real time aspect of the show). So although they are not often seen doing these things, proponents feel that it still happens, only off the screen, and thus, is implied.

For his work in the first season of 24, Kiefer Sutherland, who plays the main character Jack Bauer, won a Golden Globe for his performances; Surnow and Cochran (the creators of the show) won an Emmy Award. In 2004, the show won the Golden Globe for Best Drama Series. 24 won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series, Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series, and Outstanding Stunt Coordination. Kiefer Sutherland also picked up the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series in 2004 and 2006.

Real-time nature of 24

File:24 split clock screenshot.jpg
An example of a 24 split-screen with the running clock

24 is a thriller that purports to be shown in "real time", with each minute of airtime corresponding to a minute in the lives of the characters. This real-time nature is emphasized by an on-screen digital clock appearing from time to time--this corresponds to the exact minute of the broadcast hour, counting commercial time. Since it is an US commercial-television series, almost one-quarter of 24's time is spent on commercials, resulting in episodes that last forty-four minutes. Elsewhere there may be no commercials in the middle of the episodes (e.g. on public channels in Europe, such as the BBC, and also on the DVD versions), so the clock 'jumps' where commercials are planned for the United States, and is thus not strictly real-time. Action that takes place during the commercials or clock jumps is not shown. Mundane actions (such as car journeys) are either skipped just as they are in conventional drama, or briefly shown in split-screen panels, which quickly update the audience on what characters not currently featured in the main narrative are doing. Real time films are not new, although some of them possessed small gaps in time. Examples pre-dating 24 are Hitchcock's Rope (1948), Robert Wise's The Set-Up (1949), Sidney Lumet's Twelve Angry Men (1957) (originally a TV play) and more recently Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise (1995). Another movie that could have paved the way to "24" is Mike Figgis' "Timecode" (2000), shot in four simultaneous continuous takes, and shown real-time in a four panels split-screen.

Behind-the-Scenes Information

File:TVGuide24.jpg
24 on the cover of TV Guide magazine.

General trivia

Template:Spoiler

  • During seasons 1-3, character, Tony Almeida had a Chicago Cubs coffee mug on his desk and in Seasons 4 and 5, it reappeared at his home. Tony was born in Chicago, as was Carlos Bernard. When shooting the bomb attack in season two, it was decided that the mug was not going to survive the attack. Bernard tossed the mug into the air, expecting it to shatter on impact, but it became caught on a camera wire and survived. After the mug was retrieved, it was decided to be indestructible and remained on the set. Fans have christened this mug, "Cubby".
  • Shots of a satellite in space in the pilot episode were taken from the movie Enemy of the State.[1]
  • A scene from the pilot episode depicting a Boeing 747 exploding was re-edited for broadcast, with the image of the plane exploding removed, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, which had occurred less than two months earlier. [citation needed]
  • Xander Berkeley and Sarah Clarke were married after meeting on set during season one. They kept their relationship a secret from the producers and castmates for a while. In Season 3, when CTU found out about Nina's involvement in the virus plot, an image of her ID on the screen gives her alias as Sarah Berkeley.
  • In the 1989 movie The Fabulous Baker Boys, starring brothers Jeff Bridges, Beau Bridges, and Michelle Pfeiffer, there are three members of the 24 cast, each from separate seasons: Xander Berkeley (Seasons 1,2), Albert Hall (Season 3), and Gregory Itzin (Seasons 4,5).
  • As an April Fool's joke on the crew, producer/director Jon Cassar revealed this fake ending to Day 2: Palmer's press conference ends and he goes down to his limo. He gets in successfully and rides off. After a while, we find out that someone is sitting next to him. That someone is Nina Myers. We realize that Palmer was in on the whole thing. We then shift to a scene in the desert. We close in on a parachute, then pan over to reveal George Mason, who jumped out of the plane before the bomb exploded. The end. This joke was revealed in the season 2 DVD special features.
  • In the third season, a website, sylviaimports.com, is given to President Palmer by Saunders, who wants Palmer to send him a list through the website. The website, registered by Rodney Charters - director of photography, leads to a "Thank you" note from the crew of 24.
  • In an interview on The Charlie Rose Show dated 20 May 2005, Joel Surnow disclosed that the writers and producers had wanted to have President John Keeler die in the crash of Air Force One. However, network executives vetoed that idea and at the conclusion of the season he was comatose.
  • In an interview with a UK television guide at the start of Season Five's airing in the UK, Kiefer Sutherland revealed there were plans for a 24 Movie that were shelved after its plot was used in the script for the upcoming Episode 18 of Season Five. [citation needed]

Template:Endspoiler

Cameos

  • Senator John McCain (R-AZ) makes a cameo appearance in the "1:00 PM to 2:00 PM" episode of Season 5. He has a non-speaking role as an unidentified bureaucrat who delivers a file folder to Audrey Raines (Kim Raver), and can be seen in the "split screen" for about six seconds beginning at 1:32:22. [2]
  • NASCAR driver Carl Edwards made a cameo appearance with a small speaking part in the episode which was broadcast on April 3,2006. [3]

Fan phone

In the fifth episode of the fourth season, Debbie's cell phone rang with a valid California phone number on the caller ID. Many fans noticed this and began calling the number as soon as the episode concluded. Some received a voice mail message telling them that they called the 24 prop phone and to leave a message. Others talked to live people, including Production Designer Joseph Hodges. Others spoke to stars Kim Raver (Audrey Raines) and Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida). Hodges later admitted in an interview that Director Jon Cassar came up with the idea for the "fan phone" because the two of them often got bored scouting new shooting locations and wanted a chance to interact with the audience. Hodges further stated that they received around 80,000 calls on the line during the first week alone. For season 5, the number is 310-597-3781

24 in other media

File:24game.jpg

More recently, stories taking place within the universe of 24 have been told outside of the TV series, such as comics, novels, and a video game. A guide to the first season and a soundtrack have also been released.

24: The Game

Main article: 24: The Game

24: The Game is a video game based on the TV series. The game is exclusive to Sony's PlayStation 2 console and was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's Cambridge Studios, and was published by 2K Games. The game takes place between seasons two and three, and features most major actors from those two seasons providing their likenesses and voices.

Mobile

Main article: 24: Conspiracy

24: Conspiracy is a low budget, mobile-only "spin-off" of 24 set in Washington D.C. It spans twenty four one minute episodes, and takes place during Day 4, as indicated by a reference to the Heller kidnapping happening that day. Unlike the show, it does not take place in real time.

There is also a 24 mobile game by iplay. The player assumes the role of an a CTU agent taking command and directing Jack, Chloe, Curtis, and Kim. While technically taking place between seasons four and five, various plot holes and contradictions to the show have rendered this game incarnation non-canonical.

Comics

Main article: 24 (comic)

Three graphic novels have been released taking place at different time periods within the show. The first, 24: One Shot, attempted to emulate the real-time nature of the show. It was followed by 24 Stories and 24: Midnight Sun, which did not emulate the real-time nature of the show. All three will be released together in a larger graphic novel simply known as 24.

Books
24: The House Special Subcommittee's Findings at CTU written by Marc Cerasini, was a guide to the first season, as written by an in-universe journalist by the same name. The book contained Jack Bauer's Grand Jury testimony as well as character profiles and autopsy reports.

Three paperback novels have been published by Harper Entertainment under the title 24: Declassified. Operation Hell Gate and Trojan Horse were also written by Marc Cerasini. Veto Power was written by John Whitman.[3]

Music

Main article: 24: The Soundtrack

24: The Soundtrack contains nineteen tracks of music composed exclusively for the first three seasons by producer Sean Callery, including the show's full theme song which has never been aired. A score for the "24: The Game", also by Callery, is available for download through the Fox Music website. [4] No CD has been released. 24 Remix Bundle contains remixed versions of Callery's scores by Armin Van Buuren. It is also only available by download through purchase on the website.

Toy
Medicom, a Japanese toy manufacturer, has produced two twelve-inch action figures of Jack Bauer as he appears in Season 4. One figure is from Jack Bauer's appearance in the episode 11:00 am - 12:00 am from Season 4, with Jack wearing a black shirt and pants with his vest (this was the cloth that he wore throughout most of Season 4, on the field), and the package is included with his pistol and cellphone. There is also one exclusive version [5] that is from Jack Bauer`s appearance on Season 4 between 7:00 am and 8:00 am, that features him in a black suit, with a blue collared shirt and a striped tie, and also includes a pistol.

Broadcasters

DVD releases

DVD Name
Release dates
Region 1
Region 2
Region 4
The Complete 1st Season September 17 2002 October 14 2002 September 15 2003
The Complete 2nd Season September 9 2003 August 11 2003 February 10 2004
The Complete 3rd Season December 7 2004 August 9 2004 February 02 2005
The Complete 4th Season December 6 2005 August 8 2005 November 16 2005
The Complete 5th Season Unknown September 25 2006 Unknown

References

  1. ^ "Trivia for "24"". IMBd. Retrieved 2005-04-01.
  2. ^ "Pure 24". BBC. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
  3. ^ "Search results for "24 Declassified"". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
  4. ^ Deans, Jason (2003-12-06). "BBC will not pay Fox's price for third series of 24". The Guardian. Guardian Newspapers Limited. p. 5. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
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