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24 (TV series)

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24
24 title screen
24's logo used on its DVDs and products.
Created byJoel Surnow
Robert Cochran
StarringKiefer Sutherland
Kim Raver
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Carlos Bernard
Gregory Itzin
James Morrison
Roger Cross
Louis Lombardi
and
Jean Smart
Country of originUSA
No. of episodes120
Production
Running time44 minutes (60 including commercial time)
Original release
NetworkFOX
ReleaseNovember 6, 2001 –
present

24 (Twenty-Four) is a current American television action/drama/political 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 a twenty-four hour period in the life of federal agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, as he is trying to prevent a domestic terrorist attack. The show also follows Jack's colleagues at the Counter Terrorist Unit in Los Angeles, as well as the actions of the terrorists, a civilian family and typically an important political figure such as a Senator or President.

Season Synopses

The first five seasons follow a similar format: a main story arc featuring Jack Bauer and the Counter Terrorist Unit dealing with a threat posed to national security. Surprise sacrifices, backstabbings, and other plot twists are common. [1]Each season also has several major subplots that span most of the episodes and are interwoven within the main plot. 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 the top of the hour on a given day. Each episode portrays one hour of that day, with one season comprising 24 episodes. The show is set largely in Los Angeles, so the "time" is set in Pacific Standard Time for Season 4 and Pacific Daylight Time for the other seasons. Every episode that succeeded Season 1 begins with: "The following takes place between [time] and [time]." During Season 1, the voice-over was "The following takes place between [time] and [time] on the day of the California Presidential Primary."

File:24 Promo.JPG
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer

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 democratic presidential candidate David Palmer. A mole inside L.A Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) is exposed, but doesn't provide any information that could help the investigation. When it is revealed that the man behind his family's kidnapping is someone from his past, Jack eventually realizes everything that has happened has been to do with him, and then senator David Palmer, and that there isn't just one mole inside CTU.

Season 2

Main article: 24 (season 2)

In Season 2, 18 months after season 1, Jack is dealing with the death of his wife Teri and the estrangement of his daughter Kim, who believes Jack's dangerous line of work caused her mother's death. Jack is no longer working for CTU, but when the White House receives intelligence that a nuclear bomb will be detonated in Los Angeles over the course of the day, 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.

Season 3

Main article: 24 (season 3)

In Season 3, 3 years after narrowly diverting a war with three middle eastern countries, Jack returns from a deep 1 year undercover operation, 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. CTU then receives a threat to release the virus if Ramon Salazar is not released from prison in 6 hours. Jack is also dealing with a drug addiction he developed during his previous undercover assignment.

Season 4

Main article: 24 (season 4)

In Season 4, eighteen months after preventing a virus outbreak, Jack Bauer now works in Washington D.C. for Secretary of Defense James Heller, while having a relationship with Audrey Raines, the Secretary's daughter. CTU is under the command of Erin Driscoll as terrorist cells operating inside the United States kidnap Jack's new boss and love interest. CTU soon discovers it is only part of a much larger plan. Jack has to work with CTU to prevent the continuous attacks by the terrorist group under the lead of Habib Marwan. Each of Marwan's attacks bridge up to the next, resulting in a deadly change of scenery for President Keeler and his administration.

Season 5

Main article: 24 (season 5)

18 months after Season 4, Jack is living under an alias with a family in Southeastern California. Meanwhile, an unknown figure orders the assassination of the four people who know Jack is alive, in order to frame Jack. He returns to LA to clear his name when a hostage situation erupts. But it is only a diversion by a group of conspirators to enable Russian separtists to obtain 20 canisters of Sentox Nerve Gas. Originally to be used to attack Moscow the Russian terrorists discover an inside man working for the US government transporting the gas. As a retaliation the terrorists begin to release the gas in Los Angeles. Jack attempts to stop further release of the nerve gas and expose conspirators deep within the White House.

Season 6

Main article: 24 (season 6)

Season 6 will begin airing in January 2007. Preproduction started on June 19, 2006 and is expected to start filming in the following weeks, as confirmed by the producers[2].

Current Cast

File:24 Season 5.jpg
Season 5 Main Cast

See List of characters in 24 for a more thorough list.

See also: List of minor 24 characters
See also: List of Politicians on 24

The Current Cast is subject to change, as 24 is currently between seasons

Critical acclaim

For his work in the first season of 24, Kiefer Sutherland 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. Sean Callery won an Emmy in 2003 for his work on episode 2.15 (season 2, 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm) for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series.

In July 2006, 24 received 12 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Kiefer Sutherland) and supporting nods to Jean Smart(Martha Logan) and Gregory Itzin(Charles Logan)[3]. Itzin said in a interview following the news, "So just to end up being one of five is obviously a big surprise and very gratifying. But in another way, I wasn't surprised because the show is so damn good, it should get recognized."[4]

Elements

Real Time Nature

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 roughly to the minute of the broadcast hour, factoring in commercials.

The action switches between different locations as it cuts between the parallel adventures of different characters involved in the same overall plot. The result is long sections of narrative for each character that is not seen. A main character might only be seen for a quarter of an episode's overall running time. The notice preceding each episode announcing that "events occur in real time" was abandoned after season 1.

Storytelling and visual style

24 employs fast-paced and complex plots. Characters, even the most popular ones, are killed seemingly at random, keeping audiences forever on edge. Jack Bauer can be absolutely ruthless, freely killing, maiming and torturing in pursuit of his goals, making him one of the darkest leading men in TV history. In addition to its thriller aspects, the show is notable for humanizing its characters by following their office politics and family problems.

Early on, the show used plenty of split-screen action to follow multiple plots, although in later seasons this was scaled back somewhat and confined mostly to shots leading into and out of commercial breaks. The lighting of the show tends to be naturalistic to the point of being sometimes unflattering, with scenes set indoors typically looking rather dark and scenes outside often using harsh sunlight.

24 in Other Media

The Game's Region 1 cover.
The Game's Region 1 cover.

More recently, stories taking place within the universe of 24 have been told outside of the TV series, such as comics, novels, a video game, and a movie in 2007/2008.

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, with most major actors from those two seasons providing their likenesses and voices. The Game fixes gaps within the large gap between the seasons.

Comics

Three graphic novels have been released by IDW Publishing 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 now feature in one book released by Titan Books 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 also been published by Harper Entertainment under the title 24: Declassified. They are:

  • Operation Hell Gate by Marc Cerasini, released in the Fall of 2005
  • Veto Power was written by John Whitman, released in the Fall of 2005
  • Trojan Horse also written by Marc Cerasini, released February 2006
  • Cat's Claw was expected to be released Summer 2006, but was delayed to January 2007. Written by John Whitman.

[5]

In 2006 an Official Companion covering seasons 1 and 2 is to be released. There are no further details at this point but it is to be published by Titan Books.

24 Magazine

The official bimonthly magazine, with interviews with cast and crew and more, made its debut on 13 April 2006 and in May 2006 in both the US and UK when its first issue was published by Titan Magazines.

24: The Movie

Kiefer Sutherland has confirmed that 24: The Movie is in the pipeline, and the show's creators have already started working on the script. The film would be a 2-hour representaion of a 24-hour day. On 29 May 2006, on the Chris Moyles radio show on BBC Radio 1, Kiefer announced that the shooting of the film will begin on 30 May 2007 (between seasons 6 & 7), and it is expected to be released between seasons 7 and 8 in the summer of 2008. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Kiefer confessed, "Anytime [the production team] got really close to having a great idea for having a film, we needed it for episode 18,"[6] meaning that formulating ideas for a film version of the show has been made difficult by the need to employ those ideas in the television show first. The movie became official on June 8. [7]

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. It does not take place in real time.

Soundtracks

Main article: 24: The Soundtrack

Various soundtracks have been created for the show, and it's properties. The most notable is 24: The Soundtrack which contains nineteen tracks of music composed exclusively for the first three seasons by producer Sean Callery, including the show's full theme song which, prior to the soundtrack's release, had never been aired.

Action Figures

Medicom, a Japanese toy manufacturer, has produced two twelve-inch action figures of Jack Bauer as he appears in Season 4.

Top Trumps

Winning Moves released a "24 limited editions" version of their Top Trumps game in the UK in 2005. The pack contains 30 cards with significant characters from the first four seasons of the TV show.

Behind-the-scenes information

General trivia

  • The original concept for the series was a romantic comedy that depicted a wedding in real-time, but it was scrapped in favor of the action/drama/thriller idea.[8]
  • Completing an entire season, including pre- and post-production work, takes ten and a half months.

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  • During seasons 1-3, 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." Curiously, the Cubs play on the North side of Chicago while, according to the Declassified novel Operation Hell Gate, Tony is from the South side, where the Chicago White Sox play.
  • Shots of a satellite in space in the pilot episode were taken from the movie Enemy of the State.[9]
  • 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. [10]
  • 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.
  • There are three members of the 24 cast who were in the 1989 movie, The Fabulous Baker Boys. Xander Berkeley (Seasons 1,2), Albert Hall (Season 3), and Gregory Itzin (Seasons 4,5).
  • At the power plant, before Palmer's breakfast speech in Season 1, Jack runs into old friend and Palmer staffer, Jessica Abrams. In conversation, she refers to mutual old friend Tracy Zigler who had erroneously reported that Jack and Teri had divorced. Both characters were named after members of the production crew; Jessica Abrams was the script coordinator and Tracy Zigler was the script supervisor.
  • Provisions have had to be made in the script for the real life injuries of cast members, due to the real-time format. For instance, Kiefer Sutherland fell out of his on-set trailer early in season two, so a scene had to be written in where he removes a piece of shrapnel from his leg after surviving a plane crash. This explains the limp he had for a few episodes. Carlos Bernard also injured himself on set, breaking his ankle whilst playing basketball in a break in filming. A scene was then filmed that featured Jack breaking Tony's ankle during an escape from CTU.
  • 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.
  • Of all characters introduced from the first season, only Jack Bauer, Kim Bauer, Mike Novick, Aaron Pierce, and Mandy remain alive. Of these, only Jack Bauer and Aaron Pierce have appeared in every season of the show.
  • According to an article at BBC News [1], Variety and Hollowood Reporter claim that Kiefer has signed up for a further 3 seasons
  • In Season 5 Episode 20, the flight Jack goes on to get the recording is flight 520- the same number of the episode.
  • In the final episode of Season 5, Bill Buchanan gives a folded photo to Chloe after clearing out Edgar's locker. On the back side of the photo there are a bunch of scribbles, in those scribbles is the sentence "Jack is dead" written backwards (possibly regarding to Jack's faked death at the end of Season 4).
  • The Punisher (Frank Castle) according to the 2004 film, also worked at CTU. The actual agent Castle (who died in Season 4) could possibly be an inside joke.
  • As of the end of Season 5, Kiefer Sutherland is the only actor to appear in all episodes of the series.
  • Although the writers changed their plans on Chase Edmunds's fate, they had a deleted scene planned in which Chase gets killed while he was having his hand re-attached in the hospital.

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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 "10:00 PM to 11:00 PM" 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.

The Fan Phone number has been spotted elsewhere: - Debbie's Cellphone displays the number after she is killed in Day 4 - Jack Bauer gives the number during the recovery of the Air Force One "Football" where he told his cell phone number to two civilian campers. - In Day 5, it was shown in the 18th episode (Midnight-1:00am) as Martha Logan's cell phone number. - Spotted on the back of a picture of Edgar and Chloe during the season finale of the Day 5.

In both Days 4 & 5, the Fan Phone number is 310-597-3781.

DVD releases

DVD Name
Release dates
The Complete 1st Season September 17 2002 October 14 2002 December 2002
The Complete 2nd Season September 9 2003 August 11 2003 September 2003
The Complete 3rd Season December 7 2004 August 9 2004 September 2004
The Complete 4th Season December 6 2005 August 8 2005 November 2005
The Complete 5th Season December 5 2006 October 20 2006 December 2006

References

  1. ^ "Torture Chamber". Slate. Retrieved 2006-06-01.
  2. ^ http://www.vodium.com/goto/heritage/webcast.htm
  3. ^ List of all major Emmy nominations, http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/06/list.emmy.nominations/index.html July 8, 2006
  4. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/televisionawards/emmys/2006-07-06-emmy-reaction_x.htm
  5. ^ "Search results for "24 Declassified"". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
  6. ^ ""Kiefer knows Jack"". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2006-06-01.
  7. ^ http://www.tv.com/24/show/3866/story.html?story_id=4856
  8. ^ "Time to play the pixelated hero". The Daily Telegraph. 2006-03-04. Retrieved 2006-06-24.
  9. ^ "Trivia for "24"". IMDb. Retrieved 2005-04-01.
  10. ^ ""24/Twenty-Four Guide"". Richard Burgi Television. Retrieved 2006-06-02.


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