24 (TV series)

24
24 title screen 24 title screen
Created by	Joel Surnow Robert Cochran
Starring	Kiefer Sutherland Mary Lynn Rajskub D.B. Woodside James Morrison Peter MacNicol Jayne Atkinson Carlo Rota Eric Balfour Marisol Nichols and Regina King
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	137 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	42 minutes (without commercials)
Original release
Network	FOX
Release	November 6, 2001 – present

24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and produced by Imagine Television. Broadcast by Fox Network in the USA and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial thirteen episodes. 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 series. Five seasons of 24 have been produced, and the sixth began airing on January 14, 2007. 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 show.

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 its 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 and government officials associated with the plot.

Running for six years, 24 continues to pull in high ratings worldwide, especially the United Kingdom and the United States.

Elements

Real time

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 writers often take advantage of the real-time nature of the show by having the characters place time windows 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. The result is long sections of unseen narrative for each character. 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 only included in the first three episodes of the first season, as well as the premieres of the second and third seasons .

Over the course of the hour, three minutes are added to the clock during commercial breaks to allow time for the opening "previously on 24" segments and the preview of the next episode over the closing credits.

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 member of the presidential staff has the chance to warn CTU of an imminent attack on their building, but believes that doing so would put the culprits on alert and thus cause a valuable trail to go cold. A similar situation occurs prior to an attack on a shopping mall in Season 5. 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. Season 4 is notable for a scene in which two men—one of whom possesses crucial information—lie dying in an emergency room, creating the ethical dilemma of whom to save. In addition, the sitting President often has to deal with a similar quandary. In the first hour of Season 6, Jack Bauer is asked to sacrifice himself in exchange for the location of a known terrorist.

The first season began and ended at midnight, leading to the situation that the main characters had to go almost two days without sleep. Bauer's sleep deprivation featured heavily as a plot element in the series. Later seasons have tended to use a less punishing time window, starting in the morning.

Early on, the series frequently used split-screen action to follow multiple plots, although in later seasons this was scaled back somewhat and confined mostly to phone conversations and shots leading into and out of commercial breaks.

Counter Terrorist Unit

File:CTU-Logo.png

Seal of the Counter Terrorist Unit

The Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) is a fictional elite branch of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) created after the 1993 World Trade Center Attack. 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 the U.S. from terror attacks. With an office in nearly every major city of the U.S., CTU also has a role in creating security policy and fighting groups of organized crime that fund terrorism.

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. The CTU offices 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.

CTU is also mentioned in the 2004 production of The Punisher as a previous place of employment for Frank Castle.

Season synopses

Season One

Main article: 24 (season 1)

Day 1 starts and ends at midnight, on the day of the California presidential primary, in March 2000. Jack Bauer is called into the Los Angeles (CTU) surrounding a potential assassination plot against presidential candidate David Palmer. At this point, the assassins are believed to be a domestic hate group (Palmer is black) who have hired an assassin from overseas who will be harder to trace. Bauer's wife and teenaged daughter are kidnapped by the terrorist group plotting to kill presidential candidate David Palmer. A mole (Jamey Farrell) inside L.A. Counter Terrorist Unit is exposed, but does not 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 to do with both him and Senator David Palmer personally, while information is uncovered that there may be another mole inside CTU. Jack must find a way to keep the senator and his wife, Teri, and daughter, Kim, out of harm's way.

Season Two

Main article: 24 (season 2)

Day 2 starts and ends at 8:00 a.m. Approximately 18 months after Season One (September 2001), Jack is struggling to deal with the death of his wife, Teri Bauer, and the estrangement of his daughter, Kim. Jack is no longer working for CTU, but is asked to resume his duties when the White House receives intelligence that a nuclear bomb will be detonated in Los Angeles over the course of the day. Jack is called in because a terrorist he once caught while undercover is linked to the suspected terrorists. President David Palmer counts on Jack as the only man he can trust to find members of a terrorist cell called Second Wave who are in possession of the bomb and to stop its detonation. Featuring political and social turmoil, more lives will be at stake as another conspiracy arises regarding the involvement of Middle Eastern countries in the attack on America.

Season Three

Main article: 24 (season 3)

Day 3 starts and ends at 1:00 p.m. Three years after Day 2 (September 2004), Jack returns from a six-month deep undercover operation consisting of infiltrating the Salazar drug family. At the same time, a van drops off a dead body infected with a bio-weapon at the National Health Services. CTU then receives a phone call threatening to release the same virus that the body was infected with if Ramon Salazar is not released from prison within 6 hours. Jack has a new partner, Chase Edmunds, who is also romantically involved with Kim, who has also become an employee at CTU. Jack is also fighting a heroin addiction he developed during his undercover assignment, which close family and friends are unaware of until later in the day. Approximately halfway through the season, the real villains controlling the virus are revealed, and a vial of the virus is released at a Los Angeles Hotel. Jack and CTU must catch the terrorist, former MI6 agent Stephen Saunders, before he can unleash 11 more vials across the country.

Season Four

Main article: 24 (season 4)

Day 4 starts and ends at 7:00 a.m. It has been 18 months (March 2006) since Jack Bauer averted yet another deadly crisis in Los Angeles. Subsequently, he was fired from CTU by the new director, Erin Driscoll. He now has a new lease on life as a senior advisor to Secretary of Defense James Heller. He has also found a new love in the form of his boss's daughter, Audrey Raines. But, an impending hostage crisis concerning his latest boss leaves Jack's new life in shambles. Jack finds he must go back to his old calling as a CTU agent in order to save the life he has made for himself. As the day unfolds several contingency plans are revealed, all devised by terrorist Habib Marwan. Each of Marwan's attacks proves even more devastating than its predecessor and CTU races to find him before he can unleash unprecedented terror upon America.

Season Five

Main article: 24 (season 5)

Day 5 starts and ends at 7:00 a.m. Eighteen months after Day 4, (probably in September 2011) Jack is living under a new alias, as Frank Flynn. He is currently living with Diane Huxley and her son Derek, a family near the Mojave Desert, California. Meanwhile, an unknown figure orders the assassination of the only four people who know Jack is alive — Tony Almeida, Michelle Dessler, Chloe O'Brian and former President David Palmer — as an attempt to frame him. He returns to L.A. to clear his name, when a hostage situation erupts. It is soon realized that this was only a diversion by a collaboration of conspirators and Russian separatists to obtain 20 canisters of Sentox VX nerve agent. The gas was originally to be used to attack Moscow, but the separatists begin to release it in L.A. in retaliation after they discover a U.S. agent has infiltrated their organization. Jack attempts to search for the remaining canisters and expose treachery that goes deep within the White House.

Season Six

Main article: 24 (season 6)

Day 6 starts and ends at 6:00 a.m. Twenty months after the events of Day 5. Jack is released from Chinese custody to CTU agents in Los Angeles under a deal brokered by the new President Wayne Palmer. CTU gives him up to Abu Fayed in exchange for Hamri Al-Assad, the man thought to be responsible for a wave of suicide bombings. Jack learns that Fayed himself is responsible for the attacks and Assad has come to America to negotiate peace. With the help of CTU as well as the newly elected members of the White House, Jack must stop these terrorists from detonating five Soviet-designed suitcase nuclear weapons as well as provide damage control for one that has already exploded in Valencia. Everyone struggles to prevent the impending attacks, but things get worse as conspirators in Washington, D.C. plot to remove the president from office.

Cast

See also: List of 24 characters and List of 24 (TV series) cast members

Main cast

24 has been known to change its major cast every season. The only cast member who hasn't changed in the show's run is Kiefer Sutherland. Main cast members are added and dropped frequently. Occasionally, guest stars are upgraded to main cast members. Also, main cast members have been degraded to guest stars, although mostly as special guest stars.

The show has always had many guest stars not billed as main cast as well as Special Guest Stars from time to time. Special Guest Stars are usually former cast members making a return appearance, which can last from a single episode to almost an entire season, as do some guest stars, or characters usually played by well known film (Phillip Bauer, Victor Drazen, Lynn McGill) and television actors (Noah Daniels).

Current regular cast

File:24 S6 Cast.jpg

Season 6 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast.

Actor	Character	Main Cast Seasons	Recurring Cast Seasons
Kiefer Sutherland	Jack Bauer	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	None
Mary Lynn Rajskub	Chloe O'Brian	5, 6	3, 4
D.B. Woodside	President Wayne Palmer	6	3, 5
James Morrison	Bill Buchanan	5, 6	4
Peter MacNicol	Thomas Lennox	6	None
Jayne Atkinson	Karen Hayes	6	5
Carlo Rota	Morris O'Brian	6	5
Eric Balfour	Milo Pressman	6	1
Marisol Nichols	Nadia Yassir	6	None
Regina King	Sandra Palmer	6	None

Season 6 Special Guest Stars

Actor	Character	Main Cast Seasons	Recurring Cast or Special Guest Star Seasons
Kim Raver	Audrey Raines	4, 5	6
James Cromwell	Phillip Bauer	None	6
Gregory Itzin	Charles Logan	5	4, 6
Jean Smart	Martha Logan	5	6
Powers Boothe	Vice President Noah Daniels	None	6

Current Recurring Roles

Actor	Character	Seasons
Ricky Schroder	Mike Doyle	6
Tzi Ma	Cheng Zhi	4, 5, 6
Jim Holmes	Dr. Arthur Welton	6
Kari Matchett	Lisa Miller	6

Former Regular Cast

File:24 season2cast.jpg

Season 2 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast.

File:Promo24season3cast.jpg

Season 3 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast.

File:24Day4.jpg

Season 4 promotional photograph of two of the 24 main cast.

File:24 Season 5.jpg

Season 5 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast

Actor	Character	Main Cast Seasons	Recurring Cast Seasons
Leslie Hope	Teri Bauer	1	None
Sarah Clarke	Nina Myers	1	2, 3
Elisha Cuthbert	Kim Bauer	1, 2, 3	5
Dennis Haysbert	Senator/President David Palmer	1, 2, 3	4, 5
Sarah Wynter	Kate Warner	2	3
Xander Berkeley	George Mason	2	1
Penny Johnson Jerald	Sherry Palmer	2	1, 3
Carlos Bernard	Tony Almeida	2, 3, 5	1, 4
Reiko Aylesworth	Michelle Dessler	3	2, 4, 5
James Badge Dale	Chase Edmunds	3	None
Kim Raver**	Audrey Raines	4, 5	6
Alberta Watson	Erin Driscoll	4	None
William Devane	Sec. of Defense James Heller	4	5
Lana Parrilla	Sarah Gavin	4	4*
Roger Cross	Curtis Manning	4, 5	4*, 6
Gregory Itzin**	President Charles Logan	5	4, 6
Louis Lombardi	Edgar Stiles	5	4
Jean Smart**	First Lady Martha Logan	5	6

(*)Was moved from guest star to main cast member midseason.

(**)Actor still appears as a special guest star, but is no longer a main cast member.

Cameo appearances

• Senator John McCain (R-AZ) makes a cameo appearance in the "1:00 PM - 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.
• NASCAR driver Carl Edwards made a cameo appearance with a small speaking part in the "10:00 PM - 11:00 PM" episode of Season 5 which was broadcast on April 3, 2006.
• The Office co-writer and director Stephen Merchant makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the first episode of the sixth season, which takes place between "06:00 AM - 07:00 AM" originally broadcast on January 14, 2007.
• Nancy Cartwright, best known for providing the voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television show The Simpsons, makes an appearance in the "4:00 PM - 5:00 PM" episode of Season 6 as Morris O'Brian's former AA Sponsor.

Cast Notes

Note 1: The only actors who appear in each of the six seasons are the main star, Kiefer Sutherland, and Glenn Morshower (Aaron Pierce, Special Agent with the United States Secret Service; a recurring character that didn't receive much spotlight until Season Five).

Note 2: There have been several cases where characters were meant to just be around for a couple of episodes or as recurring characters but were bumped up to regulars simply because they were so well liked and popular with the fans. Michelle Dessler, Chloe O'Brian and Sherry Palmer are a few.

Note 3: Mike Novick, who is played by Jude Ciccolella, has only appeared as a recurring character even though he had been in 58 episodes, which is seventh most overall, and has made apparences in seasons 1, 2, 4, and 5. He was the chief of staff and political adviser for David Palmer and Charles Logan.

Acclaim and ratings

Critical acclaim

Kiefer Sutherland won a Golden Globe for his performance in the first season of 24; Surnow and Cochran, the creators of the show, won an Emmy Award. The show won the Golden Globe for Best Drama Series in 2004. 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 - 11:00 PM") for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series.

File:24emmykiefercast2006.jpg

Kiefer Sutherland holding two of the show's Emmys on August 27, 2006, after the show with the 24 crew

24 received 12 Emmy nominations in 2006, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Kiefer Sutherland) and supporting nods to Jean Smart (Martha Logan) and Gregory Itzin (Charles Logan). Itzin said in an 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."

At the Primetime Emmys, 24 went on to win Outstanding Drama Series and Sutherland received his first Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series award and Director Jon Cassar an Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The show also won Best Dramatic Underscore Music Composition and Best Single Camera Editing.

The show has been nominated for 2 categories in the upcoming 2007 Golden Globe Awards, with the series nominated for the "Best Drama Series" and lead actor, Kiefer Sutherland nominated for the "Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series" category. On January 4, 2007, two Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced for 24: Kiefer Sutherland was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, and the entire fifth season cast was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

U.S. television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of 24 on FOX.

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

Season	Timeslot (EDT)	Season Premiere	Season Finale	TV Season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1	Tuesday 9:00 p.m.	November 6, 2001	May 21, 2002	2001-2002	#76	8.60
2	Tuesday 9:00 p.m.	October 29, 2002	May 20, 2003	2002-2003	#36	11.73
3	Tuesday 9:00 p.m.	October 28, 2003	May 25, 2004	2003-2004	#42	10.30
4^	Monday 9:00 p.m.	January 9, 2005	May 23, 2005	2004-2005	#29	11.90
5^	Monday 9:00 p.m.	January 15, 2006	May 22, 2006	2005-2006	#24 (tied)	13.78
6^	Monday 9:00 p.m.	January 13, 2007	May 21, 2007	2006-2007	--	----

^ indicates a "non-stop" season.

Viewership increased midway through its second season when the mega-hit American Idol became the lead-in into 24 starting in February 2003. For its fourth season, FOX gave the show a vote of confidence by moving 24 out of the post-American Idol time slot (to make room for the eventual hit drama, House) and placed it on Monday nights at 9:00 p.m. Eastern (8:00 p.m. Central) while it aired the show in consecutive weeks, beginning in mid-January of 2005. The consecutive-week schedule was also implemented for 2006, beginning in mid-January 2006.

In comparison to its 2005 season, 24 in 2006 was up 16% in overall viewers and 14% in viewers of the advertiser-friendly 18-49 age demographic. Thus, the series has so far reached its ratings peak in 2006.

The sixth season's two-night, four-hour premiere gained its largest audience ever, scoring an average 15.7 million viewers. At one stage, ratings peaked at 16.3 million viewers. The show recently celebrated its huge ratings during the season six premiere of the show in which 33 million people watched the premiere.

While viewership has increased for 24, its audience share (the number of 24 viewers relative to overall TV watching on that night) has fallen steadily since the beginning of the third season. This loss has been attributed to stiff competition from CBS and ABC. FOX was able to regain some audience share in 2005 and 2006 with non-stop seasons.

Criticism

Depiction of Muslims

Criticism of the show's depiction of Muslims began in its fourth season, in which the main antagonists were Muslims affiliated with the fictional terrorist group Turkish Crimson Jihad. In the first episode, a Muslim-American family is depicted to be among these, in which parents and their teenage son actively engage in a plot to kill Americans [1] (although the son, and in later episodes, the mother, are portrayed sympathetically). Criticism began early on in the season, including a complaint made by the Council on American-Islamic Relations that depicting Muslims as terrorists could “contribute to an atmosphere that it’s OK to harm and discriminate against Muslims. This could actually hurt real-life people.” Following this complaint, representatives from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and FOX met to discuss the matter, and an episode of the season began with a public service announcement by Kiefer Sutherland addressing these concerns, in which he stated that "the American Muslim community stands firmly beside their fellow Americans in denouncing and resisting all forms of terrorism. So in watching ‘24,’ please bear that in mind.” [2] Another episode of this season also portrays two American-Islamic citizens aiding Jack Bauer with the intention of seeking retribution for the previous attacks by terrorists that day. Both brothers (and Bauer) survive a gunfight against American mercenaries.

In 2007, the American Islamic Community renewed its criticism of the series when it appeared that the main terrorist of the sixth season would, as in 2005, be Muslims (It was later revealed that the Muslims in 24 (season 6) are being used by Russian radicals to take the fall for their agenda)[3] In response to this criticism, FOX sent a statement to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, expressing that "Over the past several seasons, the villains have included shadowy Anglo businessmen, Baltic Europeans, Germans, Russians, Islamic fundamentalists, and even the (Anglo-American) president of the United States. Over the course of the series, no ethnic group has been singled out for persecution or blame" [4]. In season 1, the terrorists were Serbian; in season 2, there were Muslims and Americans. In season 3, the adversaries were Mexican drug dealers along with a former British intelligence agent, also involving former CTU agent Nina Myers who was from Germany. In season 4, the terrorists were Muslims, and in season 5 the terrorist plot involved Russians and American conspirators, including a corrupt President of the United States. It should also be noted that the attacks in Season 6 also involve a former Soviet General, a British businessman, and members of Jack Bauer's own family.

Torture

Further information: Ticking time bomb

24 routinely includes scenes of torture, both physical and psychological, in its storylines. In many cases, the protagonists employ torture to extract vital information from suspects in "ticking time bomb" situations. According to the Parents Television Council, 24 has depicted 67 scenes of torture in its first five seasons, more than any other show on television. Melissa Caldwell, the Council's Senior Director of Programs, said, “‘24’ is the worst offender on television: the most frequent, most graphic, and the leader in the trend of showing the protagonists using torture.”

CTU is portrayed as employing several personnel exclusively to interrogating suspects potentially withholding vital information. Richards, Johnson and Burke are three such employees; they are only seen onscreen when they are torturing someone for the purpose of interrogation. Methods of torture used by these agents on the show vary from non-invasive techniques such as SDT (sensory disorientation torture) to the injection of chemicals to induce extreme pain (the only chemical ever mentioned for this use was the fictional hyoscine pentothal).

Jack Bauer himself is prepared to torture suspects both physically and emotionally. Physical torture is usually his primary choice, however should this yield no results, he will move onto emotional/psychological torture, as demonstrated in Season 2 when he stages a mock execution of Ali's family. At an unknown stage in his career, Bauer was also trained to withstand torture, as demonstrated in Day 2, when he clinically dies rather than give up information. In the Day 6 preview, he is repeatedly tortured with electrical shock, but still holds his tongue. His ability to withstand torture is again referenced in the opening episode of Day 6 when it is revealed that he has endured two years of torture without saying a single word. Curtis Manning has also demonstrated the possibility that he is trained in, or at least has some experience in, torture when he informs Richard Heller of the effects of an algesic which he is about to inject him with.

24's frequent depictions of torture as an effective and necessary interrogation tactic have prompted considerable criticism from human rights activists, military officials, experts in questioning and interrogation, and even from fans of the series. Stephen King, an avowed fan of 24, wrote,

"There's also a queasily gleeful subtext to 24 that suggests, 'If things are this bad, why, I guess we can torture anybody we want! In fact, we have an obligation to torture in order to protect the country! Hooray!' Yet Jack Bauer's face — increasingly lined, increasingly haggard — suggests that extreme measures eventually catch up with the human soul."

In February, 2007, The New Yorker magazine reported that U.S. Army Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan (dean of the United States Military Academy at West Point), accompanied by three of the most experienced military and F.B.I. interrogators in the country, met with the producers of 24 to criticize the show for misrepresenting the effectiveness of torture as an interrogation technique, saying it encouraged soldiers to see torture as a useful and justified tactic in the War on Terror, and damaged the international image of the United States. Brigadier General Finnegan believed the show had an adverse effect on the training of American soldiers because it advocated unethical and illegal behavior. In his words:

“The kids see it, and say, ‘If torture is wrong, what about “24”?’ The disturbing thing is that although torture may cause Jack Bauer some angst, it is always the patriotic thing to do.”

Joe Navarro, one of the F.B.I.'s top experts in questioning techniques, also attended the meeting. He told The New Yorker,

“Only a psychopath can torture and be unaffected. You don’t want people like that in your organization. They are untrustworthy, and tend to have grotesque other problems.”

The New Yorker article itself echoed many of these criticisms, and went on to suggest that the show's portrayal of torture was a reflection of the political views of its creator, Joel Surnow, an avowed conservative and supporter of George W. Bush. The New Yorker's criticism of 24 and Surnow was picked up by other commentators and bloggers. Andrew Sullivan, for instance, argued that 24 repeatedly used the "ticking time-bomb" scenario "in such a way as to normalize torture in the public consciousness."

U.S. intelligence officers say they have little—if any—evidence that useful intelligence has been obtained using techniques generally understood to be torture. People affiliated with 24, as well as many of its fans, have responded to this criticism by stressing that the show is fiction and therefore is not required to portray torture and interrogation realistically.

Allegations of Bias

On June 23, 2006, the conservative US think tank The Heritage Foundation held an unusual panel event to discuss "24 and America's Image in Fighting Terrorism". The panel event, which was first conceived by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's wife, Ginni, was moderated by conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh. In addition to 24 executive producers Robert Cochran, Joel Surnow, and Howard Gordon, and 24 cast members Gregory Itzin, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Carlos Bernard, the panel included Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, and leading Homeland Security experts James Jay Carafano and David Heyman.

During the event, Limbaugh, a fan of the show himself, commented that "Everybody I've met in the government that I tell I watch this show, they are huge fans." He specifically identified Vice President Dick Cheney, Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Republican political strategist Mary Matalin as enthusiastic fans. In addition to his commentary, Limbaugh reportedly kissed Mary Lynn Rajskub, the actress who portrays Chloe. The event audience also included Justice Thomas and conservative radio talk show host Laura Anne Ingraham.

After hearing of this event, Time magazine ran an article on January 14, 2007, analyzing the show's political tilt. The article argued that whilst the show's use of the "ticking time bomb scenario" favoured conservative interpretations, the thriller is itself a conservative genre and that such scenarios "make for exciting TV". Furthermore, journalist James Poniewozik pointed out the show's use of plotlines - such as an invasion of a Middle East country based on fabricated evidence of WMD stockpiles and a "chilling" depiction of Muslims rounded up into detention centers. Joel Surnow is also quoted as noting that the show has fans across the political spectrum, from Limbaugh to Barbra Streisand. TIME concludes that: "24's ideology--Jack Bauerism, if you will--is not so much in between left and right as it is outside them, impatient with both A.C.L.U. niceties and Bushian moral absolutes."

The February 19 & 26, 2007 edition of The New Yorker, however, claimed that the series was heavily tilted towards conservatives. Throughout the article, "Whatever It Takes: The Politics Behind the Man of 24," Jane Mayer cites Surnow's support for the Republican Party and in particular his admiration of Ronald Reagan, who Surnow states was "the father this country needed" and "made me feel good that I was in his family". Mayer also characterizes Rick Santorum, whose campaign Surnow donated money towards, as "hard line" and Surnow's friend Cyrus Nowrasteh as a "hard-core conservative". However, early in the article Mayer admits that Surnow is a critic of the 2003 Iraq War, an "isolationist" and as someone who has "no faith in nation building".

However, despite these allegations of conservative bias, 24 has featured two African-American Democrat Presidents which the show shown in a positive light and featured two negatively portrayed White Republican Presidents, one of which, Charles Logan, was revealed as masterminding terrorist attacks against Americans and the murder of a former President.

In other media

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.

Soundtracks

Main article: 24: The Soundtrack

Various soundtracks have been created for the show, and its properties. The most notable is 24: The Soundtrack which contains nineteen tracks of music composed exclusively for the first three seasons by 24's multi-Emmy award winning composer Sean Callery, including the show's full theme song which, prior to the soundtrack's release, had never been aired. A second soundtrack was released 13 November in the UK and 14 November in the US with music from seasons 4 and 5.

Games

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. Taking place between seasons two and three, 24: The Game features most major actors from those two seasons. This first foray into console gaming also serves to bridge the large gap between the second and third seasons.

24: DVD Board Game

There is a tabletop board game published by Pressman Toys, released in August 2006, based on the TV series. Rather than playing characters from the TV series, each player takes on the role of a CTU agent and the accompanying DVD disc is used to initiate the plot with a terrorist act, then passes threads to the players regarding the full plans of the terrorists, some of which may be useful and others that simply lead nowhere. The winner is the first person to identify and stop a terrorist threat. The DVD also acts as a timer to simulate the "real time" flow of the game. Expansions to the game are forthcoming.

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. A six-part mini-series titled 24: Nightfall was released in November 2006.

A fan comic strip was created on April 1, 2006 aptly named 24: The Comic Strip. Published weekly online, it serves a parody of the show using humor to bring to light the occasional plot hole or far-fetched event fans have taken to heart, if only to suspend disbelief. Although events are not in chronological order, other events are created showing life outside of CTU for the characters and introducing new ones not seen on the show that are affected by the actions of CTU. A non-profit endeavor, the creator (NeoSquirrel Productions) has received something of an unofficial blessing from the show's staff after having placed a call to the Fan Phone informing them of it, whereupon an unnamed staffer replied back via comment that they liked the comic and assured the creator that they "would not sue" the project after pleas from the creator on the initial call. A spoiler warning is included with each strip to help readers make an informed choice on whether or not to view that week's strip in case of plot points being revealed they may not have yet learned as the strip often follows the current season in progress.

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.

An unofficial guide to Season 2 of 24 was released in the UK in 2003, written by Mark Wright.

Five paperback novels have also been published by Harper Entertainment under the title 24: Declassified. They are:

• Operation Hell Gate, written by Marc Cerasini, released in the fall of 2005
• Veto Power, by John Whitman, released in the fall of 2005
• Trojan Horse, by Marc Cerasini, released February 2006
• Cat's Claw, by John Whitman, released December 2006
• Vanishing Point, by Marc Cerasini, released in February of 2007 (ISBN 0-06-084228-8)
• Chaos Theory, by John Whitman, is expected for release in June of 2007

Titan Books published 24: The Official Companion Seasons 1 & 2 in 2006 in the US and UK. The second volume, 24: The Official Companion Seasons 3 & 4, was released in the UK in February 2007, and will be released in the US in May 2007.

"24": Behind the Scenes - a book featuring behind the scenes photographs and pictures.

24: The Movie

Main article: 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. It should be noted that the film would be a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day, not an actual 24-hour-long film as this would be financially straining on production and impossible to show in cinemas. 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 and 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," 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.

Recently, however, Sutherland can be quoted to saying that the plans for the film are on hold. He voiced concerns the writers were having with the amount of pressure a film script would place on them, adding to the fact that the few months between seasons 6 and 7 would not give the production team and actors enough time to do any concept justice.

Mobile

Main article: 24: Conspiracy

24: Conspiracy is a low budget, cellphone-only spin-off of 24 set in Washington, D.C. It spans 24 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. All of the episodes were released together as a special for the season 4 DVD boxset (Region 1 only).

There are also 2 mobile phone games from iplay.com 24: Mobile, released in Feb. 2006 and 24: Agent Down, released Nov. 2006.

The Rookie

The Rookie is a series of online webisodes set at CTU in Los Angeles. It is made by many of the same crew members that make the 24 TV show. The Rookie utilizes the same CTU set as the series, and uses many of the same production elements, such as graphics, editing techniques, and music, giving it an "authentic" look and feel. One exception, however, is that it does not take place in real time.

The stories revolve around rookie CTU agent, Jason Blaine (played by Jeremy Ray Valdez), with appearances by Video Surveillance Manager Angie Lawson and CTU Deputy Director Alton Maxwell. In the three-part series "Coffee Run," Blaine witnesses a bank robbery in progress during his coffee run. Without a gun, Blaine enters the bank in an attempt to stop the robbery. The second series, "Mistaken Identity," finds Blaine hand-delivering a Blackberry to his boss in his boss' car. He receives a call from Russian terrorists who believe Blaine is his boss. "Mistaken Identity" is currently in progress.

Unilever's Degree Men anti-perspirant is the sponsor of the series and hosts the webisodes on its website.

Action figures

Medicom, a Japanese toy manufacturer, has produced two twelve-inch action figures of Jack Bauer as he appears in Season 4, one with his shirt and vest for field missions and other with suit and tie, as he is on season premiere. Both versions come with cell phone and a hand gun. For 2007, is scheduled to launch another version, now as Jack Bauer appears in Season 5 with short hair, wearing his suburban shirt, jeans and coach. The new version comes with his hand gun, PDA, a recorder and a shoulder satchel.

Diamond Select Toys and Art Asylum have announced their own toys for release in 2007. They will launch two series of four sets of Minimates, featuring characters from Seasons 1 and 2, on October, and a 12" figure of Jack Bauer in three different forms, with each version sporting a different head sculpt and outfit. There is not currently any info on when this figure will be in stores.

In January 2007, McFarlane Toys announced plans for a line of 24 action figures. Two figures of Jack Bauer are currently in production. Both are packaged as boxed sets and re-create scenes taken directly from the series. The first figure is expected to hit store shelves in August 2007, with the second scheduled for holiday season 2007 release.

An action figure was actually intended for a much earlier release but was delayed as Kiefer Sutherland was given a figure for his approval, but he destroyed it during a night of partying, not realizing that it was a prototype.

Parodies

File:Dt24.jpg

Parody in Drawn Together's episode Clara's Dirty Little Secret

Parody in South Park's episode The Snuke

24 has been parodied many times, including the following examples:

• One episode of the show Drawn Together parodies 24 by utilizing the split-screen and digital countdown to show the characters in danger right before the commercial break.

• In his Emmy hosting speech, Conan O'Brien parodies 24 in a short sketch in which he is seen calling the same informant Jack Bauer does.

• On Late Night with Conan O'Brien, one recurring sketch named "60" is a parody of 24 in which each episode is only one second long and tells a story that takes place over one minute.

• In the South Park episode The Snuke, Cartman plays a parody of Jack Bauer as he fights against time to save Hilary Clinton and the entire town from a nuclear bomb.

• In the Cartoon Wars Part 2 episode of South Park, a parody poster of 24 can be seen complete with a parody drawing of Kiefer Sutherland, but the title is "26".

• On Jimmy Kimmel Live, when Kiefer Sutherland came on the show for an interview, Kimmel joked that he would be returning for 24 consecutive interviews because that's how he works.

• One of the music videos featured in the DVD of Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed features the band getting in a van, driving through town, and trying to get to a performance on time; all of which features the same "split-screens", timer, and features from 24. (However, on this clock, an entire hour goes by in only 4 minutes...)

• The N network's series O'Grady had an episode called "Sugar Hill" where Abby, in a parody of 24, races against time with the help of three nerds to retrieve an email before her friend reads it.
• The 28 January 2007 Top Gear featured the hosts trying to re-pave a road in 24 hours instead of the customary week. The intro shots from 24 featuring the clock showing the current time of day was used.

DVD and Blu-ray Releases

24's DVD releases had a significant impact in the television series' life. In an interview with IGN in 2002, Sutherland revealed, "Its success in England was phenomenal. It was the biggest show the BBC has ever had. It was the number one DVD there; knocked off Lord of the Rings, which is unheard of for a television show DVD to actually knock-out every feature DVD available. And that's because they showed it without commercials." The sales of the first season DVD had a growth on the show's viewers on the second season, up to 25%.

At CES 2007, Fox Home Entertainment announced that the complete first season of 24 would be released on the Blu-ray disc format in early 2007.

DVD Name	Release dates
	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
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	November 6, 2006	December 6, 2006
The Complete 6th Season	TBA	November 5, 2007 [5]	TBA
24: Behind The Scenes - The Editing Process	TBA	December 4, 2006	TBA
24: Season 6 Premiere (first 4 episodes, plus the first 12 minutes of episode 5)	January 16, 2007	TBA	TBA

International broadcasters

Country	Alternate title/Translation	TV Network(s)	Series Premiere	Weekly Schedule
Argentina	24 Contagia (24 Infects) - (3rd Season) 24 Alerta (24 Alert) - (4th Season) 24 Inmortal (24 Inmortal) - (5th Season) 24 a muerte (24 to death) - (6th Season)	Canal Fox (English) (Cable subtitled America TV (Canal 2) (Spanish version)	March 4, 2002
Australia		Channel Seven and FOX8	Season 6 premiered January 30, 2007	Wednesdays 10:30pm-11:30pm
Austria		ORF and ATV	September 2, 2003
Asia		AXN
Belgium	24 (only for Kanaal 2) 24 Heures Chrono (only for RTL-TVi)	Kanaal 2 (Dutch) RTL-TVi (French)		Sunday 9:05pm (2 hour episodes) on Kanaal2
Brazil	24 Horas ("24 Hours")	Canal Fox Template:En icon (cable-subtitled) and Rede Globo Template:Pt icon	March 1, 2002	Monday 9:00pm-10:00pm (previous episode), 10:00pm-11:00pm (new episode) on Fox
Bulgaria	24	bTV	January 10, 2002
Canada		Global Television Network	November 6, 2001	Monday 9:00 p.m.
	24 heures chrono ("24 hours stopwatch"/"24-hour countdown")	Télé-Québec (French version)		Tuesday 9:00 p.m. repeat Saturday 10:30 p.m.
Colombia		CityTV and Canal Fox Template:En icon (cable-subtitled)
Chile	24	Megavisión Template:Es icon and Canal Fox Template:En icon (cable-subtitled)	December 26, 2006	Monday to Thursday at 11:00 p.m. on Mega
Croatia	24	HRT		Season 5 now showing on Sundays and Mondays two episodes a day
Czech Republic	24 hodin ("24 Hours")	TV NOVA
Denmark	24 timer ("24 Hours")	TV2 and TV2 Zulu	February 3, 2002
Egypt		OTV
Estonia	24 tundi ("24 Hours")	TV3	2002
Faroes		SvF
Finland	24	MTV3, Subtv	October 13, 2002
France	24 heures chrono ("24 hours stopwatch"/"24-hour countdown")	Canal+, TF1 and TF6	September 14, 2002
Germany	24 - Twenty Four	RTL II	September 2, 2003
Greece		ANT1
Hong Kong	24 - Twenty Four	TVB Pearl
Hungary	24 - Huszonnégy	MTV (Hungarian television) and "Cool" channels	December 2, 2002	Thursdays 10pm on "COOL" channel
Iceland		Stöð 2	January 17, 2002
India		AXN
Ireland		RTÉ Two, Channel 6 and Sky One (Ireland)
Israel	שעות 24	Israel 10 (formerly Channel 10) and Xtra HOT	March 24, 2003	Saturday at 22:10 p.m. to 23:50 PM
Italy		Rete 4 and FOX (pay TV)
Japan		Fuji TV and Fox Life Japan (List of 24 Japan voice actors)
Kenya		Kenya Television Network
South Korea		Korean subtitles: OCN, Super Action, AXN Korean dub: MBC (List of 24 Korea voice actors)
Malaysia		NTV7 (Season 4 onwards),8TV (Season 3 only),TV3 (Season 1 and 2 only)
Mexico	24 Contagia (24 Infects) - (3rd Season) 24 Alerta (24 Alert) - (4th Season) 24 Inmortal (24 Inmortal) - (5th Season) 24 A Muerte (24 Until Death) - (6th Season)	Canal Fox	July 21, 2005
Morocco	24 heures chrono ("24 hours stopwatch"/"24-hour countdown")	2M TV	January 01, 2003
Netherlands	24 - Twenty Four	RTL 5 (New episodes) and RTL 7 (Reruns)	September 3, 2002	Not Aired Until Fall 2007
New Zealand		TV3 and Sky 1 (Reruns)
Norway		TV2	June 30, 2002
Pakistan		Showtime Arabia's TV Land and TV Land +2 and on AXN (cable)
Panama		TVMax Template:Es icon and Canal Fox Template:En icon (cable-subtitled)
Peru		Frecuencia Latina and Canal Fox (English)(Cable subtitled	March 4, 2002
Philippines		RPN-9, ABS-CBN, Studio 23 ,AXN (Cable) and Crime Suspense Premier on December 24.
Poland	Przez 24 godziny ("For 24 Hours")	Canal+ and Polsat	September 7, 2003	Thursdays 9:30 p.m. (Canal+)
Portugal		RTP Madeira, 2: and FOX
Saudi Arabia and Arab World		Showtime Arabia, Tv Land, Tv Land +2 (Subtitled), MBC Action and Alrai TV
Serbia		RTV Pink
Singapore		MediaCorp TV Channel 5, AXN Asia		Thursdays 9PM
Slovakia	24	Slovak Television
South Africa		M-Net
Spain		FOX and Antena 3	March 24, 2003
Sri Lanka		Channel One MTV
Sweden	24	TV4	September 22, 2002
Switzerland		German speaking region: SF zwei and French speaking region: Télévision Suisse Romande	March 6, 2003	SF zwei: Mondays 10:45pm (two episodes)
Taiwan	24反恐任務（） ("24 hours of an anti-terrorism mission")	Videoland MAX-TV
Thailand		AXN
Turkey		CNBC-e	September 15, 2002
United Arab Emirates		TV Land, MBC Action	2002
United Kingdom		BBC Two (first run) and BBC Three (re-runs) (seasons 1-2) Sky One (first run) and Sky Three (repeats) (seasons 3-onwards)	March 3, 2002	Sundays 9 pm
United States		Fox Broadcasting Company	November 6, 2001	Monday 9:00/8:00 p.m. central
Venezuela		RCTV (Season 1) and Canal Fox Template:En icon (cable-subtitled)

Trivia

Connections between 24 and La Femme Nikita

Main article: Connections between 24 and La Femme Nikita

Because of the transitory nature of television production, it is not uncommon for TV industry professionals to work alongside each other on a variety of TV series. In fact, many in positions of authority—like producers and heads of production departments—will deliberately hire those with whom they have had a successful working relationship in the past. However, the on- and off-screen connections between 24 and La Femme Nikita are even more pronounced than normal, given the similar premises of both series and the fact that 24 co-creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran also executive-produced La Femme Nikita for its entire five-year run on USA Network immediately prior to their work on 24.

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 called the number, Some callers heard a voice mail message telling them that they called the 24 prop phone and to leave a message. Others spoke with various people, including Production Designer Joseph Hodges and stars Kim Raver (Audrey Raines) and Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida). Hodges later stated 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 indicated they received around 80,000 calls on the line in the first week.

The Fan Phone number has been spotted elsewhere:

• Debbie's cell phone displays the number after she is killed in Day 4.
• Paul Raine's cell phone displays the number as Audrey's during 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 ("12:00 AM - 1:00 AM") 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 Day 6, it was shown in the fourth episode ("9:00 AM - 10:00 AM") as a cell phone number on Assad's cell phone.
• In the sixth episode of Day 6, an FBI agent gives the number as Chloe's direct line at CTU.
• In Day 6, in episode 10 ("3:00 PM - 4:00 PM"), it is given as Charles Logan's cell phone number.
• In Day 6, in episode 11, Chloe gives it as her cell phone number
• In Day 6, in episode 12, Jack gives it as the number for CTU.
• In Day 6, in episode 17, Cheng calls Jack with Audrey hostage and tells him to call the phone number.

In Days 4,5, and 6, the Fan Phone number is 310-597-3781. The phone number to this day still works. Callers are directed to a Nextel voicemail box if no one answers. The voicemail states:

• Nextel operator: The mailbox belonging to
• Voice of unknown male: Nextel phone for 24
• Nextel operator: is full. It cannot accept any more messages. Please try again later. Goodbye.

In hour 6 of Day 6, an FBI agent gives Walid the phone number to Chloe's direct CTU line. The number is the same as the one previously said, but now gives the Nextel "voicemail full" dialogue in Spanish, though the "Nextel phone for 24" is still intact.

At other times during the series, most recently in hour 5 of the 6th season, fictional numbers within the 555 prefix have been given.

As of March 2007, the phone is still active and accepting messages, although the mailbox is often full and the operator prompt is in Spanish.

Cast Trivia

Kiefer Sutherland and Xander Berkeley played supporting roles in the movie A Few Good Men.

Dennis Haysbert (David Palmer) and Penny Johnson Jerald (Sherry Palmer) had supporting roles in the 1997 political thriller Absolute Power starring Clint Eastwood.

Berkeley and Sarah Clarke both played turncoat government agents involved in assassination attempts on the president (Berkeley in Air Force One; Clarke on 24). Ironically, the pair began dating during season 1 and by season 2, they were married.

This was Kiefer Sutherland's first regular role on a television series. Leslie Hope, who played his wife in season 1, appeared on the TV series Commander in Chief with Kiefer's father, Donald. That series was Donald's first regular role on a TV series.

References

• "Inside Move: Phone number has a familiar ring". Variety. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• "Mention of 24 movie in interview with Joel Surnow and Howard Gordon". The Rush Limbaugh Radio Show.

External links

• 24 at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• Fox 24 website, official message board and recaps
• Wiki24 - A highly detailed 24 wiki
• TV Central's 24 website, Recaps, news and more
• 24: The Comic Strip website
• TVWeek.com Producer Shop Talk With Exec Producer Howard Gordon

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