24 season 7

24 Season 7
Season 7
File:Jack 24.jpg Season 7 promotional poster
No. of episodes	24
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	January 11, 2009-May 18, 2009
Season chronology

Season 7 of the television series 24 was originally planned to premiere on January 13, 2008 but was delayed for a year due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Fox aired a two-hour TV movie titled 24: Redemption‎ on November 23, 2008 that bridged the gap between seasons. Season 7 began in the US on Fox with a four-hour premiere over two consecutive nights, following the format of the previous three seasons. The first two hours aired on Sunday, January 11, 2009, and the third and fourth hours aired on Monday, January 12, 2009. Thereafter, Fox will air the remainder of the season on subsequent Mondays without interruption. Sky1 presented a two-hour premiere special on Monday 12 January. Another two hours were broadcast the following Monday, and a single episode on every subsequent Monday, meaning that the UK will be a week behind the US, due to it being broadcast on the same night in both countries.

The season's storyline begins and ends at 8:00 a.m.

24: Redemption

Main article: 24: Redemption‎

Fox aired a two-hour TV movie on Sunday, November 23, 2008 that bridges the gap between seasons.

The storyline takes place during Inauguration Day for the next U.S. President, Allison Taylor, and is shot partially in South Africa. "[Jack] is a soul in turmoil and has been moving from place to place trying to find somewhere he can be at peace," says co-executive producer, Manny Coto. "But he winds up in Africa in the middle of a military coup." Meanwhile, Bauer is subpoenaed to appear before the Senate hearing while in Africa, but doesn't want to go. Redemption takes place approximately 3 years and 6 months after Day 6.

Production

Producers were determined to reinvent the series after facing criticism over the sixth season. They initially devised a storyline which would have Jack Bauer traveling to Africa trying to find himself, and becoming caught up in a coup with Black Hawk Down-style results.

"The fact is, it was a mutual issue," explains Gordon. "We struggled to do something new this year. We sent Jack Bauer to Africa and I wrote a script that honestly did not work. Before the network even saw it at the studio level, we were getting kick-back from the idea, especially once we budgeted what Africa would cost. It was a combination of the studio was not enthusiastic to shoot there for budgetary purposes and creatively, it didn’t feel like it warranted pushing our case. One day, at the IHOP, I sat across Joel and Bob and we all agreed this story wasn’t working and retooled it two weeks ago."

The decision to scrap the storyline and start over delayed production from July to late August. Filming was delayed a second time (from August 27 to September 10) in order for writers to complete additional scripts.

Measures will be taken during filming and production of season 7 to save energy and reduce enough carbon emissions throughout the season to make the season finale "carbon neutral". Howard Gordon said that 24 cares about the issue of global warming and takes fighting climate change seriously. A number of ways that the production intends to save energy are listed on the site, some of which are: using a combination of petroleum diesel and biodiesel instead of regular diesel fuel, creating a series of PSAs with Kiefer Sutherland and other main cast members to educate the public on what they can do to help with the issue, and, when appropriate, applying the issue of global warming and reducing carbon emissions to the storylines. Nevertheless, the production of a television series, particularly one using outdoor dynamic sets, involves the use of large amounts of fossil fuels.

The crew was scheduled to film scenes with Kiefer Sutherland at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro on Monday October 22, 2007, however filming was canceled for health reasons due to raging wildfires in the area. Cast and crew had blurry vision and difficulty breathing from the smoke. United States Navy SEALs helped battle fictional terrorists at Camarillo Airport during filming of an episode on August 12-13 2008.

After completion of the 18th episode, production was temporarily shut down on September 15, 2008 for two weeks in order to perform script rewrites for the final six episodes. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Howard Gordon responded "We just couldn't get this direction to work, and we found another one that we liked better, so we wound up retooling it."

Writers Guild of America strike

On October 25, 2007, Fox premiered the first trailer and announced the return date for season 7 as January 13, 2008. Just eleven days later, on November 5, 2007, the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike began. Rather than airing the eight completed episodes, Fox executives immediately postponed the season to ensure that it "can air uninterrupted, in its entirety." Fox scheduling chief, Preston Blackman, admitted "It's not a decision we wanted to make, but it's one based on how we feel the viewers expect us to schedule the show."

Following the conclusion of the writers strike, production resumed on April 22, 2008.

Kiefer Sutherland claims the strike was beneficial to the show: "The time allowed us to do something that has never been done before — create a map of the entire season before we started shooting. So I can tell you without hesitation, I know for a fact, that season 7 is going to be the best season yet." Sutherland reiterated this in an interview with TV Guide on August 18, 2008.

Crew

Executive Producers

• Joel Surnow
• Robert Cochran
• Howard Gordon
• Evan Katz
• Jon Cassar
• Kiefer Sutherland
• Manny Coto
• David Fury
• Brian Grazer

Co-Executive Producers

• Michael Loceff
• Stephen Kronish
• Brad Turner
• Alex Gansa
• Brannon Braga

Producers

• Michael Klick
• Paul Gadd

Co-Producers

• Jon Pare
• Joseph Hodges

• Jon Cassar is directing the first two episodes of the season and he will direct six episodes with Brad Turner (who is now co-executive producer) directing the third and fourth episodes. Brad Turner is scheduled to direct at least ten episodes.

• Brannon Braga, Alex Gansa, and Juan Carlos Coto have joined the writing crew and are credited as Co-Executive Producers.

• Executive Producer and 24 co-creator Joel Surnow left the series on February 12, 2008. His contract with 20th Century Fox was due to expire on April 30 but he requested an early release. "I did some soul-searching. I took [the strike] as an opportunity to write on my own and do other things. After doing 24, I don't know if I want to do a mainstream show again. I like what's going on in cable; there is an opportunity to stretch dramatically there, which is something I'm trying to do." The position held by Surnow was filled by showrunner Howard Gordon.

Season cast

Cast of 24 season 7

Main article: List of 24 characters

Stars

• Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
• Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian
• Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor
• James Morrison as Bill Buchanan
• Annie Wersching as Renee Walker
• Colm Feore as First Gentleman Henry Taylor
• Bob Gunton as Ethan Kanin
• Jeffrey Nordling as Larry Moss
• Rhys Coiro as Sean Hillinger
• with Janeane Garofalo as Janis Gold
• and Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida

Special guest stars

• Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer
• Kurtwood Smith as Senator Blaine Mayer, Chairman of the United States Senate hearing in D.C.

Special guest appearances

• Jon Voight as Jonas Hodges

Recurring cast

(in alphabetical order by actor surname)

• Omid Abtahi as Jibraan Al-Zarian
• Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as Tom Chapman
• Ever Carradine as Erika
• Christina Chang as Dr. Sunny Macer
• Rory Cochrane as Greg Seaton
• Ryan Cutrona as Admiral John Smith
• Mark Derwin as Joe Stevens, Secretary of State
• Cameron Daddo as Vice President Mitchell Hayworth
• Isaach De Bankolé as Ule Matobo; Former Prime Minister of the fictional African nation, Sangala
• Paul Francis as Mitch
• Roshawn Franklin as Abozi
• Kathryn Gordon as Patricia Eames
• Sprague Grayden as First Daughter Olivia Taylor
• Frank John Hughes as Tim Woods, Secretary of Homeland Security
• Lovensky Jean-Baptiste as Udo
• Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Colonel Ike Dubaku, second-in-command to General Juma
• Johnathan McClain as Derek Watts, Vice President Hayworth's Chief of Staff
• Paul McGillion as Levinson
• Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce
• William O’Leary as Sid Paulson
• Tonya Pinkins as Alama Matobo
• Eyal Podell as Ryan Burnett, Chief of Staff to Senator Blaine Mayer.
• Carly Pope as Samantha Roth
• Amy Price-Francis as Cara Bowden
• Sebastian Roché as John Quinn
• Carlo Rota as Morris O'Brian
• Tony Todd as General Benjamin Juma; dictator of the fictional African nation, Sangala
• Paul Wesley as Stephen
• Peter Wingfield as David Emerson

Cameos

• Writer/Producer David Fury as businessman Arthur Carr speaking to Olivia Taylor during her character's introduction scene

Trailers

Jack Bauer testifying

The debut trailer aired on October 25, 2007. In the trailer, Jack is seen testifying before Congress concerning his past extralegal activities, including the torture of terrorist Ibrahim Haddad. The international version of the trailer is largely identical but features an additional line where Bauer implies personal enjoyment from torturing a suspect. This line is cut from the US version.

A second trailer emphasized the plot concerning USA losing control of its power lines, water supplies and air traffic control.

Jon Cassar confirmed on the Fox message board that the 24: Redemption DVD would have a new alternate trailer for the season as an extra feature and that it contains scenes from the first fourteen episodes.

Episodes

Series #	Episode #	Hour	Directed by	Written by	Production	Original airdate

Reception

Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker wrote that "Fresh characters like Agent Walker and the new president, Allison Taylor (a brisk Cherry Jones), mingle nicely with familiar faces like...oh, if I told you, the whining spoiler-phobes would howl." He gave the new season a "B+".

External links

• Official 24 website

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