24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer, produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration.
First broadcast on November 6, 2001, the show ran for 192 episodes over eight seasons, with the series finale broadcast on May 24, 2010. In addition, the television movie 24: Redemption was broadcast between seasons six and seven, while a feature film is also planned.
Bauer is the only character to have appeared in all eight seasons, as well as appearing in every episode of the series. The series begins with him working for the Los Angeles based Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU), for whom he is characterized as a highly proficient agent, but one taking an "ends justify the means" approach regardless of the perceived morality of some of his actions. Throughout the series most of the main plot elements unfold like a political thriller. A typical plot has Jack Bauer racing against the clock as he attempts to thwart multiple terrorist plots, including presidential assassination attempts, nuclear, biological and chemical threats, cyber attacks, as well as conspiracies dealing with government and corporate corruption. The series has been criticized for its depictions of torture as effective and necessary from human rights activists[1][2], military officials[1][2][3], experts in questioning and interrogation[4], with concerns that junior U.S. soldiers were imitating techniques shown on the series.[1][5][6]
The show has won numerous awards over its eight seasons, including the Best Drama Series at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards and Outstanding Drama Series at the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards. At the conclusion of its eighth and final season, 24 became the longest-running espionage-themed television drama ever, surpassing both Mission: Impossible and The Avengers.[7]
Synopsis
Premise
24 is a serial drama starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, and focuses on the efforts of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit, and their efforts to protect America from terrorism plots. Each episode usually follows not only Bauer, but officials in the U.S. government and the conspirators behind the events of the days, sometimes simultaneously. The episodes take place over the course of one hour, depicting events as they happen, in real time. To emphasize the real-world flow of events, a clock is prominently displayed on-screen during the show, and there is a considerable use of a split screens, a technique used to depict multiple scenes occurring at the same time.
Overview
Season 1 begins and ends at 12:00 am on the day of the California presidential primary in Los Angeles. Jack Bauer's protocol is to protect Senator David Palmer from an assassination plot, and rescue his own family from those responsible for the plot, who seek retribution for Jack's and David Palmer's involvement with a covert U.S. mission in the Balkans.
Set 18 months after season 1, season 2 begins and ends at 8:00 am in Los Angeles. Jack must stop a nuclear bomb from detonating in Los Angeles, then assist President David Palmer in proving who is responsible for the threat. This is necessary to avoid an unfounded war between the United States and three Middle Eastern countries.
Set 3 years after season 2, season 3 begins and ends at 1:00 pm in Los Angeles. While struggling with a heroin addiction gained while undercover with a Mexican drug cartel, Jack must re-infiltrate the group in order to acquire a deadly virus being marketed underground. Meanwhile, President David Palmer is preparing for a live presidential debate in the run up to elections. Later, Jack and Palmer must cooperate with terrorist Stephen Saunders, who eventually gains possession of the virus, and then stop him from releasing it in several American cities.
Set 18 months after season 3, season 4 begins and ends at 7:00 am in Los Angeles. Jack must save the lives of his new boss Secretary of Defense James Heller and Heller's daughter Audrey Raines (with whom Jack is romantically involved) when they are kidnapped by terrorists. The same terrorists then launch further attacks against America, and Jack is forced to use unorthodox methods to stop them, which will have long-term consequences for both Jack and the United States.
Set 18 months after season 4, season 5 begins and ends at 7:00 am in Los Angeles. Jack is believed to be dead by everyone except a few of his closest friends. He is forced to resurface when some of those friends are murdered and he is framed. Terrorists with connections to the U.S. government attempt to steal nerve gas in order to protect U.S. oil interests in Asia, and Jack discovers an insidious conspiracy while trying to stop them.
Set 20 months after season 5, season 6 begins and ends at 6:00 am in Los Angeles. Jack is released after being detained in a Chinese prison for twenty months. Terrorists plot to set off suitcase nuclear devices in the United States and Jack must stop them. Later, Jack has to choose between his loved ones and national security when the Chinese set their sights on sensitive circuitry that could trigger a war between the U.S. and Russia.
Due to the 2007–2008 Writers' Strike, season 7 was delayed one year. To bridge the one-and-a-half-year gap between seasons, Redemption was produced. It was a television movie that aired on November 23, 2008. Set three and a half years after season 6, Jack finds himself caught up in a military coup in the fictional African nation of Sangala. Meanwhile, in the United States, it is Inauguration Day, where Allison Taylor is being sworn into office as president.
Set 65 days after the events of Redemption, season 7 begins and ends at 8:00 am in Washington, D.C. Jack is assisted by the FBI and old colleagues when the firewall responsible for protecting America's government computer infrastructure is breached by the same people responsible for a conflict in Sangala. Jack must then secure evidence to begin their arrests, some of whom are within President Taylor's administration, but not before an attack on the White House ensues. Later, a private military contractor attempts to release biological weapons on U.S. soil, at which point their superiors are working with one of Jack's old colleagues, Tony Almeida.
Set 18 months after season 7,[8] season 8 begins and ends at 4:00 pm in New York City. Jack is about to leave for Los Angeles with his daughter, Kim, her husband and her daughter Teri when he is brought in by CTU to uncover a Russian plot to assassinate Islamic leader Omar Hassan during peace negotiations with U.S. President Taylor. Russia fears such peace negotiations will threaten their power. This leads to Islamic extremists creating a dirty bomb, which they threaten to detonate unless Hassan is handed over. Later, Jack must seek retribution for lives lost amidst a governmental cover-up initiated by former president Charles Logan and approved by Taylor. In the end Jack is faced with both foreign and American governments hunting him down as they seek revenge for his actions against them.
Cast and characters
Cast appearances
24 is known for making major changes to its main cast every season. The only regular cast member of all seasons is Kiefer Sutherland. He is the only actor to appear in all of the show's 192 episodes and the television movie, 24: Redemption. Glenn Morshower, who plays Aaron Pierce, made appearances in the first seven seasons. Background extra Michael Jacey (who plays Agent John) is the only actor besides Sutherland and Morshower to appear in the first six seasons.
Due to the unpredictable nature of each season's storyline, the main characters change frequently. More commonly in the earlier seasons, a character may begin in a recurring role (that sometimes resulted in appearing in every episode of the season) before being upgraded to a leading regular role in the following season. The only instance of an actor being promoted mid-season from recurring to series regular are Lana Parrilla and Roger Cross in season four. A "Special Guest Star" billing is used for appearances by famous actors, including Lou Diamond Phillips, Richard Burgi, Dennis Hopper, Sean Astin and Powers Boothe, while also used for former cast members that are making a reappearance.
Main characters
- † = As of last appearance or mention in a televised episode.
- * = Was moved from guest star to main cast member mid-season.
Notable recurring characters
24 features a large number of recurring characters in every season. Below, in order of appearance, are the recurring characters who have appeared in at least 10 episodes, or have appeared in multiple seasons (Mandy), or play an important role (Victor Drazen).
- † = As of last appearance or mention in a televised episode.
Production
Conception
The first season was signed for an initial 13 episodes. The next 11 episodes were ordered later. After leading actor Kiefer Sutherland won a Golden Globe for his role in the first 10 episodes, the ratings of the show increased, leading Fox to order the second half of the season.
The seventh season, originally scheduled to premiere on January 13, 2008, was postponed in the wake of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. To ensure a nonstop season, a trademark of the show since the start of its fourth season in January 2005, the season was postponed a full year until January 2009.[9][10] To help offset the strike-induced delay, the show returned on November 23, 2008, with a feature-length TV movie, 24: Redemption, that takes place nearly four years after season six and sets up the story that launched season seven.[11][12][13]
Design
The show's real-time nature is emphasized by an on-screen digital clock which appears before and after commercial breaks. Smaller, silent, clock displays also appear at other points in the narrative, between commercial breaks. The time shown is the in-universe time of the story. The narrative will often place time windows on key story events. This will often be "within the hour", suggesting the event will occur within the episode. 24 uses the 12-hour clock rather than the 24-hour clock, although "am" and "pm" are not used for the on-screen clock, they are only seen during the opening narration.
The duration of each episode without commercials is approximately 43 minutes, as is common for hour-long television shows on commercial networks. Time continues to elapse during the commercial breaks, with the exact amount denoted by the digital clock display at the beginning and end of each act. Mundane events, such as travel, sometimes occur during commercial breaks and thus these events are largely unseen.[14]
The story time correlates with elapsed viewing time if episodes are broadcast with commercials inserted at the commercial break points prescribed by the episode, and commercials run for the correct duration. In line with the depiction of events in real time, 24 does not use slow motion techniques. The series also does not use flashbacks, except once during the first season finale. Watched continuously without advertisements, each season would run approximately 17 hours.[14]
Where the clock is shown either side of a commercial break a distinct beeping noise for each second was usually heard, along with a steady pounding. These beeps alternate between C and D tones. This ticking is absent on rare occasions in the series, such as following the death of a major character, and has been dubbed the "silent clock".
Split screens receives thorough use due to the real time format, and multiple occuring plot lines, simultaneously. Split screens , accompanied by a clock, are used on the return from a commercial break. As plot lines can occur in different locations simultaneously, split screens are used to trace parallel adventures of different characters. A secondary story will often take place outside of this plot, which is necessarily implemented because of the real-time constraint. As a result, there are long sections of unseen narrative for each character; any one character is only seen for a portion of an episode's overall running time.
Setting
The first six seasons of the show were mostly based in Los Angeles and nearby California locations—both real and fictional. Other locations have also been featured, such as Washington, D.C for parts of the fourth and sixth seasons, and the seventh season. The eighth season took place in New York City.[15]The TV movie Redemption is set mainly in the fictional African nation of Sangala, which was filmed in South Africa.[16]
Counter Terrorist Unit
The main setting of the show is the fictional "Counter Terrorist Unit," a government agency tasked with preventing terrorism against the United States. An office consists of two main departments, Field Operations, which deals with confronting and apprehending suspects, and communications, which deals with using advanced technology to gather intelligence and assist those that work in the field operations department.
CTU offices are established in various cities, with these "domestic" units reporting "Division", and Division reporting to District. While CTU itself is a fictional agency, several entities with similar names or duties, like the National Counterterrorism Center, have emerged since the show's debut on television.
Relation to other productions
Immediately prior to 24, series co-creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran executive-produced La Femme Nikita for its entire five-year run on USA Network. Both series deal with anti-terrorist operations, and the lead characters of both series are placed in situations where they must make a tragic choice in order to serve the greater good. As a result, the on- and off-screen creative connections between 24 and La Femme Nikita are highly pronounced. Numerous actors from La Femme Nikita have portrayed similar roles on 24, a number of story concepts from La Femme Nikita have been revisited on 24, and many of the creative personnel from La Femme Nikita currently work (or have worked) on 24 in the same capacity.[17][18]
Like the 1997 film Air Force One, 24 has featured Air Force One and use of the 25th amendment. Air Force One was featured in 24 Seasons 2 and 4. Air Force Two (carrying the Vice President but not the President) was featured in season 6. 24 used the same Air Force One set from the film.[19] Seven actors featured in 24—Xander Berkeley, Glenn Morshower, Wendy Crewson, Timothy Carhart, Jürgen Prochnow, Tom Everett and Spencer Garrett—appeared in the film Air Force One.
Series conclusion
On March 26, 2010, a statement was issued from Fox explaining that Season 8 would conclude 24's run on television. Kiefer Sutherland gave a statement:
This has been the role of a lifetime, and I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to everyone who made it possible. While the end of the series is bittersweet, we always wanted 24 to finish on a high note, so the decision to make the eighth season our last was one we all agreed upon. This feels like the culmination of all our efforts from the writers to the actors to our fantastic crew and everyone at Fox. Looking ahead to the future, Howard Gordon and I are excited about the opportunity to create the feature film version of 24. But when all is said and done, it is the loyal worldwide fan base that made it possible for me to have the experience of playing the role of Jack Bauer, and for that I am eternally grateful.[20]
Executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon was also a part of the decision. He was quoted saying:
Kiefer and I have loved every minute of making 24, but we all believe that now is the right time to call it a day. I echo his sentiments of gratitude toward the show’s amazing creative team, as well as the studio and network who have always believed in us and shown us unbelievable support.
"24 is so much more than just a TV show – it has redefined the drama genre and created one of the most admired action icons in television history," said Peter Rice, Chairman, Entertainment, Fox Networks Group. Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company added, "We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series and will be forever thankful to Kiefer, the producers, the cast and crew for everything they’ve put into 24 over the years. It’s truly been an amazing and unforgettable eight days.[20]
Feature film
A feature film adaptation of 24 was originally planned to be shot during the hiatus between the sixth and seventh seasons. Series creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran planned to write the script with showrunner Howard Gordon working on story.[21] Filming was to take place in London, Prague, and Morocco.[22] Plans for the movie were later put on hold. Kiefer Sutherland stated, "It's impossible to ask writers to work on the show and then come up with an amazing film we can shoot in the break between seasons."[23]
It was later decided that the film would begin production after the conclusion of the eighth and final season. The film was to take place and be shot on-location in Europe. Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, Howard Gordon, and Kiefer Sutherland were to serve as executive producers on the film, while the screenplay was to be written by Billy Ray.[24] Shooting was planned to commence in late 2010 or early 2011. Kiefer Sutherland described the film production as "exciting" because, "It's going to be a two-hour representation of a 24 hour day, so we were not going to be restrained by the real time aspect of the TV show."[25]
In April 2010, Kiefer Sutherland said in an interview at a BAFTA event in London, that the script was finished and he would be reading it upon his return to the United States. Sutherland also said that the film will be a two-hour representation of a twenty-four-hour time frame.[26] In November 2010, executive producer Howard Gordon revealed that a "work in progress" screenplay was being read by Fox, but that the movie did not yet have a green light or fixed schedule.[27] In December 2010, Howard Gordon revealed that Fox turned down the script by Billy Ray, citing "it wasn't strong enough or compelling enough". Gordon is currently no longer involved with the project, but states that director Tony Scott has an idea and will pitch it to Kiefer Sutherland.[28] Executive producer Brian Grazer tweeted that the film is planned for a 2012 release.[29]
Impact and reception
Reaction
The series has attracted sizable critical reaction for its depictions of torture. The series, which often uses the ticking time bomb scenario in storylines, as well as the main character, Jack Bauer, have been accused of portraying torture as normal[30], effective[31], acceptable and glamorous[32], and this has led to concerns junior U.S. soldiers were imitating techniques shown on the series.[2][1][5]In response to this, the US military appealed to the creators of the show to tone down the scenes of torture, as it was having an impact on US troops[2][1][33], and met with the creators of the show to discuss this. Partly as a result of these discussions, there was a reduction of torture in future seasons of the series.[34][35] The issue of torture on the series has also been discussed by President Bill Clinton, who stated that while he doesn't feel there is a place in US policy for torture, but that "If you're the Jack Bauer person, you'll do whatever you do and you should be prepared to take the consequences".[36] and Supreme Court Justice Anton Scalia, where during a discussion about terrorism, torture and the law, he took offense at a Canadian judge's remark that Canada did not consider what Jack Bauer would do when setting policy. He reportedly responded with a defense of Bauer, arguing that law enforcement officials deserve latitude in times of great crisis, and that no jury would convict Bauer in this sort of situation.[37]
In Germany and Switzerland, 24 has been criticized for the various techniques employed by its protagonists in apprehending terrorists.[38][39] In 2008, Empire magazine ranked 24 as the sixth greatest television show of all-time.[40]
Ratings
Below are the seasonal rankings based on average total viewers per episode of 24 on Fox. Most US network television seasons start in mid-September and end in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. After season 3, however, 24 began its season in January and ran new episodes non-stop until May, a trend which began after many fans grew unhappy with constant preemptions. Two new episodes were often shown on the same night, and the entire season took considerably less than 24 weeks to air. 24 aired during February and May sweeps.
| Season | Episodes | Timeslot (ET) | Season premiere | Season finale | Rank | Viewers (in millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001–02 | 24 | Tuesday 9:00 pm | November 6, 2001 | May 21, 2002 | #76 | 8.60[41] |
| 2 | 2002–03 | 24 | October 29, 2002 | May 20, 2003 | #36 | 11.73[42] | |
| 3 | 2003–04 | 24 | October 28, 2003 | May 25, 2004 | #42 | 10.30[43] | |
| 4[*] | 2005 | 24 | Monday 9:00 pm | January 9, 2005 | May 23, 2005 | #29 | 11.90[44] |
| 5[*] | 2006 | 24 | January 15, 2006 | May 22, 2006 | #24 | 13.78[45] | |
| 6[*] | 2007 | 24 | January 14, 2007 | May 21, 2007 | #27 | 13.00[46] | |
| Redemption[^] | 2008 | 2 (TV movie) | Sunday 8:00 pm | November 23, 2008 | #17 | 12.12[47] | |
| 7[*] | 2009 | 24 | Monday 9:00 pm | January 11, 2009 | May 18, 2009 | #20 | 12.62[48] |
| 8[*] | 2010 | 24 | January 17, 2010 | May 24, 2010 | #39 | 9.31[49] | |
^[*] = Indicates a "non-stop" season, in which the season did not start at the beginning of the television season in September, but rather in January (the start of mid-season) to air new episodes every week until its season finale in May. These seasons also have a four-hour two-night premiere, beginning on Sunday from 8-10 pm ET and continuing on Monday from 8-10 pm ET.
^[^] = Indicates 24: Redemption, the made for television movie and the rating was for the movie only.
Viewership increased midway through its second season when the mega-hit American Idol became the lead-in to 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 pm Eastern 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.[50] Thus, the series reached its ratings peak in 2006. Ratings have remained steady, therefore 24 has managed to retain most of its audience through its entire run thus far. This circumstance is unlike other serialized shows such as Lost, Prison Break and Heroes, which have lost much of their respective audiences over subsequent seasons.
The sixth season's two-night, four-hour premiere, broadcast in 2007, garnered the largest audience in 24's history, averaging 15.7 million viewers.[51] Ratings peaked at one point to 16.3 million. By comparison, the precedent seventh season's two-night, four-hour premiere, broadcast in 2009, decreased slightly in viewers, averaging an overall 27 million viewers over the two nights.
The eighth season's two-night, four-hour premiere increased by 15% in viewers from the previous season. It averaged 11.4 million viewers on its Sunday premiere.[52]
Awards and nominations
24 has won and been nominated for various television awards, including the Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. The series has been nominated in categories including acting, directing, writing, editing, sound, music score, and stunt coordination.
The series received 68 Emmy nominations, with 20 wins. It was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Primetime Emmys in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, winning the award in 2006. Kiefer Sutherland was nominated in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009 (for 24: Redemption), winning the award in 2006. Creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran won for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2002 for the pilot episode. Composer Sean Callery received nine nominations for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, being nominated for every season and 24: Redemption; winning the award in 2003, 2006, and 2010. The series' fifth season was its most successful for awards, earning 12 nominations and 5 wins, including winning Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for Kiefer Sutherland (after being nominated every year previous); Jon Cassar won for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series, with Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart receiving Best Supporting Actor/Actress in a Drama Series nominations. Itzin and Smart later received nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama Series in 2009 and 2007 respectively. In 2009, Cherry Jones won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama. Other notable Emmy nominations include Stephen Hopkins and Ian Toynton for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
The series received 11 Golden Globe nominations, with 2 wins. It was nominated for Best Drama Series at the Golden Globes in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006, winning the award in 2003. Kiefer Sutherland was nominated at the Golden Globes in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008 (for 24: Redemption), winning the award in 2001. Dennis Haysbert received a nomination for Best Supporting Role in 2002.
The series received 10 Screen Actors Guild nominations, with 4 wins. It was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2003, 2005, and 2007 at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Kiefer Sutherland was nominated in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, winning the award in 2004 and 2006. The series won for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series in 2008 and 2010.
Distribution
Television
24 is widely broadcast in other parts of the world, including Canada, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. Kiefer Sutherland attributes the show's support from Fox to its early success in the UK.[53] Its viewership in the UK decreased significantly when the BBC lost the rights to subscription channel Sky1 after the second season.[54]
Home media
The release of 24 on DVD has had a significant impact on the success of the television series. In an interview with IGN in 2002, Sutherland revealed, "[24's] success in [the UK] was phenomenal. It was the biggest show the BBC has ever had. It was the number one DVD there, knocking 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."[55] The US sales of the Season 1 DVDs increased the audience size of Season 2 by 25%.[56]
The original UK Region 2 DVD boxset release of Season 1 carried an authoring error on discs 5 and 6, in that the last five episodes were in fact the versions shown in the US. These were trimmed by approximately one minute each, compared to the same episodes shown on BBC2 in the UK. One excluded scene was the significant revelation of Terri Bauer telling Nina Myers she was pregnant. Fox offered a replacement service to anyone who mailed them the affected discs. At CES 2007, Fox Home Entertainment announced the complete first season of 24 would be released on the Blu-ray disc format in early 2007[57] although this never came to fruition.
The Region 1 DVD releases of 24 strictly emphasize actor Kiefer Sutherland on the cover art for all seven seasons to date, while the Region 2 & 4 DVDs instead echo the series' split-screen format by featuring the major players in each respective season. This presented audiences who had not seen the TV broadcast (since the series moved to subscription satellite channel Sky One) in the UK with a large spoiler on the front cover of season four—which featured 'surprise' special guest star Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida.
A "limited special edition" of Day Six is also available in the United States. In addition to the DVDs, the box includes a booklet with an episode guide, each major character's job description and biographical information, and script excerpts. A limited edition of Day Six is also released in the United Kingdom, available from HMV stores.
In mid-2007, the first four seasons were re-issued, featuring slim-packaging in line with the season 5 release, and improved video quality, especially in the first season, which was initially rushed to DVD. The metallic "24" logo has also been dropped in favor of the seven segment display logo.
A special edition of the first season was released on May 20, 2008. The new set includes a seventh disc of bonus features, while discs 1–6 contain all 24 episodes with deleted scenes, audio commentaries, and 5 extended episodes. The set is released in a steel box.[58]
The television movie 24: Redemption was released on DVD in Region 1 on November 25, 2008, and in Region 2 on December 1, 2008. The DVD contains the broadcast version as well as an extended version with optional audio commentary, a making-of featurette, child soldiers in Africa featurette, a season 6 recap, and the first 17 minutes of the season 7 premiere episode.
The seventh season was the first season to be released on Blu-ray format.[59] The eighth season was also released on Blu-ray. A complete series set was released on DVD along with the release of season eight.[60]
All eight seasons and 24: Redemption are also available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon Video on Demand, and the Zune Marketplace.
DVD and Blu-ray releases
| Season | Region 1 Release Date | Region 2 Release Date | Region 4 Release Date | Episodes | Discs | Bonus Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17, 2002 May 20, 2008 (Special Edition) |
October 14, 2002 | December 2002 | 24 | 6 | Introduction to Season One by Kiefer Sutherland and a preview of Season Two; alternate ending to the season finale with optional audio commentary by Joel Surnow. Special Edition: Two audio commentaries; 25 deleted scenes; five extended episodes; "The Genesis of 24" Documentary; The Rookie online short films. |
| 2 | September 9, 2003 | August 11, 2003 | September 2003 | 24 | 7 | Six audio commentaries; 44 deleted scenes (with optional commentary); "24 Exposed" featurettes; "On the Button: Exploding the CTU" featurette; Multi-angle scene study. |
| 3 | December 7, 2004 | August 9, 2004 | September 2004 | 24 | 7 | Six audio commentaries; 45 deleted scenes (with optional commentary); Season 4 Promo; Season 4 Prequel; "24: On the Loose" featurette; "Boys and Their Toys" featurette; "Biothreat: Beyond the Series" featurette; Multi-angle scene study. |
| 4 | December 6, 2005 | August 8, 2005 | November 2005 | 24 | 7 | 12 audio commentaries; 39 deleted scenes (with optional commentary); Season 4 Prequel (Director's Cut); Season 5 Prequel; Making a Scene: Making of Season 5 Prequel; "Breaking Ground: Building the New CTU" featurette; "Blood on the Tracks" featurette; "Lock and Load" featurette; 24: Conspiracy cell phone mobisodes; The Longest Day music video; 24: The Game: Behind the Scenes. |
| 5 | December 5, 2006 | November 6, 2006 | December 6, 2006 | 24 | 7 | 12 audio commentaries; 23 deleted scenes (with optional commentary); Season 6 Prequel; "Supporting Players" featurette; "Unsung Heroes: 24 Camera Department" featurette; "Music by Sean Callery" featurette; "Logan's Retreat" featurette; 100th Episode Reel; 24: Behind the Scenes book sample. |
| 6 | December 4, 2007 | October 1, 2007 | September 19, 2007 | 24 | 7 | 12 audio commentaries; 22 deleted scenes (with optional commentary); Season 7 Preview; "Master Illusionist: 24's Special Effects" featurette; "24 Season 6: Inside the Writers' Room" featurette; "24 Season 6: Opening with a Bang" featurette; "The Technology of 24" featurette; Webcast Diaries; Day 6 Debrief mobisodes; Public Service Announcement from Kiefer Sutherland; Deleted cameo scene with Ricky Gervais; Easter Egg: Jack Bauer on The Simpsons. |
| 7 | May 19, 2009 | October 19, 2009 | November 11, 2009 | 24 | 6 | 12 audio commentaries; 14 deleted scenes (with optional commentary); The Fimucité Festival Presents: The Music of 24; "Hour 19: The Ambush" featurette; "24-7: The Untold Story" featurette; 24 in 24 documentary (Region 2 only); 21 Scenemaker webisodes (Region 2 only). |
| 8 | December 14, 2010 | November 8, 2010 | December 1, 2010 | 24 | 6 | Deleted scenes; "The Ultimate CTU: Design and construction of the most elaborate high-tech CTU yet"; "Virtually New York: LA as NYC greenscreen"; "Scenemakers: Making-of vignettes"; Extended episodes; "Chloe's Arrest" (Region 2 only); "Comic-Con 2009 Panel" (Region 2 only); "Eight Days: A Series Retrospective" (Region 2 only). |
Other media
The success of 24 has led to the series being extended, including media specifically created for mobile devices and the Internet. In addition, the series has spawned video and board games, toys, soundtracks from both the series and the video game, and a number of original novels inspired by the series, as well as a number of "behind-the-scenes" books.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Is 24's Jack Bauer Teaching Torture to U.S. Soldiers?". CNN.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b c d Buncombe, Andrew (February 13, 2007). "US military tells Jack Bauer: Cut out the torture scenes ... or else!". The Independent. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ "Sutherland denies '24' army influence". Digital Spy. February 2, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ "Torture and '24' - because it hurts us less than the real thing?". The Register. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ a b Danzig, David (January 14, 2009). "24: A Thriller With Few Surprises". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ James, Clive (March 30, 2007). "The clock's ticking on torture". BBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ "The final hours: '24' counts down to explosive series finale on Monday" (in May 27 and 2010). Press and Guide. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "PRESS TOUR JOURNAL: '24' plans ahead". August 7, 2009.
- ^ Carter, Bill (February 11, 2008). "After Strike, TV Shows Hurry Up and Wait". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
- ^ ""Fox: '24' on shelf until next January" (CNN)". Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2008.
- ^ "'24' Prequel Coming This Fall". TV Blogger. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
- ^ "Exclusive News: Producer Howard Gordon Explains This Fall's 2-hour 24 TV Movie". iFMagazine. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
- ^ "Emmy and Golden Globe Winner 24 Gets a Jumpstart on the Clock with Special Two-hour Prequel Sunday, November 23, on Fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ a b Hanks, Robert (November 21, 2008). "Jack's back: The clock ticks for 24's antihero". Arts & Entertainment. London: Independent News and Media Limited. p. 1. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
- ^ Alessandra Stanley (January 15, 2010). "Another Terrorist Plot, Another Very Long Day". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ "IGN: 24: The Dead Rise". IGN.com. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ^ La Femme Nikita at IMDb
- ^ 24 at IMDb
- ^ "IMDB entry for 24-Trivia".
- ^ a b ""24: Day Eight" Will Be the Award-Winning Series' Final Season" (Press release). Fox Broadcasting Company. March 26, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ Josef Adalian (June 7, 2006). "Fox counting down to '24' pic". Variety. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
- ^ Garth Franklin (May 5, 2006). "Sutherland Talks "24" Movie Filming". Dark Horizons. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
- ^ Ben Rawson-Jones (April 1, 2007). "Report: '24' movie delayed indefinitely". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
- ^ Simon Reynolds (February 9, 2010). "Fox confirms Europe-set '24' movie". Digital Spy. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ "Sutherland Interview on 24". Sky1.sky.com. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ^ Chris Tilly (April 19, 2010). "24 Movie Script Ready". IGN UK. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ Catriona Wightman (November 11, 2010). "Q&A: The executive producer of '24'!". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ Ferrante, A.C. (December 14, 2010). "Exclusive Interview: 24's Howard Gordon reveals the scoop on the 24 movie (it's on hold) and talks about his novel GIDEON'S WAR arriving in January – Part 2". Assignment X. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (April 12, 2011). "'24' movie: Brian Grazer's on board for 2012 premiere". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ Green, Adam (May 22, 2005). "Normalizing Torture on '24'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ Macintyre, Ben (April 23, 2009). "'24' is fictional. So is the idea that torture works". The Times. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ Wardrop, Murray (November 28, 2008). "Kiefer Sutherland character Jack Bauer in 24 accused of 'glamorising torture'". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
clocktickingwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "24 May Cut Down on Torture Scenes; Writers Claim it's Their Own Idea". BuddyTV. February 20, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ Wilson, Benji (January 15, 2009). [The new Jack Bauer: tough on torture, sweet on Obama "The new Jack Bauer: tough on torture, sweet on Obama"]. The Telegraph. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ McAuliff, Michael (October 1 2007). [Torture like Jack Bauer's would be OK, Bill Clinton says Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2007/10/01/2007-10-01_torture_like_jack_bauers_would_be_ok_bil.html#ixzz1N60zbSBu "Torture like Jack Bauer's would be OK, Bill Clinton says Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2007/10/01/2007-10-01_torture_like_jack_bauers_would_be_ok_bil.html#ixzz1N61EjFnZ"]. NY Daily News. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Check date values in:|date=(help); External link in|title= - ^ Lattman, Peter (June 20, 2007). "Justice Scalia Hearts Jack Bauer". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ "US-Fernsehserie ''24'' – Folter als Teil einer nationalen Mythologie – Ausland –". Sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ^ Judith Arnold - Redaktorin Medienheft. "Folterszenen im Schweizer Fernsehen – Kontroverse um die US-Serie "24 – Twenty Four" – Judith Arnold". Medienheft.ch. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
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- ^ "Michigan Daily: '24' makes its triumphant return on FOX". The Michigan Daily. October 29, 2002. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008.
- ^ "US-Jahrescharts 2002/2003". Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ Suzanne C. Ryan (January 16, 2005). "TV producers have to be agile to deal with ratings, say experts". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Dan Snierson (January 9, 2006). "The Worst Day Ever". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ "Viewership numbers of prime-time programs during the 2005– 06 television season". Archived from the original on March 10, 2007.
- ^ "Give Me My Remote: 2006–07 prime-time ratings". Give Me My Remote. May 29, 2007. Note: Click on ratings list "22–48" for '24's ratings
- ^ Seidman, Robert (November 24, 2008). "Dancing With the Stars, CSI and NCIS lead weekly broadcast viewing". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
- ^ "ABC Ratings: 2008–09 season ratings to date". ABC. May 31, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|sourcedomain=ignored (help) - ^ Gorman, Bill (June 16, 2010). "Final 2009-10 Broadcast Primetime Show Average Viewership". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ "Series". The Hollywood Reporter. May 26, 2006. Archived from the original on July 16, 2008.
- ^ Mahan, Colin (January 16, 2007). "Ratings: Jack Bauer vs. Globes". TV.com.
- ^ Robert Seidman. "Early Ratings: 24 up; Chuck stable; Life Unexpected Stronger than One Tree Hill". TV by the Numbers. January 19, 2010.
- ^ "24 movie 'may be set in London'". BBC Newsbeat. January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
- ^ Adam Sherwin (December 19, 2003). "Sky One outbids BBC for thriller". London: Times Online. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
- ^ Steve Head (October 28, 2002). "A Conversation with Kiefer Sutherland". IGN. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ David Lambert (October 22, 2003). "24's TV-on-DVD success leads to new DVD concepts". TVShowsOnDVD. Retrieved August 27, 2006.
- ^ IGN staff, "CES 2007: 24, Prison Break Hit Blu-ray", Jan. 8, 2007.
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- ^ "24 DVD news: Release Date for 24 – Season 7 (DVD and Blu-ray Disc)". February 23, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
- ^ "Fox Press Brief Confirms December Season 8 DVD and Blu-ray and The Complete Series DVD". May 25, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
Further reading
- Slavoj Žižek, The depraved heroes of 24 are the Himmlers of Hollywood The Guardian, 10 January 2006.
- Steven Keslowitz, The Tao of Jack Bauer: What Our Favorite Terrorist Buster Says About Life, Love, Torture, and Saving the World 24 Times in 24 Hours With No Lunch Break (2009). ISBN 1-4401-2062-5
- Steven Keslowitz, The Simpsons, 24, and the Law: How Homer Simpson and Jack Bauer Influence Congressional Lawmaking and Judicial Reasoning, 29:6 Cardozo Law Review 2787–822 (May 2008). (PDF)
- Jepson, Rich. 24 Terrorism Through Television. ISBN 978-0-9561504-0-0.
- Hart Weed, Jennifer. 24 and Philosophy: The World According to Jack. The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series (1 ed.). Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051-7104-9. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
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External links
Template:Wikipedia-Books
Media related to 24 at Wikimedia Commons
Unexpected use of template {{24}} - see Template:24 for details.
- Use mdy dates from August 2010
- 24 (TV series)
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