Jump to content

24 (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by PS2pcGAMER (talk | contribs) at 22:34, 21 May 2006 (Revert to revision 54378500 using popups). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the television series "24". For other uses, see 24 (number) or for the year, 24 (year).
24
24 title screen
24 title screen
Created byJoel Surnow and Robert Cochran
StarringKiefer Sutherland
Kim Raver
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Gregory Itzin
James Morrison
Roger Cross
and
Jean Smart
Country of originUSA
No. of episodes118 as of May 15, 2006
(two remaining this season)
Production
Running time44 minutes (60 including commercial time)
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseNovember 6, 2001 –
present

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

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

This real-time nature of 24 gives the show a strong sense of urgency, emphasized by the beeping of an on-screen digital clock appearing behind a black background before and after commercial breaks (the later of which reveals certain visual plots and locations one second at time). At various times during a segment of a show the digital clock appears at the center bottom of the screen. Throughout every episode the action switches between different locations, following the parallel adventures of different characters all involved in the same story.

The series is currently in its fifth season. In April 2006, 20th Century Fox Television renewed Sutherland's contract through season eight, but has only renewed the series through season six. A movie version is planned for 2008.

On May 9, 2006, episodes of 24 were made available for purchase on the iTunes Music Store.

Season synopses

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

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

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

  • Season 1 begins each episode with Kiefer Sutherland saying "The following takes place between [time] and [time] on the day of the California Presidential Primary." The importance of this introduction can be understood below in season one's synopsis.

Template:Spoiler

Season 1

Main article: 24 (season 1)

In Season 1, Jack Bauer's wife and daughter are kidnapped by the same people trying to kill presidential candidate David Palmer, who could be the first African-American in history to reach the White House. A mole inside L.A Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) is exposed, but doesn't provide any information that could help the investigation. Because the people behind the day's events have Jack's family hostage, he is forced to do what they say. When it is revealed that the man behind his family's kidnapping is someone from his past, Jack eventually realizes everything that has happened this day has to do with him and that there isn't only one mole inside CTU.

Season 2

Main article: 24 (season 2)

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

Season 3

Main article: 24 (season 3)

In Season 3, Jack has returned from a deep undercover assignment, infiltrating the Salazar drug family, which has ties to terrorism. At the same time, a van drops off a dead body infected with a bio-weapon at the National Health Services. Jack's new partner is a brash but successful agent, Chase Edmunds, who is in a relationship with Jack's daughter Kim who is now employed by CTU. Jack and Chase must stop the terrorists responsible for the virus and destroy all specimens before it is released. Jack learns how far Chase is willing to go to stop the attacks, while he also encounters a woman from his past that worked against him at CTU in Season 1. Jack is also dealing with a drug addiction that he developed over the course of his previous undercover assignment.

Season 4

Main article: 24 (season 4)

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

Season 5

Main article: 24 (season 5)

In Season 5, Jack Bauer, living under the alias of Frank Flynn, continues to hide from the Chinese authorities who believe him to be dead. He is brought back into action when prominent figures from his past are mysteriously murdered. All were among the few who knew that Jack was still alive. While trying to discover the culprits Jack discovers a terrorist plot to acquire weaponized nerve gas. Meanwhile, President Charles Logan and the Russian president prepare to sign a treaty while the first lady Martha Logan attempts to uncover a conspiracy stretching deep within her husband's administration linked to the events that unfold throughout the day.

Timeline

There has been a great deal of dispute as to what exact timeline that the various Seasons of 24 occur on. Season 1 is set during a Presidential primary which occurs in March of an election year. In Season 3, a 19 year old character's birthday is shown to be in August 1987. That means that Season 3 occurs during August 2006 - August 2007. Since Season 3 occurs 4 1/2 years after Season 1, that means that Season 3 is set in September 2006. This satisfies the condition that Season 3 must occur between August 2006 - August 2007 and Season 3 also occurs on a day of a Presidential debate which always occurs on the fall of an election year which is in November.

Therefore:

  • Season 1: Occurs in March 2002
  • Season 2: Occurs in September 2003
  • Season 3: Occurs in September 2006
  • Season 4: Occurs in March 2008
  • Season 5: Occurs in September 2009

Active main cast

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

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

See also: List of Politicians on 24

Popular and critical acclaim

24 has received critical and popular acclaim, and has become a true "watercooler show." However, the necessities of its format sometimes lead to egregious padding and manifest absurdities. For example, traffic jams are surprisingly uncommon for a show set mostly in Southern California. The fact that characters rarely eat or excuse themselves to use the bathroom are also subject to parody, however due to the multitude of different characters and the different story threads, there is plenty of time for characters to do all these things off screen during each episode.

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

Real-time nature of 24

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

24 is a thriller that purports to be shown in "real-time", with each minute of airtime corresponding to a minute in the lives of the characters. This real-time nature is emphasized by an on-screen digital clock appearing from time to time--this corresponds to the exact minute of the broadcast hour, counting commercial time. Since it is a U.S. commercial-television series, more than one-quarter of 24's time is spent on commercials, resulting in episodes that last forty-four minutes. Elsewhere there may be no commercials in the middle of the episodes (e.g. on public channels in Europe, such as the BBC, and also on the DVD versions), so the clock 'jumps' where commercials are planned for the United States, and is thus not strictly real-time. Actions which take place during commercials is not shown.

Mundane actions (such as car journeys) are either skipped or are shown briefly in split-screen panels, quickly updating the audience to other story lines.

Real-time films are not new, although some of them possessed small gaps in time. Examples of movies set in real-time include Hitchcock's Rope (1948), Robert Wise's The Set-Up (1949), Fred Zinneman's classic Western High Noon (1952), Sidney Lumet's Twelve Angry Men (1957) (originally a TV play), Richard Linklater's Before Sunset (2004), and "United 93" (2006).

24's style of showing split-screen action may have been partially inspired by Mike Figgis' "Timecode" (2000). This movie was shot in four simultaneous continuous takes and shown in real-time in a four paneled split-screen.

John Badham's "Nick Of Time" (1995) features a plot and style closely matching that of 24's first season. Johnny Depp stars as father who, when his daughter is kidnapped, is forced to aid the assassination of a US governor.

Behind-the-Scenes Information

General trivia

Template:Spoiler

  • During seasons 1-3, character, Tony Almeida had a Chicago Cubs coffee mug on his desk and in Seasons 4 and 5, it reappeared at his home. Tony was born in Chicago, as was Carlos Bernard. When shooting the bomb attack in season two, it was decided that the mug was not going to survive the attack. Bernard tossed the mug into the air, expecting it to shatter on impact, but it became caught on a camera wire and survived. After the mug was retrieved, it was decided to be indestructible and remained on the set. Fans have christened this mug, "Cubby".
  • Shots of a satellite in space in the pilot episode were taken from the movie Enemy of the State.[1]
  • A scene from the pilot episode depicting a Boeing 747 exploding was re-edited for broadcast, with the image of the plane exploding removed, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, which had occurred less than two months earlier. [citation needed]
  • Xander Berkeley and Sarah Clarke were married after meeting on set during season one. They kept their relationship a secret from the producers and castmates for awhile.
  • In Season 3, the image of Nina's ID gives her alias as Sarah Berkeley.
  • There are three members of the 24 cast who were in the 1989 movie, The Fabulous Baker Boys. Xander Berkeley (Seasons 1,2), Albert Hall (Season 3), and Gregory Itzin (Seasons 4,5).
  • At the power plant, before Palmer's breakfast speech in Season 1, Jack runs into old friend and Palmer staffer, Jessica Abrams. In conversation, she refers to mutual old friend Tracy Zigler who had erroneously reported that Jack and Teri had divorced. Both characters were named after members of the production crew; Jessica Abrams was the script coordinator and Tracy Zigler was the script supervisor.
  • As an April Fool's joke on the crew, producer/director Jon Cassar revealed this fake ending to Day 2: Palmer's press conference ends and he goes down to his limo. He gets in successfully and rides off. After awhile, we find out that someone is sitting next to him. That someone is Nina Myers. We realize that Palmer was in on the whole thing. We then shift to a scene in the desert. We close in on a parachute, then pan over to reveal George Mason, who jumped out of the plane before the bomb exploded. The end. This joke was revealed in the season 2 DVD special features.
  • In the third season, a website, sylviaimports.com, is given to President Palmer by Saunders, who wants Palmer to send him a list through the website. The website, registered by Rodney Charters - director of photography, leads to a "Thank you" note from the crew of 24.
  • In an interview on The Charlie Rose Show from May 20, 2005, Joel Surnow disclosed that the writers and producers had wanted to have President John Keeler die in the crash of Air Force One. However, network executives vetoed that idea and at the conclusion of the season he was comatose.
  • In an interview with a UK television guide at the start of Season Five's airing in the UK, Kiefer Sutherland revealed there were plans for a 24 Movie that were shelved after its plot was used in the script for the upcoming Episode 18 of Season Five. [citation needed]
  • According to an article at BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4894962.stm), Variety and Hollowood Reporter claim that Kiefer has signed up for a further 3 seasons
  • In Season 5, Episode 20 the flight Jack goes on to get the recording is, flight 520, the same number of the episode

Template:Endspoiler

The Punisher (Frank Castle) according to the 2006 film, also worked at CTU. The actual agent Castle (who died in Season 4) could possibly be an inside joke.

Cameos

  • Senator John McCain (R-AZ) makes a cameo appearance in the "1:00 PM to 2:00 PM" episode of Season 5. He has a non-speaking role as an unidentified bureaucrat who delivers a file folder to Audrey Raines (Kim Raver), and can be seen in the "split screen" for about six seconds beginning at 1:32:22. [1]
  • NASCAR driver Carl Edwards made a cameo appearance with a small speaking part in the episode which was broadcast on April 3,2006. [2]
  • Director Joe Barniak made a cameo in the background during the Airport scene in Season 5. Joe is major independent director and director of the newest style of horror films, "Who is Jack Leever?",2006.
  • Director Dan Greddy made a cameo as a prison guard in hour 1 in Season 3. Dan is a major independent director of horror and is CEO of Greddy Pictures.2005

Fan phone

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

24 in other media

File:24game.jpg

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

24: The Game

Main article: 24: The Game

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

Mobile

Main article: 24: Conspiracy

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

There is also a 24 mobile game by I-play[3]. The player assumes the role of an a CTU agent taking command and directing Jack, Chloe, Curtis, and Kim. While technically taking place between seasons four and five, various plot holes and contradictions to the show have rendered this game incarnation non-canonical.

Comics

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.

  • One Shot took place prior to Day I, while Stories and Midnight Sun took place between Days II & III, with the logical placing that Midnight Sun followed 24: The Game chronologically and was then followed by Stories.

Books and Magazines

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. In the "24 Canon", it took place in the autumn following the events of Day I, thanks to a reference for a Thanksgiving Break. This assumes that David Palmer beat Governor Hodges in the Primaries, and eventually beat imcumbent President Barnes in the General Election.

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

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

[3]

In 2006, an Official Companion covering seasons 1 and 2 is to be released. There are no further details at this point but it is to be published by Titan Books. The Official 24 Magazine was released in the USA and UK in May 2006, by Titan Publishing.

Music

Main article: 24: The Soundtrack

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

Action Figures

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

Top Trumps

Winning Moves released a "24 limited editions" version of their Top Trumps game in the UK in 2005. The pack contains 30 cards with significant characters from the first four seasons of the TV show. The five scores for each character are seasons (1 to 4), power (0 to 50), loyalty to cause (0 to 10), cunning (0 to 100) and lastly 24 factor (which seems to indicate importance to the show and ranges from 1 to 24). Jack Bauer is unsurprisingly the most powerful card in the deck with the following statistics: seasons - 4, power - 46, loyalty to cause - 9, cunning - 94 and a 24 factor of 24. Nina Myers notably scores 98 for cunning but 0 for loyalty to cause.

The cards come with photos of the characters and descriptions. Some of the descriptions contain errors: Nina Myers is said to have been killed by rival criminals when in fact Jack killed her in Season 3 Episode 14, Michelle Dessler is ascribed 4 seasons despite not appearing in Season 1 and Sherry Palmer is said to have lost her life in the line of duty when the truth is that she was shot by Julia Milliken who was seeking revenge in Season 3 Episode 23. Notable absentees from the pack include George Mason, Edgar Stiles, Curtis Manning, Mike Novick and Aaron Pierce. However the 24 Season 4 DVD comes with a special super top trump card of Behrooz Araz that is not included in the original pack.

24 Magazine

First issue came April 13 by Titan Magazines is a bimonthly magazine with interviews with cast and crew.

DVD releases

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

References

  1. ^ "Trivia for "24"". IMBd. Retrieved 2005-04-01.
  2. ^ "Pure 24". BBC. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
    • In Season 5, most of the actors have worked together already. Peter Weller (Henderson), Ray Wise(Vice Predsident in Season 5) and Paul McCrane all starred together in Robocop(1987)
  3. ^ "Search results for "24 Declassified"". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 2006-04-01.

External links


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

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=24_(TV_series)&oldid=54424559"