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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.[1] 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 terrorists. Based in Los Angeles, the show also follows the actions of other CTU agents and government officials associated with the plot.
ElementsReal timeImage: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
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 UnitImage: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.[2] 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.[citation needed] Season synopsesSpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Season OneDay 1 starts and ends at midnight, on the day of the California presidential primary. Jack Bauer is called into the Los Angeles (CTU) surrounding a potential assassination plot against presidential candidate David Palmer. Bauer's wife and teenaged daughter are kidnapped by the terrorist group plotting to kill presidential candidate David Palmer. A mole 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 TwoDay 2 starts and ends at 8:00 a.m. Approximately 18 months after Season One, 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. 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 ThreeDay 3 starts and ends at 1:00 p.m. Three years after Day 2 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. Season FourDay 4 starts and ends at 7:00 a.m. It has been 18 months 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 FiveDay 5 starts and ends at 7:00 a.m. Eighteen months after Day 4, 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 SixDay 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 four 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
Main Cast24 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 CastImage:24 S6 Cast.jpg Season 6 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast.
Current Special Guest Stars
Current Recurring Roles
Former Regular CastImage:24season1maincast.jpg Season 1 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast. Image:24 season2cast.jpg Season 2 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast. Image:Promo24season3cast.jpg Season 3 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast. Image:24Day4.jpg Season 4 promotional photograph of two of the 24 main cast. Image:24 Season 5.jpg Season 5 promotional photograph of the 24 main cast
(*)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
Cast NotesNote 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 ratingsCritical acclaimKiefer 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.[5] 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. 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).[6] 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."[7]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[8] and Director Jon Cassar an Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.[9] 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 ratingsSeasonal 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.
^ 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.[15] 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.[16] 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. CriticismDepiction of MuslimsCriticism 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]. 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
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.[17] 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.”[18] CTU is portrayed as employing several personnel exclusively to torture 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 depicted on the show vary from non-invasive techniques such as SDT (sensory disorientation torture), to blunt force trauma (such as breaking bones), 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 analgesic 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.[17] Stephen King, an avowed fan of 24, wrote,
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.[18] 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:
Joe Navarro, one of the F.B.I.'s top experts in questioning techniques, also attended the meeting. He told The New Yorker,
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.[18] 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."[21] In reality, torture is a highly unreliable and generally ineffective means of extracting information. U.S. intelligence officers say they have little—if any—evidence that useful intelligence has been obtained using techniques generally understood to be torture.[22] 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 BiasOn 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".[23] 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.[24] 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. [25] 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". [26] In other mediaMore 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. SoundtracksVarious 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.[27] Games24: The Game24: 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 GameThere is a tabletop board game published by | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
