A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 24 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Sean Callery |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 192 + 24: Redemption + 12 (24: Live Another Day) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Production locations |
|
| Cinematography | Peter Levy Rodney Charters Jeffrey C. Mygatt Guy Skinner |
| Editors | David Latham Scott Powell Leon Ortiz-Gil Chris G. Willingham Casey O. Rohrs Larry Davenport Elisa Cohen David Thompson |
| Running time | 43–51 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | November 6, 2001 – May 24, 2010 |
| Release | May 5 – July 14, 2014 |
| Related | |
| 24: Live Another Day 24: Legacy | |
24 is an American action drama television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox. The series stars Kiefer Sutherland as US counter-terrorist federal agent Jack Bauer. Each season covers 24 consecutive hours in Bauer's life using the real time method of narration, which is emphasized by the display of split screens and a digital clock. The show premiered on November 6, 2001, and spanned 204 episodes over nine seasons, with the series finale broadcast on July 14, 2014. In addition, the television film 24: Redemption aired between seasons six and seven, on November 23, 2008. 24 is a joint production by Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television.
At the start of the series, Bauer is already a highly proficient agent with an "ends justify the means" approach. This means that he will usually threaten, disregard and lie to anyone who refuses to cooperate with him.[2][3] Throughout the series, the plot elements contain both a political thriller and a serial drama, with each episode normally ending on a cliffhanger.[4] Furthermore, the action component shows Bauer using people on both sides of the law in his attempts to prevent terrorist attacks and bring down those responsible, sometimes at great personal expense. These attacks include presidential assassination attempts, bomb detonations, bioterrorism, cyberwarfare, as well as conspiracies that involve government and corporate corruption.
24 received generally positive reviews, with its fifth season being universally praised by critics. However, the series was criticized for perceived Islamophobia and glorification of torture. The show won numerous awards throughout its run, including Best Drama Series at the 2004 Golden Globe Awards and Outstanding Drama Series at the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards. In May 2013, it was announced that 24 would return with a 12-episode limited series titled 24: Live Another Day, which aired from May 5 to July 14, 2014, bringing the episode count to 204.[5][6] A spin-off series, 24: Legacy, premiered on February 5, 2017, lasting a single 12-episode season.[7][8] 24 is the longest-running U.S. espionage- or counterterrorism-themed television drama, surpassing both Mission: Impossible and the UK's The Avengers.[9]
Synopsis
Premise
24 is a serial drama starring Kiefer Sutherland as central character Jack Bauer, an agent initially with the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU), whose mandate is to protect the United States from terrorist plots. The episodes take place over the course of one hour, depicting events as they happen, in real time.[10] However, commercial breaks are normally used to skip several minutes multiple times, which means that about 17 minutes of each hour is not shown. To emphasize the real-world flow of events, a clock is prominently displayed on-screen at certain points during the show, and there is regular use of split screens, a technique used to depict multiple scenes occurring simultaneously.
In addition to Bauer, each episode typically follows other US government officials from CTU/FBI/CIA and the White House, as well as the conspirators who set the events in motion. Because many of these conspirators commit murder for political gain, several of Bauer's contacts are killed as a consequence of government intervention. The grief that Bauer experiences from these deaths is often explored throughout the series. While Bauer does have the utmost respect for most of his colleagues, friends and family members, he always believes himself to know how to provide the best way of saving innocent lives and/or achieving his own sense of justice, often being proven right when taking action.
24 is known for employing plot twists which may arise as antagonists adapt, objectives evolve or larger-scale operations unfold. Stories also involve interpersonal relationships, delving into the private lives of the characters. As part of a recurring theme, characters are frequently confronted with ethical dilemmas. Examples of this are a bombing in season 2, which can only be prevented by blowing Bauer's cover, and an ultimatum in season 3, in which a terrorist agrees not to carry out an attack if a high-ranking CTU official is killed. Also, season 4 is notable for a scene in which two men—one of whom possesses crucial information—are dying in a room with only one surgeon.
Overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| Day 1 | 24 | November 6, 2001 | May 21, 2002 | |
| Day 2 | 24 | October 29, 2002 | May 20, 2003 | |
| Day 3 | 24 | October 28, 2003 | May 25, 2004 | |
| Day 4 | 24 | January 9, 2005 | May 23, 2005 | |
| Day 5 | 24 | January 15, 2006 | May 22, 2006 | |
| Day 6 | 24 | January 14, 2007 | May 21, 2007 | |
| Redemption | 1 | November 23, 2008 | ||
| Day 7 | 24 | January 11, 2009 | May 18, 2009 | |
| Day 8 | 24 | January 17, 2010 | May 24, 2010 | |
| Live Another Day | 12 | May 5, 2014 | July 14, 2014 | |
Season 1 begins at midnight on the day of the California presidential primary in Los Angeles. Counter Terrorist Unit Agent Jack Bauer's objective is to protect presidential candidate Senator David Palmer from an assassination attempt and rescue his own family from those responsible, the Drazen syndicate, led by Serbian war criminal Victor Drazen, and his sons, Alexis and Andre, who seek retribution for Jack and Palmer's involvement with a covert American mission in the Balkans.
Season 2, set 18 months later, begins at 8:00 a.m. Jack must stop a nuclear bomb from detonating in Los Angeles, then assist the now-President Palmer in proving who is responsible for the threat and avoid war between the U.S. and three Middle Eastern countries.
Season 3, set three years later, begins at 1:00 p.m. Jack must infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel led by Ramon and Hector Salazar, to seize a deadly virus being marketed underground. President Palmer must deal with a potential scandal that could cost him his presidency.
Season 4, set 18 months later, begins at 7:00 a.m. Jack must save the lives of his new boss, United States Secretary of Defense James Heller, who Jack now works for as a special assistant, and Heller's daughter Audrey Raines (with whom Jack is romantically involved) when they are kidnapped by terrorists. However, Turkish terrorist mastermind Habib Marwan uses this as a disguise to launch further attacks against America, and Jack is forced to use unorthodox methods to stop him, which results in long-term consequences for both Jack and the United States.
Season 5, set 18 months after, begins at 7:00 a.m. 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 assassinated and he is framed by terrorists with connections to the American government. The acquisition of nerve gas by the terrorists poses a new threat, and Jack discovers an insidious conspiracy while trying to stop those responsible.
Season 6, set 20 months later, begins at 6:00 a.m. Jack is released after being captured by Chinese official Cheng Zhi and being detained in a Chinese prison following the events of Season 5. Terrorists led by Abu Fayed who hold a vendetta against Jack plot to set off suitcase nuclear devices in America. Later, Jack is forced to choose between those he loves and national security when the Chinese set their sights on sensitive circuitry that could trigger a war between the U.S. and Russia.
Redemption, set three-and-a-half years later, begins at 3:00 p.m. Jack finds himself caught up in a military coup d’état in the fictional African nation of Sangala. Militants are being provided assistance from officials within the United States, where Senator Allison Taylor is being sworn into office as president. Due to the 2007–08 Writers' Strike, season seven was delayed one year.[11] To bridge the one-and-a-half-year gap between seasons, Redemption was produced. This television film aired on November 23, 2008.
Season 7, set 65 days after the end of Redemption, begins at 8:00 a.m. CTU is disbanded, and Jack is assisted by the FBI and covert operatives when the firewall for America's federal computer infrastructure is breached by the same people responsible for a conflict in Sangala. Jack must uncover corruption within the now-President Taylor's administration, which has allowed the Sangalans to raid the White House and capture Taylor. She is later blackmailed by Starkwood, a fictional private military company led by its CEO, Jonas Hodges, in an attempt to release biological weapons on U.S. soil.
Season 8, set 18 months later,[12] begins at 4:00 p.m. Jack is brought in by the now-reinstated CTU to uncover a Russian plot to assassinate Middle Eastern leader Omar Hassan, the President of the fictional country of the Islamic Republic of Kamistan, during peace negotiations with President Taylor at the United Nations in New York City. Russia's contingency plan involves engineering a dirty bomb, which Islamic extremists threaten to detonate in Manhattan unless Hassan is handed over. Jack later seeks retribution for personal losses suffered, including the death of ex-FBI Special Agent Renee Walker, after former President Charles Logan convinces Taylor to cover up these crimes to protect the peace agreement. Jack finds himself at odds with both the Russian and U.S. governments.
Live Another Day, set four years later, begins at 11:00 a.m. and finds a fugitive Jack in London trying to stop an assassination attempt on the now-President Heller and later a drone terrorist attack on London by terrorist Margot Al-Harazi while being hunted by but later working with the CIA.[13] Later, Jack must prevent an old enemy, Cheng Zhi, and Russian diplomat Anatol Stolnavich, from sparking a war between the U.S. and China.
Cast and characters
The following cast members have been credited as main cast in the opening credits: