| 24 (television) |
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''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 from time to time, and before commercial breaks. 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. {Link without Title} SEASON SYNOPSES as Jack Bauer .]] 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 Twist s 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. 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 and [time ." There are two exceptions to date:
Conspiracies Every season of 24 has had a motive besides a simple Terrorist Attack . Day 1 was revenge for the murder of Victor Drazen's family. Day 2 was orchestrated by a man named Peter Kingsley who arranged a nuclear attack on US soil, so as the US government would retaliate with a war strategy, thus causing a rise in his Oil Prices in the Middle East. In Day 3, Stephen Saunders was planning to get revenge on the US government for abandoning him in the operation to kill Victor Drazen, Operation Nightfall. Day 4 was planned to show the US Government that they cannot continue to meddle in foreign affairs that don't concern them without consequence. Day 5 was planned to secure oil in central Asia ; and also to increase the U.S.'s military presence. Season 1 See Also: 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 CTU named Jamey Farrell 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 Andre Drazen, Jack eventually realizes everything that has happened ties into his violent past, and Jamey wasn't the only person inside CTU working for the Drazens. Season 2 See Also: 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 See Also: 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 See Also: 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 employees 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 See Also: 24 (season 5)
In Season 5, Jack Bauer, living under the alias of Frank Flynn, continues to hide form 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 aquire 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. ACTIVE MAIN CAST ''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.")
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 , which along with the fact that the main characters never seem to use the bathroom, have become popular subjects of parody and stand-up humor throughout the show's history, and call upon the audience for a considerable amount of Suspension Of Disbelief . However, some argue that because the show takes place in real time, and often cuts between characters and scenes, that it is not necessary to show characters actually using restrooms, or even consuming food (although the latter has been shown a few times in past seasons, perhaps to emphasize the real time aspect of the show). So although they are not often seen doing these things, proponents feel that it still happens, only off the screen, and thus, is implied. 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 ''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 an US commercial-television series, almost 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. Action that takes place during the commercials or ''clock jumps'' is not shown. Mundane actions (such as car journeys) are either skipped just as they are in conventional drama, or briefly shown in split-screen panels, which quickly update the audience on what characters not currently featured in the main narrative are doing. Real time films are not new, although some of them possessed small gaps in time. Examples pre-dating ''24'' are Hitchcock's ''Rope'' (1948), Robert Wise's ''The Set-Up'' (1949), Sidney Lumet's ''Twelve Angry Men'' (1957) (originally a TV play) and more recently Richard Linklater's ''Before Sunset'' (2004). Another movie that could have paved the way to "24" is Mike Figgis ' "Timecode" (2000), shot in four simultaneous continuous takes, and shown real-time in a four panels split-screen. A movie that also could be seen to have greatly inspired "24" is John Badham's "Nick Of Time" (1995) starring Johnny Depp as a father, forced to aid in assassinating a US governor when his daughter is kidnapped by protagonist Christopher Walken. The film took place in 'real time' with its plot being much the same as the first half of 24 season 1. BEHIND-THE-SCENES INFORMATION magazine.]] General trivia
Cameos
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 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 See Also: 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 See Also: 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 ''iplay''. 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 '''' simply known as ''24''. 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. Three paperback novels have been published by ''Harper Entertainment'' under the title ''24: Declassified''. ''Operation Hell Gate'' and ''Trojan Horse'' were also written by Marc Cerasini . ''Veto Power'' was 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 See Also: 24: The Soundtrack ''24: The Soundtrack'' contains nineteen tracks of music composed exclusively for the first three seasons by producer . 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 {Link without Title} 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 '' 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. DVD RELEASES REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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