24

[POJO_Risin]

Connie Britton is Jack's love interest this season...

formerly on Spin City with MJFox...

[5:01 am]

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,17808,00.html

Trio Punches Clock for "24"

by Gina Serpe
Nov 18, 2005, 12:25 PM PT



Jack is back. And he's bringing some friends with him.

The Fox hit 24 is dusting off the welcome mat for three more veteran actors this season, with Peter Weller, JoBeth Williams and Julian Sands joining the ever-revolving cast, the network announced Friday.

When viewers last saw Kiefer Sutherland's rogue agent Jack Bauer, he was dropped off south of the border, handed a new identity and warned not to return to the U.S.

The new season, Day 5 in Bauer-land, kicks off 18 months later, with national security once again "brutally breached."

The presumed-dead Bauer has taken up a new life with his girlfriend and her son, played by previously announced newcomers Connie Britton and Brady Corbett, respectively. Which is where the series' latest additions come in.

While Fox is remaining mum on any plot details, it has confirmed that Robocop thesp Weller has signed on as federal agent Christopher Henderson, the man responsible for recruiting Bauer to the CTU more than a decade ago. Three-time Emmy nominee, and recent Fever Pitch actress, Williams plays his wife.

As for veteran British actor Sands, of Time Code and A Room with a View fame, producers have simply tagged him "billionaire bad guy" Vladimir Bierko.

But the cozy threesome aren't the only new faces popping up on the prime-time hit this season.

Earlier this year, Fox announced several high-profile new additions to the time-sensitive drama.

In addition to Britton and Corbet, erstwhile Hobbit Sean Astin joins the clock-ticker as a regular this season, playing a fellow Counter Terrorist Unit agent.

Former Designing Woman Jean Smart rounds out the new ensemble as the first lady.

24's fifth day kicks off with a four-hour, two-night premiere Jan. 15 and 16 on Fox, which will mark the series' 100th episode.

[POJO_Risin]

Watching 24 as we speak...not the new show...

season 1...

fired up...tomorrow...the first 2 hours of the 4 hour premiere...

the best show on TV...and more than likely...

Sutherland's last year on the show as an actor...

I think by the end of the season...we'll be introduced to a new agent...to have some "bad days"

[POJO_Risin]

If you don't watch this show...

start fucking watching...

[POJO_Risin]

Wondering if Walker and Wilbury will show up...

can't believe more people don't watch this show...

[POJO_Risin]

Kiefer Sutherland starts '24' more hours on Fox


By Jay Bobbin
Zap2it

If you want to know how many really bad days one person can have, witness Jack Bauer.
The counterterrorism agent has come extremely close to death during four days played out over the past four television seasons. By Bauer's own doing, most people thought he died after the last one. However, Kiefer Sutherland resumes the role in season five of the acclaimed Fox suspense series "24," which begins with two-hour installments airing from 7-9 p.m. Sunday and Monday. The Monday airing encompasses the show's 100th episode.

Viewers of the recently released fourth-year DVD set of "24" have had a taste of the new season, thanks to a made-for-home-video prequel linking the show's past year with its new one. The piece hints that after 18 months, old foes realize Bauer is still alive, even if his daughter and most of his Counter Terrorist Unit associates don't.

He has built a new existence with a woman and her son (Connie Britton, Brady Corbet) while his comrades Chloe and Edgar (Mary Lynn Rajskub, Louis Lombardi) remain at CTU under Bill Buchanan's (James Morrison) leadership. Less-than-commanding President Logan (Gregory Itzin) is still in the White House, and Logan's wife (Jean Smart) becomes a key player in the new tales that adhere to the series' real-time format.

This year's impressive "24" cast also adds Sean Astin as a new CTU operative; Julian Sands as a wealthy villain; Peter Weller and JoBeth Williams as Bauer's espionage mentor and his wife; and Jayne Atkinson and Stephen Spinella as a Homeland Security superior and her deputy. Carlos Bernard is back as CTU man Tony, and Kim Raver reprises the role of Audrey, Bauer's ex-flame.

The DVD prequel features a more disheveled Jack Bauer than "24" fans are used to, a big reason that sequence won't be seen in the televised show. "Otherwise, I'd be restricted to maintaining that look for the entire season, since it revolves around one day," Sutherland says, "but that created a lot of freedom for us (on DVD)."

Freedom is something Sutherland knows anyway in making "24"; also a producer of the show, he never knows fully where the plot will take him when a season begins.

The producers and writers "have a rough idea of where they want to get to," the star says, "but how they plan on getting there, it's actually amazing to watch them figure out. The first 12 episodes are pretty much mapped out, and once those go on the air, you get a sense of what is mattering to the audience. From our perspective, we also get a sense of what is connecting and working well between actors or story lines. We just follow that as far as we can."

As for keeping the faith that everything will make sense in the end, "We don't have a choice," Sutherland says. "We do everything we can to make each scene as good as possible, then in turn to make each episode as good as possible. It's gotten to a place where we've just accepted that you have to take it day by day."

In addition to DVD, earlier "24" seasons can be seen on A&E and in syndication, each "day" characterized in part by the changes in Jack Bauer.

"He's gone from being the one doing the hunting to being the hunted on some level," Sutherland says. "They've really turned it on its ear in the fifth season, and it's a fantastic shift in a series that has as many inherent restrictions as '24' does, by virtue of the time format and everything else. You see Jack in a different environment from any other season, and that's very interesting. We feel like we're doing a new show."

When "24" premiered in 2001, Sutherland had his doubts about tackling such a prolonged project after varying his career with movies including "Stand by Me," "The Lost Boys," "Young Guns," "A Few Good Men" and "A Time to Kill."

"I don't think I've ever come across a greater challenge than trying to keep '24' fresh and alive," he says, "and the way to do that is with 10 small things rather than one big dramatic thing. Any concerns I had,

going into television, that I would get bored? Those are gone."

"24" originally aired weekly on Tuesday, but Sutherland is happy with the switch to Monday, especially since it now keeps him out of competition with his father: Donald Sutherland portrays the scheming speaker of the House in "Commander in Chief," ABC's Tuesday political-drama series.

"I became very comfortable with our slot the first two years, but I've never been more grateful that we moved," Kiefer Sutherland says. "He's having the best time doing that show. He sounds like I did when '24' got picked up, being thrown into this series world, but he's really enjoying it. He's also doing fantastic work, as he always does. I think we tend to take that for granted from him."

[POJO_Risin]

Has anyone seen the fucking prequel?

Shit...I didn't by season 4 yet...I should have...

[POJO_Risin]

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer...


More From The Plain Dealer | Subscribe To The Plain Dealer
The many big-name faces of 24'
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Mark Dawidziak
Plain Dealer Television Critic
A new season of "24" means a bunch of new faces. That's an old story for fans of Fox's action drama, which begins its fifth season at 8 tonight on WJW Channel 8.

So what's really new about this year's round of wholesale cast changes? Well, the "24" team has made its strongest bid yet to make sure that big-name players are on the roster of intriguing newcomers.

There are the familiar characters, of course, starting with (who else?) ace counterterrorist agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). At the Counter Terrorist Unit, you'll spot analysts Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub) and Edgar Stiles (Louis Lombardi) returning to their computer keyboards. And agent Curtis Manning (Roger Cross), like Edgar, is back for a second season.

Looking to spy more old faces? Hey, Jack's peril-prone daughter, Kim (Elisha Cuthbert), is back, as is Audrey Raines (Kim Raver). And look for Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) and Michelle Dessler (Reiko Aylesworth), now remarried, to be drawn back into assignments for the CTU, which is being run by Bill Buchanan (James Morrison).

But if you're ready to meet the new characters, here's the roundup:

Vladimir Bierko (Julian Sands): Our mastermind villain this season, Vladimir is a Russian billionaire with a political agenda as deep as the Siberian snow in February. He wants to sabotage an anti-terrorism treaty about to be signed by shaky new President Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) and the Russian premier.

Martha Logan (Jean Smart): Portrayed by the former "Designing Women" star, the ever-dramatic first lady, Martha Logan, seems nutty when spouting a conspiracy theory -- but, nutty as it sounds, she just might be right.

Christopher Henderson (Peter Weller): A former CTU operative, Christopher was the federal agent who, a decade ago, recruited Jack for counterterrorist work. Bumped out of the spy business by charges of corruption, he still claims to be innocent.

Miriam Henderson (JoBeth Williams): Played by the star of such films as "Poltergeist" and "The Big Chill," Miriam is Christopher's wife.

Diane Huxley (Connie Britton): Jack, hiding under the name of Frank Flynn, is living with Diane and her troubled son, Derek (Brady Corbet), in Bakersfield, Calif. They don't know his real name or his profession.

Lynn McGill (Sean Astin): A cocky rising star at another federal agency, Lynn is the bureaucrat brought in by the president to be the CTU's new head of operations.

Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson): Played by the Tony nominee for "The Rainmaker" and "Enchanted April," Karen is the heavy-handed Homeland Security official sent to clean up a messy situation at CTU.

Miles (Stephen Spinella): Played by the Tony winner for "Angels in America," Miles is Karen's assistant.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

mdawidziak@plaind.com,216-999-4249

[POJO_Risin]

Frank is back (psst . . . it's Jack!)
By Kevin D. Thompson

Palm Beach Post Television Writer

Sunday, January 15, 2006

The president is about to sign an antiterrorism treaty with Russia. But there are shadowy forces — perhaps even in the White House — who will do whatever it takes to make sure that historic event doesn't happen.

The clock is ticking. The race against time is on. Yes, it's about to be another very long day for... Frank Flynn.

Who?

Oh, that would be Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), the gravelly-voiced, super counterterrorism agent who faked his death, donned some cool shades and strutted off into the sunset on 24's thrilling May finale.

When TV's most electrifying, I-can't-believe-what-I'm-watching drama returns for a two-night, four-hour premiere (tonight and Monday, 8 p.m., WFLX-Channel 29), 18 TV months (nine for real) will have passed since we last saw our hero going into a self-imposed exile to avoid standing trial for leading a nasty assault on the Chinese consulate.

And what has Frank, er, I mean, Jack been up to?

Well, he's been working on an oil rig in Bakersfield, Calif. (not as exciting as saving the world, but it pays the bills!), and renting a room from a comely single mom (Spin City's Connie Britton) who lives with her teen son.

Jack hasn't even been near a gun, violently interrogated someone or barked "Where's the bomb?" in nearly two years.

"We're looking at a Jack who really has been through so much and has given up so much and lost so much," says executive producer Howard Gordon. "You see it on his face. You see this guy who's bearing the scars of a life of service for which he's gotten nothing back."

Thanks to a shocking turn of events in the show's first 15 minutes, Jack is pressed back into Save The World mode like never before.

I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill ya. But 24's producers would probably kill me first.

Suffice it to say, the world is in expert hands. As Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub), CTU's snarky analyst, informs someone who's witnessing take-no-prisoners Jack in action for the first time, "Relax, he's really good at this."

That he is.

Just when you think it's impossible for 24 to top the previous seasons' outrageous stunts — blowing up Air Force One, killing Jack's wife, kidnapping the secretary of defense, firing nuclear warheads — the producers somehow find a way.

So far in the first four episodes, 24 continues to be a non-stop thrill ride that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go as it skillfully juggles multiple story arcs simultaneously.

The producers, however, candidly admit that keeping 24 fresh and interesting without it become maddeningly redundant is about as daunting as Jack attempting to single-handedly stop a nuclear reactor from melting down.

"To be honest, we've mined so much of this territory in four years, it absolutely has become a much more challenging task," says Gordon. "In some ways I do feel like we've had to work twice as hard to get half as much."

Gordon says 24's fifth season will be different in tone and energy than previous seasons. "This one takes a page from The Bourne Identity and Three Days of the Condor and is much more in the tradition of a thriller," he says. "It really was a conscious choice. We knew because of the threat to the population and Jack saving the day for everybody (in season four) that we couldn't top that, so rather than going bigger, we had to go smaller."

Despite the the show's brilliance, 24 often loses its way creatively around episode 12 or 13. It happens every season. Remember Kim being stalked by a cougar? And Teri's amnesia?

That's because the writers are on a tight schedule and are often making up these stories on the fly — and it shows.

For instance, 16 episodes have been written and 12 have been filmed for the upcoming season. Ask Gordon how season five will end and he admits he has no clue.

"I'm serious," Gordon says matter-of-factly. "I have vague ideas, but part of what keeps it interesting is by painting ourselves into corners constantly and we have to figure out ingenious ways of getting out of them."

Does that work?

"It has so far," Gordon says. "But I have to say there's no choice. We wrapped last year in April and started prepping the next season in June. It takes a good month or two to figure out what the hell next season is going to be. We barely have time to figure out where it's going to begin let alone where it's going to end."

And how long will it be before 24 ends?

Fox gave the series a two-year pick-up last season so it'll definitely be back for a sixth year in 2007. Beyond that is anyone's guess.

"I'm confident we can figure out something" Gordon says. "I don't think we're going to do it unless it's worth doing. But it'll require a lot of invention — and maybe some new blood. At this point I'm just trying to get through this season."

[POJO_Risin]

Good news...

it's picked up for next season already...

but Sutherland says every year...

it doesn't necesarily mean it's with him...

He did an interview last year where he said he wouldn't be in every season...but would produce...and direct...after he left...

and...choose his successor...

He even mentioned good friend Emilio Estevez as a possibility...

we shall see...

[POJO_Risin]

Home > the Edge > Television & Radio > RSS Feed


‘24’ reasons to watch: Missing this season premiere would be a crime
By Mark A. Perigard/ Television
Sunday, January 15, 2006

In four seasons, counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer has faced assassins, government moles, nuclear strikes and the greatest nightmare of all, a bratty teenager.

After almost 100 episodes, how can the creators possibly keep the “24” gimmick fresh?

For starters, the producers practically yank out fans’ hearts - through their noses - in the best opener of this series (two hours starting tonight at 8 and then an additional two tomorrow at 8, on WFXT, Ch. 25. The show moves into its regular Monday 9 p.m. time slot on Jan. 23).

I can’t say much. The letter from Fox that accompanied the review screener practically threatens to launch a strike force against any critic who divulges too much information.

Let me just say you don’t want to miss the first 15 minutes. You have been warned.

Oh, hell, I’ll go further and ask you to consider what could possibly drag Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) out of hiding after he faked his death at the end of last season.

Several familiar - beloved, even - figures are in terrible jeopardy.

Not all survive.

After leaving the remnants of his life behind, Jack is now a day laborer working under the name of Frank and involved with a single mother named Diane (Connie Britton, “Spin City”) with a bratty teenage son (Brady Corbet). (“24” has a thing for moody adolescents.) Jack hasn’t forgotten the life he led, and his paranoia constantly percolates, justifiably so.

As the first hour plays out - yes, that was deliberately vague - Jack proves he can still be a bad-ass when needed.

As chaos erupts, President Logan (Gregory Itzin) is negotiating an arms deal with Russian diplomats. He’s not the brightest bulb in the free world - he’s more concerned with the height of his chair at the conference table than anything else. Jean Smart (“Designing Women”) is a worthy addition to the cast as the emotionally unbalanced first lady Martha Logan. She may know something significant - but no one will take her seriously. Mary Lynn Rajskub as prickly computer expert Chloe is turning into a nerd’s dream action heroine.

[5:01 am]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Wondering if Walker and Wilbury will show up...

can't believe more people don't watch this show...

wilbury started a "24" thread at ddlr.

[POJO_Risin]

Ah...let them know there's one over here as well...

[5:01 am]

already done

[POJO_Risin]

They'll be over here at some point...this thread has been around for a couple of years...I'm guessing Wilbury's is new...

he posts more over here anyways...I think...

what the hell do I know...anyways...lmfao...

other than the greatest show on TV starts back up tomorrow...