Kelsey McNeal/Fox
Kiefer Sutherland will be back in action as Jack Bauer.
Everything's quicker these days. Even '24.'
Adam Taylor/Fox'To have the chance to reunite with the character, Jack Bauer, is like finding a lost friend,' says Kiefer Sutherland, shown here in a '24' episode that was broadcast in 2009.
The Fox network said on Monday that it was bringing back '24,' the counterterrorism drama that stoked the American public's fears after the Sept. 11 attacks, as a 12-episode series next year. The show's original conceit, a story that plays out in real time over a 24-hour period, will stay intact, but the producers will skip some hours and condense others to fit into the 12-hour format.
Kiefer Sutherland will return in the title role of Jack Bauer, a secret agent who will stop at nothing to stave off impending attacks.
'It'll be dictated by the plot,' Kevin Reilly, the chairman of Fox Broadcasting, told reporters at a conference call on Monday. He suggested that the time constraints would be liberating for the producers, who have a long time to work on the story: it is not expected to have its premiere until May 2014.
The new version of '24,' with the subtitle 'Live Another Day,' will be shown for 12 weeks in a row as part of what Fox calls a 'limited series' strategy. That means that it is intended to be a one-time event '� though in television, those plans can always change. Mr. Reilly acknowledged that there could be more installments in the future.
(The network also has other 'limited series' in the works, including 'Wayward Pines,' starring Matt Dillon.)
The unusual announcement was welcomed by fans of '24,' which ended in 2010 after eight seasons. 'Live Another Day' will pick up several years after the old series left off.
'The response to '24' is unlike anything I have ever experienced as an actor before,' Mr. Sutherland said in a statement. 'To have the chance to reunite with the character, Jack Bauer, is like finding a lost friend.' He thanked the producers and Fox for the opportunity and added: 'Make no mistake, my goal is to knock your socks off. See you soon.'
Something of a Rorschach test for post-Sept. 11 counterterrorism strategies, the original '24' (which had been ordered as a series before the terrorist attacks, and given its premiere eight weeks after them) was attention-getting and controversial for its portrayal of ticking-time-bomb situations and for sometimes brutal scenes of torture at the hands of Bauer. The threats portrayed in '24,' and Bauer's responses to them, were repeatedly evoked by Bush administration officials and Republican presidential candidates. Some detractors criticized the show for its portrayal of torture, saying it misled viewers into thinking that the tactics were effective.
Howard Gordon, an executive producer of the series, said in a statement on Monday that the Bauer character 'has evolved through the years, and this new and exciting event series format is perfect to tell the next chapter of his story and continue to reflect how the world is changing.'
Mr. Gordon is also an executive producer of 'Homeland,' the counterterrorism drama on Showtime, which has been described as the Obama era's '24.' Both shows have received Emmys for outstanding drama.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Gordon said he was not available for an interview on Monday. But Mr. Reilly told reporters that the 'limited series' idea was partly a result of Mr. Gordon's interest in turning the '24' franchise into a feature film. He said Mr. Gordon had once asked, 'Why are we killing ourselves trying to crack a feature when this is the perfect form?'
The producers, Mr. Reilly said, concluded that '24' compressed into two hours wasn't '24.'
Fox's intent to devise appointment TV shows with about a dozen episodes at a time aligned well with Mr. Gordon's interests. The '24' reboot also typifies network television's tendency to rely on tried-and-true formats. Among the new series announced by the major networks this week are 'Chicago PD,' an NBC spinoff of 'Chicago Fire,' and 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland,' a spinoff of ABC's 'Once Upon a Time.'
At the height of its popularity in the early 2000s, '24' regularly drew 10 million to 15 million viewers, and it became a big hit on DVD, in part because of its ticking 24-hour clock. It was meant for binge-viewing years before the term was popularized by Netflix and other streaming services.
Mr. Reilly said the 12-hour format was right for '24' this time around because the spine of the past seasons had about 12 hours' worth of action, with 'little events and connective tissue in between.' He hinted that there was a 'Who's Who of Hollywood coming in the door right now wanting to participate in this,' but declined to provide specific names.
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHYkZaeGq2eWV1hoTaem66sYhuMjQ&url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/business/media/fox-to-bring-back-24-and-jack-bauer.html
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