24 Cancelled
by Simon Hoodikoff
After eight seasons, time has finally
run out for 24.
The modern military serial drama
has had a long run since it first
hit the air in Nov. 2001, but has recently
had a tremendous dip in ratings—
which is more than enough
for Fox to give it the axe. Most of
24’s appeal came from its unique
real-time storytelling, having each
episode only span an hour of time,
eventually adding up to a full day.
The show débuted at an opportune
time and had the advantage
of virtually being the only show of
its kind, not to mention having the
whole counter-terrorist theme running
through the core of the show.
Kiefer Sutherland, who not
only portrays antihero Jack Bauer
but also is signed on as an executive
producer, made a statement regarding
the cancellation: “This has been
the role of a lifetime, and I will never
be able to fully express my appreciation
to everyone who made it
possible. While the end of the series
is bittersweet, we always wanted 24
to finish on a high note, so the decision
to make the eighth season our
last was one we all agreed upon.
This feels like the culmination of
all our efforts from the writers to
the actors to our fantastic crew and
everyone at Fox. Looking ahead to
the future, Howard Gordon and I
are excited about the opportunity
to create the feature film version of
24. But when all is said and done, it
is the loyal worldwide fan base that
made it possible for me to have the
experience of playing the role of
Jack Bauer, and for that I am eternally
grateful.”
His passion for the show is clear,
and even through the problems that
he has endured in his personal life,
he’s always found a way to keep the
show alive—and that’s saying a lot
when your show is in Fox’s hands.
The thing about 24 is its limited
room for growth. Only so much can
happen in a day, and it’s difficult to
tell a story in that time frame, which
is what they started to rely on in the
later seasons. Originally, the show
was all about the action. Hero stops
assassination attempt, end of season,
collect forty million dollars—
it actually worked, too. Eventually,
the show felt more like a string of
movie sequels than television seasons.
The plot was essentially the
same, and every time they would
have to come up with a new way to
bring Jack Bauer out of retirement,
which he seems to decide on at the
end of every season.
The show’s ratings dropped
significantly around the sixth season,
and rightfully so. The overall
impending doom of the season
was weak, and by the end it felt as
though the writers backed themselves
into a corner. The seventh
season took a beneficial turn, and
centered mostly on the FBI rather
than CTU, which gave the show a
completely new feel and drive.
Still, it served its purpose. 24
was excellent as an action drama,
and suspenseful enough to keep
us entertained with the same rehashed
plot over and over again.
Howard Gordon and Kiefer Sutherland
are ending the season with a
bang, and will be releasing a feature
film based on the series to round
out the story later in the year.