24 is an American action drama television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox. The series features an ensemble cast, with Kiefer Sutherland starring as American counter-terrorist federal agent Jack Bauer. Each season covers 24 consecutive hours using the real time method of narration, which is emphasized by the display of split screens and a digital clock. Multiple ongoing plot lines of intersecting relevance are covered, with Bauer's plot line serving as the link throughout. 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. Throughout the series, the plot elements contain both a political thriller and serial drama, with each episode normally ending on a cliffhanger. 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 the 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. A spin-off series, 24: Legacy, premiered on February 5, 2017, lasting a single 12-episode season. 24 is the longest-running American espionage- or counterterrorism-themed television drama, surpassing both Mission: Impossible and the Britain's The Avengers.
Cast and characters[]
- Kiefer Sutherland - Jack Bauer
- Leslie Hope - Teri Bauer
- Sarah Clarke - Nina Myers
- Elisha Cuthbert - Kim Bauer
- Dennis Haysbert - David Palmer
- Carlos Bernard - Tony Almeida
- Penny Johnson Jerald - Sherry Palmer
- Xander Berkeley - George Mason
- Eric Balfour - Milo Pressman
- Sarah Wynter - Kate Warner
- Reiko Aylesworth - Michelle Dessler
- James Badge Dale - Chase Edmunds
- Mary Lynn Rajskub - Chloe O'Brian
- D. B. Woodside - Wayne Palmer
- Kim Raver - Audrey Raines
- Alberta Watson - Erin Driscoll
- Lana Parrilla - Sarah Gavin
- Roger Cross - Curtis Manning
- William Devane - James Heller
- James Morrison - Bill Buchanan
- Gregory Itzin - Charles Logan
- Louis Lombardi - Edgar Stiles
- Jean Smart - Martha Logan
- Carlo Rota - Morris O'Brian
- Jayne Atkinson - Karen Hayes
- Peter MacNicol - Tom Lennox
- Marisol Nichols - Nadia Yassir
- Regina King - Sandra Palmer
- Bob Gunton - Ethan Kanin
- Cherry Jones - Allison Taylor
- Colm Feore - Henry Taylor
- Annie Wersching - Renee Walker
- Jeffrey Nordling - Larry Moss
- Rhys Coiro - Sean Hillinger
- Janeane Garofalo - Janis Gold
- Anil Kapoor - Omar Hassan
- Mykelti Williamson - Brian Hastings
- Katee Sackhoff - Dana Walsh
- Chris Diamantopoulos - Rob Weiss
- John Boyd - Arlo Glass
- Freddie Prinze Jr. - Cole Ortiz
- Yvonne Strahovski - Kate Morgan
- Tate Donovan - Mark Boudreau
- Gbenga Akinnagbe - Erik Ritter
- Giles Matthey - Jordan Reed
- Michael Wincott - Adrian Cross
- Benjamin Bratt - Steve Navarro
International versions[]
| Country | Name | Network |
|---|---|---|
| India | 24 | Colors TV |
| Japan | トゥエンティフォー・ジャパン 24 Japan |
TV Asahi |
International broadcast[]
| Country | Channel | Local title |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Fox, FX, A&E, Netflix, Hulu | 24 |
| Worldwide | Netflix, Disney+ | |
| Arab World | Showtime Arabia, MBC 4, Alrai TV | |
| Asia | AXN | |
| Latin America | Fox | |
| Argentina | América TV | |
| Australia | Seven Network, Fox8 | |
| Austria | ORF 1, ATVplus/ATV | |
| Belgium (Dutch) | 2BE, VTMzomer | |
| Bulgaria | bTV, Nova Television, Fox Crime | |
| Canada (English) | Global | |
| Croatia | HRT | |
| Chile | Megavisión | |
| Colombia | CityTV Bogotá | |
| Estonia | TV3, ETV | |
| Faroe Islands | SvF | |
| Finland | MTV3, Sub | |
| Germany | RTL II, ProSieben, kabel eins, Premiere HD, Sky Cinema | |
| Greece | ANT1 | |
| Hong Kong | TVB Pearl | |
| Hungary | M1, Cool TV, Fox | |
| Iceland | Stöð 2 | |
| India | AXN | |
| Indonesia | SCTV, Global TV | |
| Ireland | RTÉ Two, Channel 6 | |
| Israel | Channel 10, HOT 3 | |
| Italy | TELE+, Fox, Italia 1, FX, Rete 4 | |
| Kenya | Kenya Television Network | |
| Malaysia | NTV7, 8TV, TV3, TV2 | |
| Netherlands | Yorin/RTL 5 | |
| New Zealand | TV3, Sky 1 | |
| Norway | TV 2 | |
| Panama | TVMax | |
| Peru | Frecuencia Latina | |
| Philippines | Studio 23, C/S 9, Jack TV | |
| Portugal | Fox Crime, RTP2 | |
| Serbia | Pink | |
| Singapore | MediaCorp TV Channel 5 | |
| Slovakia | Jednotka, STV | |
| South Africa | M-Net | |
| South Korea | OCN, AXN, MBC TV | |
| Spain | Antena 3, Fox | |
| Sri Lanka | Channel One MTV | |
| Sweden | TV4 | |
| Switzerland (German) | SF zwei | |
| Taiwan | VL Max-TV | |
| Turkey | CNBC-e | |
| United Kingdom | BBC Two, BBC Three, Sky 1, Sky 3 | |
| Venezuela | RCTV | |
| Belgium (French) | Be 1, RTL-TVI | 24 Heures chrono |
| Canada (French) | Télé-Québec, AddikTV | |
| France | Canal+, TF1, Virgin 17 | |
| Ivory Coast | La Première | |
| Morocco | 2M TV | |
| Switzerland (French) | TSR1 | |
| Afghanistan | TOLO, Noorin TV | ۲۴ |
| Iran | Farsi1 | |
| Brazil | Fox, Rede Globo, Rede Bandeirantes | 24 Horas |
| Czech Republic | Nova, Nova Cinema, Fanda, Prima Cool | 24 hodin |
| Denmark | TV 2, TV 2 Zulu | 24 Timer |
| Japan | Fuji TV, BS Fuji, TV Tokyo (TXN), Gifu Hōsō, Nara TV, TV Wakayama, BS Japan/BS TV Tokyo, WOWOW | 24 -TWENTY FOUR- |
| Poland | Canal+, Polsat, TV4, FX, ATM Rozrywka | 24 godziny |
| Thailand | AXN | 24 ชั่วโมงอันตราย |