The new season on "24"

Bob Chebat · September 2nd, 2003, 02:35 PM

I found an interesting story revolving around the upcoming season of 24. It appears the end of the show was no cliffhanger as some had presumed. The new show will pick up about 2-3 years down the road, and yes, Kim is STILL on the show.

FROM MSN Entertainment....

In the final moments of season two -- during which anti-terrorist agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) had 24 hours (and 24 episodes) to prevent a nuclear-bomb attack on Los Angeles -- Mandy (Mia Kirshner), an assassin from the beginning of season one, suddenly reappeared. Pushing her way through a cheering crowd, she gave President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) a seemingly innocent handshake.

Within moments, a substance transferred via a plastic sheet on Mandy's palm caused Palmer to drop to the ground in pain, apparently poisoned or infected. Meanwhile, Bauer, whose heart had stopped while he was being tortured a few episodes earlier, was being wheeled off to the hospital himself, clutching his chest.

All this medical melodrama, though, will be long in the past by the time the show returns. Events will pick up two to three years in the future, network officials said.

"It's going to be about two, two-and-a-half years later," says executive producer Howard Gordon. "Many things may have changed. It's a fair amount of time for old wounds to have healed and new ones to have been inflicted."

Gail Berman, president of FOX Entertainment, dropped a few hints at a July press tour. She wouldn't reveal the crisis that drives the plot, but said Jack Bauer, who's back working at the government's Counter-Terrorism Unit, will have a partner. Bauer's daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) is also working at CTU.

Haysbert will be back, which would appear to mean that President Palmer survived the biological attack. The timeline of the show would put Palmer in the middle of a re-election campaign, something Berman says is probably a safe bet.

It has been previously reported that neither Penny Johnson Jerald, who played Mrs. Sherry Palmer, nor Sarah Wynter, who played Kate, a civilian caught up in Jack's adventures, have been signed as a regular for the coming season. Gordon emphasizes that this doesn't necessarily preclude appearances, citing the example of season-one regular Sarah Clarke, who made guest appearances in season two, reprising her role of turncoat agent Nina.

"Nothing is impossible," Gordon says. "In fact, Kate does make an appearance, but she's not been cast as a regular. The same goes for Penny. This is real fluid. They are characters that live in our universe, and it's entirely possible that they'll be back."

Sharp-eyed viewers from season one were no doubt surprised to see the return of Mandy, who managed to romance a photographer (Rudolf Martin), steal his identity and blow up an airliner in the show's pilot.

Over the next few episodes, she got naked in the desert, reunited with a lesbian lover (who got shot) and disappeared -- to reappear in the short-lived CBS series "Wolf Lake."

"We flirted with the idea all season," says Gordon of Mandy's return. "It was more a function of a deal than anything else -- would she come back? I've been looking for her myself."

The network is planning a big promotional push for the Emmy-nominated series. A four-minute trailer for the coming season will air during FOX's showing of the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" on Sunday, Sept. 7. A version of the teaser will also air in movie theaters in October.

Meanwhile, "24" has come under criticism from various corners about its depiction of American and world politics. In season one, a plot to assassinate Palmer involved Eastern European and American terrorists and mercenaries. In season two, Islamic fundamentalists were behind the bomb, along with an international cartel with financial motivations.

"What's so funny about it is," Gordon says, "we're trumpeted by the left and the right. I find it really encouraging that it's stimulated debate. This show is politics-neutral. It's about a guy whose unequivocal mission is to stop people from being killed by extreme bad guys or extreme good guys."

"Jack is a deeply moral individualist who inflicts his own personal sense of what's right, which hopefully coincides with our sense of what's right and what we hope we would do, faced with certain extreme situations."

Brian in Mesa · September 2nd, 2003, 03:13 PM

I've never seen an episode, but I did hear that Kiefer's character will be undercover during this 3rd season. Kiefer himself chose to have a symbol permanently tatooed to his forearm rather than have the makeup people spend the time to continuously put temporary ones on him.

And in the continuing onslaught of Gay-TV, Kiefer's daughter will come out of the closet...

Mike Olbinski · September 2nd, 2003, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian in Mesa

And in the continuing onslaught of Gay-TV, Kiefer's daughter will come out of the closet...

Allegedly....

Mike

Ryanwb · September 2nd, 2003, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian in Mesa
And in the continuing onslaught of Gay-TV, Kiefer's daughter will come out of the closet...

Yeah, I think gayness on TV has jumped the shark.

Which leads me to believe that the term "Jumped the Shark" has itself, Jumped the Shark

Mike Olbinski · September 2nd, 2003, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ryanwb

Which leads me to believe that the term "Jumped the Shark" has itself, Jumped the Shark

Wow, that hasn't been said but maybe a million times already...saying that phrase has definitely Jumped the Shark

Mike

Ryanwb · September 2nd, 2003, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chandler Mike
Wow, that hasn't been said but maybe a million times already...saying that phrase has definitely Jumped the Shark

Mike

Brian in Mesa · September 2nd, 2003, 03:51 PM

slinslin · September 2nd, 2003, 04:38 PM

The "24" Series just started here in germany. I won't even bother to watch it because the trailer were pretty poor and they advertise it just like "Alias" which I think is crap other than the girl looks good.

I don't really watch any series anyway except for sitcoms, discovery channel, anime or other cartoons like Futurama and Simpsons.

FischerKing · September 2nd, 2003, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by slinslin
The "24" Series just started here in germany. I won't even bother to watch it because the trailer were pretty poor and they advertise it just like "Alias" which I think is crap other than the girl looks good.

I don't really watch any series anyway except for sitcoms, discovery channel, anime or other cartoons like Futurama and Simpsons.

The you are totally missing out. This show is hands down awesome!

Futurama - I've been getting those on DVD. I was sad to see that show get the axe.

Shawn

Cardinals.Ken · September 3rd, 2003, 06:05 AM

"24" is best idea in episodic TV since "Dr. Who".

I can't wait for the new season, or the release of Season 2 on DVD next week.

If you're not watching this, you are missing out.