Mary Lynn Rajskub Discusses Future of 24

COUNTING THE HOURS: Mary Lynn Rajskub admits she isn’t sure how much more time the long-running Fox show “24” has left on the air. “I definitely think the end is in sight, but having said that, I don’t know if it’s going to be this year. I’m dying to know, but I think we’ll have a better idea later this month,” says Rajskub of the show returning with a two-night premiere Jan. 17-18. “If the numbers are exceptional, there’s a really good chance we’ll do another year. I think we need at least another year, but there are so many factors that go into it.”

At this point, the show certainly isn’t lacking fans. “It’s so strange because it’s our eighth year, but the numbers of our fans are still growing somehow. People always want to tell me the story of how they watch the DVDs one after the other. I think the writers are really good at being like, ‘You have to watch the next one that’s coming!'” notes Rajskub, who plays the quirky computer genius Chloe O’Brian.

“It kind of amazes me that the show still works, to tell you the truth. We screened the first episode and I’m on the show, and I was still just as excited. I think the show writing is better than ever. You kind of know what the concept is by now. You watch Jack (Kiefer Sutherland), who does want to live a normal life and go with his family, but you know as a viewer, ‘Well, that’s not going to happen.’ But the way that it’s done sucks you in. You know he’s going to be torn away, but how they do it and the enjoyment of that happening still works.”