During the Fox executive session at the Summer TCA press tour, we learned a few small details about the planned reboot of 24 which is currently in the early stages of development. Here’s what you need to know.
It’s probably going to be very different
Fox Entertainment president David Madden said “The next version of 24 will probably not be CTU, American counterintelligence. We want to take that same sort of ticking clock, incredible urgency and apply it to something else. It will have same style and urgency but in a different venue.”
Besides moving away from CTU, it appears that they might ditch the terrorism aspect entirely.
“The idea I’m excited about currently is not [an end-of-the-world story],” said Fox TV chairman Dana Walden. “Partly what is exciting, we’re opening up the possibility of it being anything. Anything where that 24-hour clock hits at the most critical period in a story. I don’t want to limit them that it should only be an action-oriented show. Maybe not. Maybe it’s emotional action. But we’re keeping the opportunity for them to keep their thoughts open.”
Fun fact: the initial concept for 24 was centered around the 24 hours leading up to a wedding.
Joel Surnow is back
Co-creator Joel Surnow is returning to 24 after a nearly ten year absence. Surnow stepped down as showrunner after the fourth season and eventually left the series entirely during the seventh season in order to pursue other projects. Neither 24: Live Another Day nor 24: Legacy enticed him to return to the writers room, so his involvement here is perhaps the best indication that they’re attempting something creatively different.
Two versions are being developed
According to Deadline, there are actually two different ideas for the upcoming reboot, with Joel Surnow writing one version and Howard Gordon working on another version alongside other (unnamed) writers.
Deadline reports that Fox “may put the two ideas on parallel tracks, developing both, with one of the projects possibly going to pilot before the official pilot season next year.”
It’s still early
The Fox executives emphasized that it’s very early in the creative process. Many of these details can (and probably will) change over the next few months. But it’s clear that Fox wants to extend the life of the 24 franchise further and are open to experimenting with new ideas.
Here are all the various articles written about the news: Deadline, TVLine, Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, TV Guide, SlashFilm, Screen Rant, and Cinema Blend.
87 Comments
Comments ClosedJustin
August 8, 2017 at 10:47 pmChlojack
August 8, 2017 at 10:53 pmDon J.
August 8, 2017 at 11:32 pmKevin
August 9, 2017 at 12:42 amvera v
August 9, 2017 at 2:19 amMatt Dillon
August 31, 2017 at 10:19 amLuke
August 31, 2017 at 7:38 pmGerry Mander
August 9, 2017 at 6:14 amDon J
August 9, 2017 at 4:31 pmGerry Mander
August 10, 2017 at 4:41 amSharanRJ
August 14, 2017 at 6:24 amGerry Mander
September 1, 2017 at 8:41 amSharanRJ
September 1, 2017 at 1:59 pmGerry Mander
September 1, 2017 at 5:00 pmI understand why creative folks like Surnow and Cochran would want to work on new ideas, but why would they do so when ’24’ was consuming so much of their time and effort? They’ve repeatedly stated a typical season of ’24’ was ridiculously tough to make, so why they wanted to diffuse their physical and creative energies is beyond me…
It’s a pity that Surnow started ‘playing around’ with potential other projects, stepping down as showrunner in the process, the show never recovered from that, in my opinion; Day 5 was amazing despite HoGo being showrunner that year not because of it… I’m utterly convinced Surnow was still de-facto showrunner (at least in the creative sense) that season, it’s so markedly different (and better) to the HoGo-run seasons that followed, and much more in line with Days 1-4.
SharanRJ
September 2, 2017 at 2:50 amAnd besides, since Gordon has been with the show since they got picked up in 2001, I believe Surnow felt he’d be a solid choice to succeed him in leading the show. Plus, Gordon’s been working in TV since the 80s, so he had the experience factor going for him.
Gerry Mander
September 2, 2017 at 7:08 amThe problems with ’24’ seemingly began when HoGo assumed full showrunning duties around Day 6.
SharanRJ
September 2, 2017 at 8:19 amAnd the show has been largely ‘group written’ since S5 or S6, if I remember correctly.
You maybe right about dwindling quality from S6. While Gordon was showrunner for that, two other voices that largely drove the room back then, were Evan Katz & Manny Coto (you can see it in the writers room featurette in the DVD of that season). Evan’s solid, but Manny isn’t all that much, IMO. That could’ve also led to the quality sinking, especially that year since Surnow was also working on the pilot “Company Man” with Cochran, Gordon, & Jon Cassar (which had Annie Wersching as the female lead).
Brad
September 3, 2017 at 8:58 amI think season six was in the unfortunate position of having to follow up the fifth season with something even bigger, better and fresher. That was always going to be difficult given that the show had already exhausted so much story.
Plus, season five killed off a lot of the supporting cast members that had elevated the show up until that point. The loss of David, Tony and Michelle kick-started the show’s transition into a more anthology-style show with each year dramatically overhauling the cast.
fchho
August 9, 2017 at 10:10 amalex
August 9, 2017 at 10:17 amHank
August 9, 2017 at 12:18 pmTom
August 9, 2017 at 1:47 pmFox, stop beating it’s corpse into the ground.
Shaun Clark
August 9, 2017 at 1:47 pmOverall, I am glad that we starting to hear news of 24 at last !!
Chlojack
August 9, 2017 at 4:22 pmLegacy Survivor
August 10, 2017 at 4:25 amJustin
August 9, 2017 at 2:25 pmJustin
August 9, 2017 at 2:40 pmJackO
August 9, 2017 at 4:33 pmDitchig everything we love about 24 for a new itteration will only be the last nail in the coffin for it.
A
August 9, 2017 at 3:05 pmJustin
August 9, 2017 at 4:11 pmSharanRJ
August 9, 2017 at 11:25 pmThe wedding thing was one of them. Cochran mentioned that while talking about it, they figured they weren’t ‘wedding kind of guys’.
Edward
August 19, 2017 at 1:50 pmMariah
August 9, 2017 at 4:31 pmdadvadet
August 26, 2017 at 5:18 pmAside from that kiefer also have new show he need to lead. ‘Desinated Survivor’
Chlojack
August 9, 2017 at 6:52 pm24 Spoilers
August 10, 2017 at 12:12 amNot sure how the fanbase would react to that concept, though. Those other shows were pitched as anthology series from the start, so viewers knew what to expect there. But it’s a bit more weird to suddenly switch a show from being heavily serialized to anthological after ten seasons. I think a lot of people would find it harder to accept and/or confusing and distracting.
SharanRJ
August 10, 2017 at 3:19 amJason
August 10, 2017 at 7:45 pmSharanRJ
August 11, 2017 at 8:28 amThey probably intended it to do it that way for series regulars or supporting characters in CTU or the government stuff. That didn’t happen quite as much (not counting the extras or background characters, as there were cases of that, with Marci Michelle).
SharanRJ
August 11, 2017 at 12:14 pmdadvader
August 26, 2017 at 5:20 pm24
August 9, 2017 at 7:19 pmThey should just wait to bring back Kiefer for one final season. And then give us proper closure.
XAM
August 10, 2017 at 7:13 pmFelipe Jack
August 22, 2017 at 10:04 amI wouldn’t even call it a spin-off. They should be honest and use a completely different name at this time. If they don’t, it would look that they want to capitalize the new show under the very famous brand name of 24.
Legacy Survivor
August 10, 2017 at 4:18 amTJ
August 10, 2017 at 9:41 amMilo
August 10, 2017 at 6:26 pmXAM
August 10, 2017 at 7:16 pmJason
August 10, 2017 at 7:44 pmThey have plenty to prove as far as I’m concerned.
abc
August 11, 2017 at 12:10 amDanielito
August 11, 2017 at 1:27 amLet’s give it a shot. Anything will be better than Legacy!
X
October 18, 2017 at 3:19 amOr both.
The font/look/feel would be different for each type.
The only thing they would have in common would be the title and the real-time aspect.
No more terrorists or anything to do with politicians or cops.
James Delora
August 11, 2017 at 3:37 pmGerry Mander
August 12, 2017 at 7:36 amJack turned himself over to the Russians for the greater good; not only to secure Chloe’s release and the perpetual safety of his family in the U.S. so they could get on with their lives, but also because he finally admitted – to himself as well as to both Audrey and Kate – that what he did in NYC four years prior was a terrible mistake, borne of cold-blooded revenge and not natural justice, that it was time to face up to and atone for his actions, thereby restoring natural justice; he doesn’t need to be broke out of a Russian prison because he likely doesn’t want to, it was right and proper he ended up there… and that explains the wry little smile on Jack’s face to Chloe before he gets into the helicopter; he knows that he can now finally rest, no more running from the inevitable, and no more phone calls or knocks at the door or unexpected incidents that pull him back into ‘the game’.
Like it or not, the ending of Live Another Day is an ending, and an appropriate one at that.
Marlon
August 12, 2017 at 11:47 pmI’m gonna have to enjoy all the previous seasons on repeat now till the end of time.
Whatever this new thing looks like, it needs to be fresh, compelling and interesting. There is so much competition out there it feels like TV Shows are taking over movies in terms of content. So this new 24, whatever it is, needs to be on par or better than the rest.
Hope to see an improvement from Legacy though cause that was shit.
Jim Delora
February 2, 2020 at 2:58 pmAcer4666
August 13, 2017 at 7:42 amThe Jack of season 1 was flawed, imperfect, didn’t always do the right thing but was a believable portrait of a family man and government agent. The character by the end of season 9 was a joke.
Gerry Mander
August 13, 2017 at 10:47 amOf course Jack doesn’t want to spend his life in a Russian prison but I think he understands and is at peace with the fact he may do so… for a number of reasons that I outlined above.
I get that many people don’t like the ending of LAD because it’s not all wrapped up in a little bow with a happy ending (or a clean death), but it was an ending not an open-ended cliffhanger, it was a definite punctuation mark, a potential full stop to Jack’s story… and if it proves to be so, I have no problem with it.
As for the planned continuation of the ‘franchise’ without Jack Bauer, good luck to ’em, but I won’t be watching… I tuned into the series for Jack not the real-time narrative device (as brilliantly conceived and tremendously executed as it was)… and I know I’m not alone in that! The fact the studio and producers still don’t understand that is precisely why we got Legacy… and also, not coincidentally, why it flopped.
Acer4666
August 13, 2017 at 4:53 pm“if anything happens to her or my family, your entire world will come apart and you will never see it coming” – robs any power of Jack being put in prison when he is boasting about how he can easily get out using his superman-style skills. He’s just staying inside for a laugh. As that line indicates, the writers were leaving themselves a nice little chance to open up the story again.
It was a carbon copy of him being put in a Chinese prison at the end of Season 5. Not any more of a definitive ending than any other season.
Marlon
August 13, 2017 at 7:16 pme.g. If anything happens to Chloe or Kim….
….what else could happen to Chloe given she lost Morris and Prescott? She could be captured by the Russians as a means to hack into a US government computer system or something and subsequently tortured for not complying.
…Kim’s and her family could die in a car bomb or something? But that’s just cruel
I’d say we want Jack back for closure but I’m sad to say that Gerry’s right…we’ve seen the last of him.
Gerry Mander
August 14, 2017 at 5:04 amTJ
August 13, 2017 at 6:52 pmAmen to that – I feel the same way! If all FOX wants to do is salvage the ticking time clock with a story set inside 24 hours, who cares? Not only is that a gimmick that by itself isn’t a substitute for story, characters or drama but if FOX is hyping a reboot for something “fresh” that doesn’t involve CTU, terrorism or any of the original 9-season characters, they’re hypocrites. The time clock format was around just as long as all of the terrorist plots and even 2 seasons longer than CTU.
Chlojack
August 14, 2017 at 2:59 pmTJ
August 17, 2017 at 1:15 amIf FOX uses the time between ‘Legacy’ and any reboot to bring in a strong cast, come up with strong story and set it in the show’s format, it might work without Kiefer – but I don’t feel confident that will happen.
X
October 18, 2017 at 3:30 ameman
August 11, 2017 at 9:58 pmFrank
August 14, 2017 at 12:33 pmhttps://www.amazon.com/24-Legacy/dp/B01LTI98OA/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1502728286&sr=1-1
eman
August 16, 2017 at 4:59 pmTJ
August 17, 2017 at 1:17 amChlojack
August 14, 2017 at 3:19 pmSeason 7: FBI DC. Jack, Chloe, Bill, plus a new cast.
Season 8: CTU New York. Jack, Chloe, Renee, and Taylor, plus a new cast.
Season 9: CIA London. Jack, Chloe, Heller, and Audrey, plus a new cast.
Legacy: CTU DC. New cast, except Tony in a recurring role.
Possible Reboot: Likely a completely new cast. CIA, FBI, or police detectives would replace CTU. Crime would replace terrorism. Same real time format. Still the same show.
Seba
August 14, 2017 at 4:18 pmMilo
August 15, 2017 at 2:44 amJohnGormleyJG
August 22, 2017 at 4:05 amTrevor
August 24, 2017 at 4:32 amJohnGormleyJG
August 25, 2017 at 2:12 pmFrank
September 5, 2017 at 9:59 am24 Spoilers
September 5, 2017 at 12:09 pmFrank
September 7, 2017 at 11:38 amFelipe Jack
August 22, 2017 at 10:41 amJoshua
August 24, 2017 at 3:03 amPat
October 1, 2017 at 6:55 amGabe
October 13, 2017 at 10:39 pmTed
October 21, 2017 at 4:54 pmJust show us Jack in Russia!
Joshua
October 26, 2017 at 8:37 amTed
November 3, 2017 at 1:07 amDesignated Survivor is freaking awful.
Jim Delora
April 30, 2018 at 11:33 amThe True Form
December 29, 2017 at 1:20 pmForm your show around the aspects of those early seasons and you will have a winner. Everything from the style of the offices, to the CHARACTERS, to the MUSIC, to the sound effects, to the filming locations, and the intensity of a personal event–your own family members kidnapped, your own city threatened, etc, this is 24.
Get back to Los Angeles. New York is overdone, as is DC. Designated Survivor is not 24.