24 Season 7: No F'ing Way

Shoosh. There really hasn't been much to report on 24 since the good ol' writers strike came and went. But something surfaced the other day and we really need to discuss.

According to TV Guide:
Not that 24 fans needed to be made more excited/impatient for the long-delayed Season 7, Kiefer Sutherland at Fox's upfront presentation promised truly super-Bauered times ahead — and in a way, you have the WGA-AMPTP feud to thank for it. "After so many postponements, I can assure you that none of us at 24 took for granted the significance of this upcoming season," the series star-producer said. "But the time allowed us to do something that has never been done before — create a map of the entire season before we started shooting. So I can tell you without hesitation, I know for a fact, that Season 7 is going to be the best season yet."

WHAT!?!?!! The WHOLE season is planned/mapped out? What a novel idea -- thinking about an entire season before you even film minute one. And we have the Writers Guild Strike to thank for it? If it produces better story-lines and things that aren't made up, then I'm all for it.

If this season pans out to be actually good, then I bet FOX will start to plan more of these "strikes" so they can get their shit in order.

Here's to hoping, but being a realist.

24 Season 7: Good News and Bad News

So as you all may be aware, the Writers Strike has finally ended and Kiefer is outta jail. That means that the show will be back soon, right?

Wrong.

All signs point to 24 returning in 2009, NOT 2008. Which is good news, in my opinion, since they went back to the drawing board a few times already.

In other news, 24 co-creator Joel Surnow has left the show to pursue other projects.

What say you, community? Which of this is good news and which is bad news?

24 Season 7: What Now?

An interesting question/answer has appeared over at TVGuide.com:

Question: Any news on the return of 24? — MB
Ausiello: Well, although Fox hasn't confirmed it, I'll go out on a limb and say Jack Bauer isn't returning this season. Even if the strike ends tomorrow, the earliest the show could get back on the air is this summer — and there's no way in hell Fox is dumping 24 onto the summer season. That leaves the network with several options, none of them ideal. One solution is to just kick off Season 7 next January, but by then Jack will have been in hiding for nearly two years. Another, and much more controversial, scenario being bandied about involves taking the eight episodes currently in the can and creating a 10- to 14-episode mini-season to air in the fall. That would be followed by another 10- to 14-episode mini-season — featuring a completely different plot — during the second half of the season. Opponents of that idea have argued, and rightly so, that by splitting the season, you're essentially compromising the show's unique, 24-hour conceit. Proponents, however, argue that these are desperate times. And sometimes desperate times require throwing out the rulebook. I can see that point as well. What do you guys think? Would you rather wait until January and get a traditional uninterrupted 24-episode season? Or would you prefer getting the show back in the fall, even if that meant splitting the season up into two shorter, self-contained chunks? Or do you have another solution? Weigh in with your thoughts in the Ask Ausiello Discussion Thread. I have a feeling Fox will be interested in what you have to say.

Two 10-14 half-seasons? So what would you call that "24, Kinda"? Yeah, that's a GREAT idea.

My idea would be to just wait until all the writers are back and either finish out the current Season 7, or, start over. Yes, start over. It's a pretty universal truth that Season 6 absolutely blew. And after Season 7 was delayed with re-writes and THEN came to the table with the great idea of bringing Tony back from the dead, I think it's about time to cut the losses and move forward.

Of course, on the other hand, 10-14 episodes could be pretty hard to screw up and make into a laughing stock. Wait, what am I saying. We ARE talking about 24's merry band of writers, aren't we?

24 Season 7: Delayed... Again

Looks like FOX doesn't think the Writers Guild of America strike is going to be finished any time soon. Yesterday, FOX announced their updated Spring schedule which included the premiere of 24 being suspended indefinitely:

According to TV Guide:
"The seventh season premiere of 24 is being postponed," explains the network, "to ensure that Day 7 can air uninterrupted, in its entirety."

Shoosh! Maybe they can rest easier now that Kiefer's jail-time won't screw much up.

24 Season 7: The Trailer

Ready for 24's Season 7 trailer? Either go to 24trailer.com, or watch below:

Just like the trailer for Season 6, I think this effort is great. However, I'm VERY skeptical about how it will turn out. Those who make trailers don't get paid mega-bucks for nothing. They're marketers. That said, what sticks out from so far?

Tony's a New Man
Left for dead, Tony has a new haircut and some type of vendetta. Positioning Tony as the baddie for this season will definitely get people talking ... talking instead of asking, wtf. Yes, he was zipped up in a body bag. But, at the same time, Jack has died twice and HE'S still around. Sigh. Don't worry. Either Tony will die mid-way through the season, for good... or will become good again. Either way, he's reporting to someone.

CTU is Gone
Thank God. Unfortunately, Chloe and Bill aren't. Yes, you saw a glimpse of them with their bluetooth headsets on. Maybe they work for Dell now, selling computers to the Government. Big computers. Computers that house the CIP Firewall – the latest and greatest made up technojargon on 24. Good to see that we can still be fed lameness.

Jack Don't Care
Hell no Jack doesn't regret the decisions he's made. He's just fine with losing his wife. Estranging his daughter. Pushing his most recent girlfriends to the brink of insanity. Torturing many, killing even more. Dude... really. He doesn't regret any of it. Eeeeexcept maybe that DUI he recently was arrested for and is going to jail because of. THAT, maybe, he regrets.

New City
Same song, new notes. Boring.

What were your thoughts?

Jack Bauer Arrested for DUI

From Zap2it.com:
"24" star Kiefer Sutherland wasn't trying to save the world when he made an illegal U-turn in the wee hours.

Instead, the Emmy-winning actor was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on Tuesday, Sept. 25 in West Hollywood, reports TMZ.com. Earlier in the evening, he had attended the FOX Fall Eco-Casino party at Area nightclub.

The 40-year-old was pulled over at 1:35 a.m. on the corner of La Cienega and Beverly. A breathalyzer test showed that his blood alcohol level was above the legal .08 limit for California.

He was taken to the Hollywood Police station and booked for a misdemeanor DUI. He was released on $25,000 bail.

Sutherland is due in court on Oct. 16.

Well, this will definitely put a damper on his run for President, but it also speaks volumes about his latest round of reality. Think about it... everyone he loves dies and sometimes they come back! I'd probably be drunk-driving around LA at 1:35 a.m. if I saw Tony Almeida show up earlier that day.

I wonder how long he sat in the jailcell while someone came to get him. And while he waited, did the 24-clock beep the whole time? That could make for some interesting reality tv. Someone, please get that tape!

24 Season 7: Tony Almeida, Resident Zombie

Before the news of Tony returning broke, I thought that 24 fans were awfully lenient with the writing staff. Now, however, it appears that most suffer from the ostrich syndrome – where you stick your head in the sand to ignore what's going on. Everywhere I read, fans are rejoicing that Tony is back... from the dead. Yes, he was dead. Don't let anyone on the 24 tell you otherwise. Don't listen to the lies they're going to spin... especially when Executive Producer Howard Gordon says something like:

"That's something, obviously, we're going to have to explain away," Gordon says. "Hopefully, in the spirit of creating a good show and creating an interesting season, people will allow the fun [of '24']."

In the spirit (pun intended, I'm sure) of creating an interesting season? Let me translate that for you – in the interest of me keeping my job because we got our asses handed to us for the crap we put out there last year.

I'm bewildered that these fans are all excited about Tony returning. Really, I am. Why? BECAUSE HE WAS DEAD!!! This isn't a soap opera. This is a show that's based on the reality of a 24-hour timeline AND the notion that terrorist attacks could happen on US soil. But now we're supposed to believe that a character that was killed off in season five is just about to magically reappear?

I'm not sure how Mr. Gordon and his crew will explain what's plainly listed in the 24 recaps:

Season Five: 7:00 - 8:00 pm
7:59 P.M. – Jack enters the clinic and finds Tony and Burke on the ground. Gasping his last breath of life, Tony tells Jack that he couldn’t do it. Jack clutches Tony’s head. Tony dies, and Jack cries with him still in his arms.

Season Five: 8:00 - 9:00 pm
8:00 P.M. – As the medic workers wrap up Tony’s body, Audrey comes to tell Jack that Henderson has escaped. However, Chloe was able to decrypt a file on his computer and she found an intelligence broker named Collette Stenger who is a known associate of Bierko.

Tony dies in Jack's arms. Next episode, Tony's body is being wrapped up by medical workers.

He's dead. Tony is gone. Character written off of the show.

How can you be excited about this? This opens the flood gates of allowing the writers to do ANYTHING they want. This doesn't make for interesting television. It reeks of publicity stunt and ratings grabbing. Ultimately, it's going to make them all look like fools (if that's not too late, already).

If you're a fan and you're excited about Tony the un-dead agent, then just admit the show is lost and insanely silly. Then I won't want to sucker-punch you so bad.

24 Season 7: Tony Almeida is Back (rolling eyes)

From TVGuide.com:
I will go out of my way not to blurt this out, lest someone castigate me for spoiling. But when Fox's 24 launches Season 7 on Jan. 13 and 14 with a two-night premiere, a familiar (though unexpected) face will put in an appearance. "With CTU dismantled, the show's setting moves to Washington, D.C., where Jack Bauer faces trial for his actions in the pursuit of justice," reads the Fox press release. "Bauer's day gets off to a shocking start when former colleague Tony Almeida (played by Carlos Bernard), last seen in Day 5, returns after being left for dead by a terrorist conspirator in CTU's infirmary."

Say wha?! "Tony's uncertain fate... left the door open for his return," explains exec producer Howard Gordon. "And since there was no silent clock at the conclusion of his last appearance — the 24 tribute to a major character's demise — we always kept this as a possibility." Indeed, it was widely rumored (and, I believe, perhaps even filmed) that Tony was to resurface in the final seconds of last season.

Wait until you-know-who finds out that wife Michelle herself is alive, and working as a chaplain at ER's County General!

As Jonk points out in today's earlier post – this is so asenine and ludicris that 24 not only jumps the shark, but ties a rock to it's feet and drowns itself. How in the world does Tony survive in season five and NO ONE knows about it?

Sure season six totally sucked. We all know it. Will bringing Tony back, into a season that was delayed several different times due to re-writes, solve that? How does this jive with 24's fresh start? Still in America. Still related to a government agency. Still has Chloe and Bill. And now Tony. Wow. This'll feel like a brand new show! SOOOOO different.

I was all excited about 24 trying to put a stake in the ground and "start over," but this news definitely puts them back 17,000 steps.

So let's recap when we last saw Tony. He was dead inside of CTU.

How will this be explained!?! More moles? Tony was taken to be buried but came back to life? Even if he didn't die, NO ONE told Jack? And if they DID know, why wasn't he brought in when Graem and Daddy Bauer were running amuck in season six -- didn't Tony and Michelle's company have something to do with them!?!

Bullshit. I'll say it again. Bullshit.

Way to go Fox. Way to go 24. You're making a mockery out of yourselves.

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

Random Notes from 24-land

While catching up on some blogs, I thought I would post some of the random 24-related news from the heres and theres.

Jon Cassar has a "blog"
Yes, it's true. One of 24's Executive Producers, and lead directors, has his own blog. I see it more as a propaganda piece for 24, since it needs all the good ju-ju that it can get, but still, he spouts some interesting stuff on there from time to time. Aside from the casting news he's listed on there, he also talks about how filming is getting close to wrapping for the season's two-hour premiere on Sunday, January 13 – of course it's supposed to be good and all of the actors are supposed to be awesome (I would've loved to read his blog during last season, just to see how what he says would compare to the drivel they gave us).

What I really loved, however, was this little snippet he has on the site:

It's Emmy day, but alas no 24 nominations on the big night except for Kiefers. It's the first time in 6 years I won't be going to the show. I will however be visiting a couple of after parties. We did win an award last weekend at the creative awards, for sound editing, which kept us from being shut out. The show has won at least one emmy for every year it has aired. And we are still the only Drama for Fox network in their history, that was won emmys for "Best Drama", "Best Actor" and "Best Director". And only one of 3 shows (X-Files and House) that have won for "Best Writing".

So he didn't attend the Emmys, because, to me, it sounds like he KNEW that Kiefer wasn't going to win. And like I mentioned the other day, when you win an Emmy, you gotta hang your hat on something – even if it's the Emmy for best sound editing in a series. Keep your eye on his blog for more news. Too bad there's not an RSS feed. I guess he didn't want to be TOO 21st century.

24 named one of Time's Best 100 TV Shows
This one I was so-so on, but when Time even rips season six while saying what a great concept 24 is, you gotta respect that. Check out the beautiful first line:

I was hesitant to include this show after its sixth—and admittedly terrible—season.

Major cast additions/announcements today
The ladies over at 24fan are reporting that Fox will make some major cast additions (and returns) today. As you can see, some are already speculating that Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) will be coming back to the show. As you can see on IMDB, on Carlos' profile AND on the Season 7 page, this hasn't been confirmed yet.

If he does come back, however, 24 will have definitely gone off the deep end in trying to return to power. I say leave Tony off and figure out a way to bring back the good President Palmer. I wouldn't even care how they explained that one.