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?