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?
