Possible news regarding the future of '24'
 

Ran across this today and thought some would enjoy it here...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...3/DD134945.DTL

:lol: They compared <I>24</I> to <I>Hill Street Blues</I>.

Anyway, just living in the <I>24</I> universe seems like a horrible idea to be. The setting really isn't that interesting to me outside of the "longest day of my life" aspect. And the writers really have destroyed most of the credibility they built in the early episodes.

Personally, I think the idea of telling another 24 hour story, completely independent of the current one, with the actors playing different characters is the best I've heard.

das

I don't think it would be that hard for the writers to come up with another "24 hour" storyline.

They should have it take place a year later, with Palmer as President. Bauer is now head of CTU and he uncovers a terrorist plot to attack some large American target. He has 24 hours to stop the bombing or whatever.

You wouldn't have to feature his family so much, but if they had to the plot could involve them. For instance, a cruise ship or plane is targeted and Kim is on her senior trip.

Or, hell, make all of LA a target so he's have to save his and everyone else's families.

Hey, if I can think of an idea of the top of my head, I'm sure the writer's could develop something.

Except replace Keifer with Jason Patric and recruit Willem Defoe as the bad guy? No offense, but I don't think I'd watch that show. :)

das

I always thought that having a "catch up" show every four weeks would have helped keep people interested. Basically once a month, you would rehash what has happened. You didn't even have to run this on Tuesday. Lord knows that Fox has plenty of dead spots to fill. There are a few people I know who would miss an episode and then just give up on catching new ones, figuring they would be forever lost.

If FOX does stay with this premise, I hope they lose the family since they're being in trouble would just be silly.

In the article, it stated FOX is thinking about keeping the same actors, but changing the characters....

I don't logically understand how a show can establish characters with specific backgrounds for 24 episodes, and then possibly bring it back the next season with the same actors playing different characters under the same show. Has this ever been done before? It almost sounds like a play, or a improv class. Why do it? Why lead fans down the line if you change the characters?

So, technically, next season Kiefer Sutherland could be the bad guy, and the guy who plays Tony could be the hero? The woman who plays Nina could be called Sally, a woman who has three kids and in the middle of a divorce? I just don't see the point. I understand this show is doing poor in the ratings, but how is changing characters going to help? If anything, move the time slot. It's hard to get good ratings when you are competing against 'The Guardian' and 'NYPD Blue,' a show that has established credibility for ten years straight. Not to mention "24" competes with 'Smallville,' 'Scrubs' and 'Fraiser.'

But, of course, it's the characters that need to be altered.

I hope they let it die after this season. The first 13 or so episodes (whenever the cutoff was before Fox signed up for the remaning episodes) were great, but I've been let down by the episodes since. I'm hoping they can just finish off this season strong then leave us with a good feeling and not ruin it by making it something that its not. Jack and Tony are the only characters I would care about and have an interest in watching in the future but they couldn't carry the show for another full season.

I don't see why they couldn't just have the next season be 24 hours to find a nuclear weapon before it's detonated in a major city. Or 24 hours with a hijacked plane. With enough setup, backstory and side story there would certainly be enough to fill 24 episodes.

Coming up with a main storyline isn't the problem. Coming up with subplots is. They're already struggling to find subplots. Amnesia? Stockholm Syndrome? Bleh.

I may be in the minority here, but I got bored with this show around episode 6 or 7 and gave up completely somewhere around 10. The storyline just started to seem really dragged out to me... almost like the show was just "spinning its wheels" in order to fill up the required 24 hours.

Great idea, but the execution of it didn't really work for me.

I hear this is done on Mexican Soaps all the time. Keeping the actors assures the viewers of the quality and changing the characters keeps the story fresh.

They'll have to have Kiefer Sutherland play another character in season two because Jack dies in the season one finale.

Just kidding.

Thanks for the link djbrown.

Saw this at Aint it cool had to post it.


My name is Jack Bauer and this is going to be an even longer day than the one before, which I thought was going to be the longest day of my life, but it turns out I was wrong...dead wrong.


:)

:lol:

das

Oh! I would!

Maybe they should just make each episode take place over 24 hrs. instead of the format they use now. That way we get 24 new stories instead of just 1.-smile-

This is one of the proposed suggestions. If they do that, what seperates it from other dramas?

I'm sure the writers who came up with the amnesia angle could find a way ... like aliens could eat Kim, but see ... it won't be Kim ... it will be a clone.

das

Nothing. But isn't this what they do when a show is totally different from anything else on tv? They just turn it into a clone of something else.

That would be a great idea. That way they could give David Duchuvny some work.:D:

Right, but it would actually be Nina ... using his body ... to kill ... THE PRESIDENT!

das

How about this for an idea:

Create some sort of terrorist crisis for Jack to fight. But also introduce another character, perhaps a counterpart for Jack who works in Europe or something.

The show could still take place in real time, but while it's a certain time in California, you have this other person working in a completely different time zone. So instead of Jack running for 24 hours straight you could also spend time with the other main character working on the case in their time zone.

It would be more plausible and you wouldn't have to worry about developing a ton of sub-plots.

It's probably the only way to keep the core premise of the show-the real time concept. IMO putting Jack Bauer immediately into another 24 hr scenario will be even more strained than the last few episodes and probably isn't viable. But I also think continuing the show while ditching the core concept would be weak-it becomes a more generic TV show like the Agency.

Essentially, the show would be focused on its concept instead of continuing characters. It has been done successfully with even less character continuity-The Twilight Zone. I think it would be worth trying for 24 because IMO the real time crisis element is more indispensable to the show than the characters-they are primarily just there to serve the crisis/conspiracy plotline.

You wouldn't need to bring back the same actors playing different parts, but I think that it would be fun. You could see the versatility of a good cast and play with the expectations fans would have from previous seasons.

More evidence of the dumbing-down of America:

http://www.cinescape.com/0/editorial...5&obj_id=33928
HOLY CRAP! "Asking a lot of the viewer?!" Heaven frickin' forbid! After all, that's not what made Mission: Impossible a huge success!

I still don't understand why a Season 2 show would have to take place "immediately" after this one.

Why not have the next season take place a year or two later?

I'm pretty sure Jack will come out a hero after all this, and Palmer might eventually become President.

You could have Jack & Palmer working on a big terrorist crisis together.

The problem with the format is that no one wants to start watching it now, after they've missed so much. How many people watched the 1st 13 episodes of Cheers or Seinfeld? Not many, but with those shows and other shows it didn't matter.

A Great Article Explaining the New Format of "24."
 

Here you go, guys. What do you all think?
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Going Into Overtime?
'24' may get new format

By STEPHEN BATTAGLIO
Daily News Staff Writer

After a shaky start in the Nielsen ratings, the innovative Fox drama "24" is now likely to return for a second season.

But what may not be back is the show's unique format, in which a single day unfolds hour by hour over 24 episodes.

As Fox gets ready to pick up the series, executive producers Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran are working on a plan in which "24" would become a more traditional drama series. Each episode would tell an entire story set during a 24-hour period, with no cliffhangers.

That may be a letdown for fans addicted to the nail-biting tension "24" has delivered with counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer's season-long race to rescue his family from kidnappers and prevent the assassination of a presidential candidate.

"We all love the format," Surnow said. "But there are problems with it. It asks a lot of the viewer. It asks them to tune in every week to follow a story. And that is not typically what research says are the viewing habits of the American public."

Even among the top-rated shows, viewers catch only about eight episodes of their favorite series over the course of a season.

The producers say they prefer sticking with the current format, the survival of which depends on the ratings of the next six weeks. They want to depict another day in the life of Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, but six months later and presumably after a much-needed rest.

However, if "24" goes to portraying an entire day per episode, they will try to maintain the spirit of their original idea.

"You can retain the title and make some sense out of it," said Cochran. "You can retain some kind of clock that's ticking in the show, some sense of pace, pressure and tension that will spill over from this year's format. But then you provide closure with each episode in a more traditional manner."

A new format is likely to find fans among the network's bean counters. With its current structure, "24" will not be repeated on Fox over the summer, since the conclusion of its season-long story will be known (the show does get repeated on cable's FX). A series with self-contained episodes means the network can get a second prime-time run out of them.

Not having a story line that requires a sustained commitment may also make "24" accessible to a bigger audience.

"It's not going to be as unique, but I do think it will open it up to a larger range of viewers," said Stacy Lynn Koerner, senior vice president and director of broadcast research at media-buying firm Initiative Media. "But they have to keep the suspense of every single episode."

Correction: the problem is with the American television audience. :) They have contracted a nasty case of SUCK and refuse to take any medication. While I think the writing on <I>24</I> has declined measurably since the earlier episodes, it's still a bold attempt at something new. Why the audience cannot at least give it a chance is beyond me. It's as if no one will watch a show unless told that enough people think it's good. Think for yourselves, dammit. Argh ... so frustrating. I wouldn't care so much about other people's behavior if it didn't so directly impact the quality of television.

das

My bad for closing the thread in which the above article appeared. I saw the same quote from the same person in both articles, and wrongly assumed they were the same article. Merging thread with ongoing discussion about the future of "24."

Static...

Why did you cancel my thread about the new "24" article? I checked this thread before I posted it, and while both articles are somewhat similar, the one I wanted to share really goes into depth of the new proposed format, and the reasoning behind it.

Read it yourself if you haven't. If anyone likes the show, it's a very good and informative article.

That wasn't what I meant. Sorry for not being clear. I was thinking next season instead of the next day, but I think there are some problems bringing back Jack Bauer even if you flash forward two or so years. If you try to work in more than a few of the CTU characters it would be awfully contrived IMO.

that would have some definite possiblities in my book. just as long as palmer's wife got ditched. i can't stand her.

I was skimming old 24 threads and thought this was funny, since Jadzia predicted it perfectly. However, for a third season, the second idea she had (European split time) was also good to give the show some variety.

Can we all agree that it's a GOOD thing they didn't change the format of the show? I think this season is better than the first.

I thought the format was crucial too, so much so I would have had them tell a completely unrelated story with new characters instead of ditch the format. While the timing of some events, especially car travel in LA, have been suspect at least the central premise is there.

I was skeptical about them coming up with another good Jack Bauer story, but I think this season is just as good if not better.

I agree this season has been very solid. Last season was so cliched, I half expected Bobby Ewing to step out of the shower. They seem to have done a solid job maintaining the overall premise while dropping a lot of the crap (*cough* amnesia *cough*). Of course, it was at about this time last season that everything started to turn to mush, but I imagine most -- if not all -- of that was due to renewal problems, so hopefully, they can continue at this pace for the whole 24 hours.

As for the concept, I still would rather them go with the idea of telling a completely different story with the same actors mixed up as different characters. I'm sure ol' Keifer wouldn't take kindly to not being the center of the show, but it would be really cool. It would also require talented actors and writers to pull it off; however, then it would be truly groundbreaking television. As it stands now, the 24-hour format isn't really that special, particularly the loose way they handle it.

das

I give season 2 thumps up also

Does anybody remember the mid-90's ABC series Murder One? Daniel Benzali was an attorney who defended a client charged w/ murder. The whole season followed this one case only, in all of it's permutations (looking for evidence, maneuvering w/ the court and the prosecution, keeping the defendant's spirits up). It was critically acclaimed, but got mediocre ratings.

They got the brilliant idea that the format needed to change the next year. Benzali walked, Anthony La Paglia (who's sort of the 90's version of Ted McGinley) came in, and it turned into Sorta The Practice, and died a deserved death. If theyu ever change the format in such a predicatble way w/ 24, a similar fate awaits it.

That first season of <I>Murder One</I> was absolutely brilliant. Incredible cast too (pulling some faves from <B>Hill Street</B> and <B>L.A. Law</B>): D.B. Woodside, Barbara Bosson, Dylan Baker, Donna Murphy, Bobbi Phillips (schwing), Patricia Clarkson and the incomparable Stanley Tucci. The concept of following a murder trial, in complete detail, from start to finish was fascinating. Television like that is just too brave for the American audience.

das

I got in on it late, which is one major reason when 24 was announced, I was determined to watch it from the start and stick with it as long as necessary.

Bobbie Phillips :drool: Follows the same template as Krista Allen: talk softly and be built like the proverbial brick outhouse :D

(I remember a classic Letterman joke @ that show. It was right in the middle of the Simpson trial, which everyone was riveted to, day after day. Dave said "Watch TV and see the same trial for months? People will never go for that..." :lol: )

lol someone ressurected this thread, last post was all the way in april. 8 months later someone decides to give it another response.