24 Information

24 is an American television series produced for the Fox network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration. Premiering on November 6, 2001, the show spanned 192 episodes over eight seasons, with the series finale broadcast on May 24, 2010. In addition, the television film is also planned, with filming scheduled to begin in summer 2013.

Bauer is the only character to have appeared in every episode of the series. The series begins with his working for the Los Angeles"based Counter Terrorist Unit, in which he is a highly-proficient agent with an "ends justify the means" approach, regardless of the perceived morality of some of his actions. Throughout the series most of the main plot elements unfold like a political thriller. A typical plot has Bauer racing against the clock as he attempts to thwart multiple terrorist plots, including presidential assassination attempts, nuclear, biological and chemical threats, cyber attacks, as well as conspiracies which deal with government and corporate corruption.

Although critically acclaimed, the series has been criticized for its depictions of torture as effective and its negative depictions of Muslims. Nevertheless, the show won numerous awards over its eight seasons, including Best Drama Series at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards and Outstanding Drama Series at the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards. At the conclusion of its eighth and final season, 24 became the longest-running espionage-themed television drama ever, surpassing both Mission: Impossible and The Avengers.

Synopsis

Premise

24 is a serial drama which stars Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, focusing on the efforts of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit, and their efforts to protect America from terrorism plots. Each episode typically follows Bauer, officials in the U.S. government, and the conspirators behind the events of the day, often simultaneously. The episodes take place over the course of one hour, depicting events as they happen, in real time. To emphasize the real-world flow of events, a clock is prominently displayed on-screen during the show, and there is a regular use of split screens, a technique used to depict multiple scenes occurring at the same time.

Overview

Season one begins at 12:00 am on the day of the California presidential primary. Jack Bauer's protocol is to protect Senator David Palmer from an assassination plot, and rescue his own family from those responsible for the plot, who seek retribution for Jack's and Palmer's involvement with a covert American mission in the Balkans.

Season two, set 18 months later, begins at 8:00 am. Jack must succeed in stopping a nuclear bomb from detonating in Los Angeles, then assist President David Palmer in proving who is responsible for the threat. This is necessary to avoid an unfounded war between the U.S. and three Middle Eastern countries.

Season three, set three years later, begins at 1:00 pm. Jack must re-infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel in order to seize a deadly virus being marketed underground. Meanwhile, Palmer attempts to be devoid of further political scandal which could cost him his presidency. Later, Jack and Palmer must cooperate with terrorist Stephen Saunders, who eventually gains possession of the virus, and stop him from releasing it in several American cities.

Season four, set 18 months later, begins at 7:00 am. Jack must save the lives of his new boss Secretary of Defense James Heller and Heller's daughter Audrey Raines (with whom Jack is romantically involved) when they are kidnapped by terrorists. However, Habib Marwan uses this as a disguise to launch further attacks against America, and Jack is forced to use unorthodox methods to stop him, which results in long-term consequences for both Jack and the United States.

Season five, set 18 months after, begins at 7:00 am. Jack is believed to be dead by everyone except a few of his closest friends. He is forced to resurface when some of those friends are murdered and he is framed by terrorists with connections to the American government. They attempt to steal nerve gas in order to protect U.S. oil interests in Asia, and Jack discovers an insidious conspiracy while trying to stop them.

Season six, set 20 months later, begins at 6:00 am. Jack is released after being detained in a Chinese prison following the events of season five. Terrorists who hold a vendetta against Jack plot to set off suitcase nuclear devices in America and he must secure them. Later, Jack is forced to choose between those he loves and national security when the Chinese set their sights on sensitive circuitry that could trigger a war between the U.S. and Russia.

Due to the 2007"2008 Writers' Strike, season seven was delayed one year. To bridge the one-and-a-half-year gap between seasons, is being sworn into office as president.

Season seven, set 65 days after the end of Redemption, begins at 8:00 am. Jack is assisted by the FBI and covert operatives when the firewall for America's government computer infrastructure is breached by the same people responsible for a conflict in Sangala. Jack must then secure evidence to begin their arrests, some of whom are within President Taylor's administration. This leak allows access for the Sangalans to raid the White House and capture Taylor. She is later blackmailed by a private military contractor in an attempt to release biological weapons on U.S. soil. Jack must thwart these attacks so that the co-conspirators fail to cement their power at a government level.

Season eight, set 18 months later, begins at 4:00 pm. Jack is brought in by CTU to uncover a Russian plot to assassinate Islamic leader Omar Hassan during peace negotiations with U.S. President Taylor. Russia's contingency plan involves engineering a dirty bomb, which Islamic extremists threaten to detonate unless Hassan is handed over. Jack is then forced to seek retribution for personal losses suffered after Charles Logan convinces Taylor to cover up these crimes in order to protect the peace agreement. A fugitive from both national and foreign governments, Jack must find support to ensure his freedom.

Production

Conception

The idea for the series first came from executive producer Joel Surnow, who initially had the idea of a TV show with 24 episodes in a season. Each episode would be an hour long, taking place over the course of a single day. He discussed the idea over the phone with producer Robert Cochran, whose initial response was "Forget it, that's the worst idea I've ever heard, it will never work and it's too hard". They met the next day at the International House of Pancakes in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, to discuss the idea of this action-espionage series that used the format of real time to create dramatic tension with a race against the clock.

The pilot for 24 was pitched to Fox who immediately bought it, saying they felt that the idea for the series was one that would "move the form of television forward". The episode had a $4 million budget with filming in March 2001, mostly done in an old Chatsworth pencil factory. The set of CTU was initially done in a Fox Sports office, with the set reproduced once the series was picked up for the season. The series was supposed to be filmed in Toronto, but due to the variability of Canadian weather, Los Angeles was chosen as a filming location.

The pilot of the series was well received by critics, and was signed on for an initial thirteen episodes. Production began in July 2001, and the premiere was planned for October 30, but because of the September 11 attacks, delayed until November 6. After the first three episodes, Fox greenlit the remaining filmed 11 episodes and following Kiefer Sutherland's Golden Globe win, Fox ordered the second half of the season.

Design

Although not the first to do so, 24 embraced the concept of real time. This idea started when producer Joel Surnow thought of the idea of doing "24 episodes in a season, which each episode lasting an hour". They decided that the idea of real time had to make the show a "race against the clock". Each episode takes place over the course of one hour, with time continuing to elapse during the commercial breaks. The exact time is denoted by the digital clock display at the beginning and end of each segment. Mundane events, such as travel, sometimes occur during commercial breaks and thus these events are largely unseen. The story time correlates with elapsed viewing time if episodes are broadcast with commercial breaks of set duration inserted at the points prescribed by the episode. In line with the depiction of events in real time, 24 does not use slow motion techniques. The series also does not use flashbacks, except once during the first season finale. Watched continuously without advertisements, each season would run approximately 17 hours. As a result of the timing nature of the series, a number of visual cues were projected onto the screen.

Another idea was the use of split screens, which was born out of the number of phone calls there were, and because of the element of real time, was used to trace parallel adventures of different characters, and aid in the connecting of characters. It was used by producers to point the audience to where to pay attention, as secondary stories often take place outside of the main plot. The idea of using boxes came later which made shooting more flexible, as the shot could be cropped and reshaped inside the box. It was from here that the idea of using split screens as an artistic element came into the series.

A major concept used in the series was the idea of a running clock. This initially came from Joel Surnow, who wanted the audience to always know what time it was in the show's fictional timeline. This was done by an on-screen digital clock which appears before and after commercial breaks, and a smaller, silent clock also appears at other points in the narrative. The time shown is the in-universe time of the story. When the running clock is shown, an alternating beeping noise for each second can usually be heard. This ticking is absent on rare occasions in the series, such as following the death of a major character or after a disastrous event.

Setting

The first six seasons of the show were mostly based in Los Angeles and nearby California locations"?both real and fictional. Other locations have also been featured, such as Washington, D.C., for parts of the fourth, sixth, and seventh seasons. The eighth season took place in New York City, and the TV film Redemption, filmed in South Africa, was set mainly in the fictional African nation of Sangala.

The main setting of the show is the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit. Its office consists of two main departments: Field Operations, which involves confronting and apprehending suspects, and Communications, which gathers intelligence and assists those that work in Field Operations. CTU offices are established in various cities with these units reporting to "Divisions", and Divisions reporting to the "District". While CTU itself is a fictional agency, several entities with similar names or duties, like the National Counterterrorism Center, have emerged since the show's debut on television.

The set of CTU was initially filmed in a Fox Sports office, with the set recreated in old pencil factory in Chatsworth. The same set was used for the first three seasons, but was redesigned before the start of the fourth season, and again before the start of the eighth season. Other sets were also constructed here, such as Charles Logan's presidential retreat shown in seasons five and six, and the White House bunker shown in season six.

Series conclusion

On March 26, 2010, a statement was issued from Fox which explained that season eight would conclude the series broadcast on television. Kiefer Sutherland gave a statement:

Executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon was also a part of the decision. He was quoted saying:

Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment at Fox Networks Group said, "24 is so much more than just a TV show " it has redefined the drama genre and created one of the most admired action icons in television history." Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment at Fox Broadcasting Company added, "We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series and will be forever thankful to Kiefer, the producers, the cast and crew for everything they've put into 24 over the years. It's truly been an amazing and unforgettable eight days.

The final episode aired on May 24, 2010.

Relation to other productions

Immediately prior to 24, series co-creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran executive-produced La Femme Nikita for its entire five-year run on USA Network. Both series deal with anti-terrorist operations, and the lead characters of both series are placed in situations where they must make a tragic choice in order to serve the greater good. There are numerous on- and off-screen creative connections between 24 and La Femme Nikita. Several actors from La Femme Nikita have portrayed similar roles on 24, a number of story concepts from La Femme Nikita have been revisited on 24, and many of the creative personnel from La Femme Nikita worked on 24 in their same role.

Similar to the 1997 film, Air Force One, 24 featured the president's personal jumbo-jet (Air Force One). Air Force One was featured in 24 seasons 2 and 4. Air Force Two (carrying the Vice President but not the President) was featured in season 6. Several actors featured in 24, such as Xander Berkeley, Glenn Morshower, Wendy Crewson, Timothy Carhart, Jürgen Prochnow, Tom Everett and Spencer Garrett also appeared in the film Air Force One. The 25th amendment, which deals with succession to the Presidency and establishes procedures for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President and responding to Presidential disabilities, was also a shared theme between the film and the television series. 24 used the same Air Force One set from another television series, The West Wing.

Feature film

A feature film adaptation of 24 was originally planned for the hiatus between the sixth and seventh seasons. Series co-creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran were set to write the script with showrunner Howard Gordon working on story. Filming was going to take place in London, Prague, and Morocco. Plans for the film were later put on hold. Kiefer Sutherland explained, "It's impossible to ask writers to work on the show and then come up with an amazing film we can shoot in the break between seasons."

It was later decided that the film would begin after the conclusion of the eighth and final season. It was to be set and shot on-location in Europe. Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, Howard Gordon, and Kiefer Sutherland were going to be executive producers on the film, and Billy Ray was going to write the screenplay. Shooting was planned to start in late 2010 or early 2011.

In April 2010, Kiefer Sutherland said in an interview at a BAFTA event in London that the script was finished and he would be reading it upon his return to the United States. He also said that the film will be a two-hour representation of a twenty-four-hour time frame. Sutherland described the film production as "exciting" because, "It's going to be a two-hour representation of a 24 hour day, so we were not going to be restrained by the real time aspect of the TV show." In November 2010, executive producer Howard Gordon revealed that a "work in progress" screenplay was being read by Fox, but that the film did not yet have a green light or fixed schedule. In December 2010, Howard Gordon revealed that Fox turned down the script by Billy Ray, saying, "It wasn't strong enough or compelling enough". Gordon is currently no longer involved with the project, but states that director Tony Scott has an idea and will pitch it to Sutherland. However, Scott's death in August 2012 indicates that he will not be the director as was originally planned. Executive producer Brian Grazer tweeted in April 2011 that the film is planned for a 2012 release. At the 2011 Television Critics Association press tour, former showrunner Howard Gordon stated that "conversations are definitely happening" about the film, and that they are just looking for the right script before moving forward. In September 2011, Sutherland indicated the script was almost complete. After some small script alterations by screenwriter Mark Bomback, filming was announced to begin in spring 2012, after Sutherland became available in April. However, in March, 20th Century Fox stopped production before filming could begin. Budgetary issues remained unresolved and Sutherland's narrow time frame for filming were cited as reasons for halting production.

In July 2012, Sutherland confirmed the film was still in plans and that they would begin filming in summer 2013.

In addition, in June 2010 it was reported that plans were made to create a film titled Die Hard 24/7, which would serve as a crossover between 24 and the Die Hard franchise, with Kiefer Sutherland to reprise his role as Jack Bauer alongside Bruce Willis' John McClane. However these plans never came to fruition, with the studio instead opting to create the film A Good Day to Die Hard.

Other media

A significant amount of additional media relating to the series has been created, including Internet-distributed spin-off series such as The Rookie and . Other media includes action figures of some of the main characters, soundtracks from both the series and the video game, and a number of novels covering different events not covered in the series. Additionally, a number of in-universe books were created, as well as behind the scenes books containing information on how the series was created.

Cast and characters

Cast appearances

24 makes major changes to its main cast every season, with the only regular cast member of all seasons being Kiefer Sutherland. He is the only actor to appear in all of the show's 192 episodes and the television film, , made appearances in the first seven seasons.

Main characters

Actor	Character	Episode count	Main cast seasons	Recurring cast seasons
		192	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
		24	1
		36	1	2, 3
		79	1, 2, 3	5, 7, 8
		80	1, 2, 3	4, 5
		25	2	3
		27	2	1
		45	2	1, 3
		115	2, 3, 5, 7	1, 4
		62	3	2, 4, 5
		24	3
		52	4, 5	6
		12	4
		12	4	4
		44	4, 5	4, 6
		20	4	5, 6
		125	5, 6, 7, 8	3, 4
		44	5	4, 6, 8
		64	5, 6, 7	4
		37	5	4
		24	5	6
		48	6	3, 5
		24	6	'
		30	6	5
		29	6	5, 7
		28	6	1
		24	6
		9	6
		43
		37	7, 8
		12
		31
		19	7
		10	7
		21	7
		15	8
		17	8
		20	8
		12	8
		24	8
		24	8

1.^Was moved from guest star to main cast member mid-season.

Notable recurring characters

24 features a number of recurring characters every season. Below, in order of appearance, are the recurring characters who have appeared in at least 8 episodes.

Actor	Character	Seasons	Episode count
Karina Arroyave	Jamey Farrell	1	10
Daniel Bess	Rick Allen	1	18
Mia Kirshner	Mandy	1, 2, 4	7
Michael Massee	Ira Gaines	1	12
Vicellous Shannon	Keith Palmer	1, 2	13
Glenn Morshower	Aaron Pierce	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	49
Jude Ciccolella	Mike Novick	1, 2, 4, 5	58
?eljko Ivanek	Andre Drazen	1	14
Paul Schulze	Ryan Chappelle	1, 2, 3	23
Dennis Hopper	Victor Drazen	1	5
Michelle Forbes	Lynne Kresge	2	18
Phillip Rhys	Reza Naiyeer	2	10
Laura Harris	Marie Warner	2	14
John Terry	Bob Warner	2	12
Daniel Dae Kim	Tom Baker	2, 3	11
Lourdes Benedicto	Carrie Turner	2	10
Joaquim de Almeida	Ramon Salazar	3	12
Christina Chang	Sunny Macer	3, 7	11
Zachary Quinto	Adam Kaufman	3	23
Vincent Laresca	Hector Salazar	3	12
Vanessa Ferlito	Claudia Hernandez	3	11
Jesse Borrego	Gael Ortega	3	14
Geoff Pierson	John Keeler	3, 4	19
Paul Blackthorne	Stephen Saunders	3	10
Nestor Serrano	Navi Araz	4	10
Shohreh Aghdashloo	Dina Araz	4	12
Jonathan Ahdout	Behrooz Araz	4	12
James Frain	Paul Raines	4	10
Arnold Vosloo	Habib Marwan	4	17
John Allen Nelson	Walt Cummings	4, 5	12
Tzi Ma	Cheng Zhi	4, 5, 6	12
Sandrine Holt	Evelyn Martin	5	10
Nick Jameson	Yuri Suvarov	5, 6, 8	15
Julian Sands	Vladimir Bierko	5	11
Peter Weller	Christopher Henderson	5	11
Paul McCrane	Graem Bauer	5, 6	8
Stephen Spinella	Miles Papazian	5	10
Adoni Maropis	Abu Fayed	6	15
Rena Sofer	Marilyn Bauer	6	12
Evan Ellingson	Josh Bauer	6	10
James Cromwell	Phillip Bauer	6	8
Powers Boothe	Noah Daniels	6, '	14
Kari Matchett	Lisa Miller	6	10
Ricky Schroder	Mike Doyle	6	12
Hakeem Kae-Kazim	Ike Dubaku		9
Jon Voight	Jonas Hodges		10
Frank John Hughes	Tim Woods	7, 8	24
Sprague Grayden	Olivia Taylor	7	14
Necar Zadegan	Dalia Hassan	8	20
Nazneen Contractor	Kayla Hassan	8	21
TJ Ramini	Tarin Faroush	8	11
Mido Hamada	Samir Mehran	8	10

Impact and reception

Reaction

Throughout its run, 24 was frequently cited by critics as one of the best shows on television. Its fifth season was its most critically acclaimed season, scoring universally positive reviews from critics, with the last three seasons each receiving generally favorable reviews. 24 has been called groundbreaking and innovative with Time stating that the show took "the trend of serial story 'arcs', which began with '80s dramas like Hill Street Blues and Wiseguy and which continues on The West Wing and The Sopranos" to the "next level" and another critic saying that it "feels like no TV show you've ever seen". The production and quality of the series has been frequently called "filmlike" and better than most films. The series has been compared to old-fashioned film serials, like The Perils of Pauline.

The quality of the acting was particularly celebrated by critics. Robert Bianco of USA Today described Kiefer Sutherland as indispensable to the series, and that he had a "great, under-sung performance". Dennis Haysbert's "commanding" performance as David Palmer was hailed by critics, with some believing the character helped the campaign of Barack Obama. David Leonhart of The New York Times praised Gregory Itzin's portrayal of President Charles Logan, comparing his character to former U.S. President Richard Nixon. The New York Times characterized Logan's administration as "a projection of our very worst fears" of the government. Jean Smart's portrayal of Martha Logan in the fifth season was equally acclaimed. The character's opening scene (in which she, unsatisfied with her hairdo, dunks her head into a sink) was called "the most memorable character debut in 24 history".

Critics were often disappointed by the series' reliance on poor subplots, specifically Teri's amnesia in season one, Kim Bauer's storyline in season two, and Dana Walsh's storyline in season eight. Later seasons were criticized for increasingly outlandish or repetitive plotlines and the deaths of key cast members. The finale of season one is seen by many critics as one of the best episodes of the series and is frequently cited as one of the best television season finales of all-time. Teri Bauer's death at the end of the finale was voted by TV Guide as the second most shocking death in television history.

Towards the middle of 24's run, the series attracted significant criticism for its depictions of torture, as well as its negative portrayal of Muslims. The frequent use of ticking time bomb scenarios in storylines, as well as the main character, Jack Bauer portraying torture as normal, effective, acceptable and glamorous, was criticized by human rights activists, military officials, and experts in questioning and interrogation, with concerns raised that junior U.S. soldiers were imitating techniques shown on the series. In response to these concerns, members of the U.S. military met with the creators of the show. Partly as a result of these discussions, and the military's appeal to the creators of the show to tone down the scenes of torture since it was having an impact on U.S. troops, there was a reduction in torture in subsequent seasons of the series.

The issue of torture on the series was discussed by President Bill Clinton who stated that he does not feel there is a place in U.S. policy for torture, but "If you're the Jack Bauer person, you'll do whatever you do and you should be prepared to take the consequences." Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, during a discussion about terrorism, torture and the law, took offense at a Canadian judge's remark that Canada, "thankfully", did not consider what Jack Bauer would do when setting policy. He reportedly responded with a defense of Bauer, arguing that law enforcement officials deserve latitude in times of great crisis, and that no jury would convict Bauer in those types of situations.

The use of torture and the negative portrayal of Muslims affected the decisions of some actors who intended to join the series. Janeane Garofalo, who portrayed Janis Gold on the series, initially turned down the role because of the way the series depicted torture, but later took up the role, saying that "being unemployed and being flattered that someone wanted to work with me outweighed my stance." Shohreh Aghdashloo, who portrayed Dina Araz, initially had reservations about taking on the role, as she initially felt that taking on the role of a Muslim terrorist would alienate people who support her as an activist, as she had spent many years in Iran advocating for women's rights and fought against the stereotyping of Muslim-Americans. However, she took on the role as she realized that people would understand the difference between fiction and reality, and that the series is just a TV show.

During an interview for his new television series Homeland, 24 executive producer Howard Gordon addressed the impact of the series. He said:

On the topic of torture and Islamophobia within the series, Gordon said:

When asked of any regrets, Gordon responded:

After the series finale, the Los Angeles Times characterized the series as "an epic poem, with Jack Bauer in the role of Odysseus or Beowulf. Which means he needed to be fighting monsters, not essentially decent people who have made one very bad decision." The critic went on to say that villain Charles Logan encapsulated all that "Jack and 24 fought against for so long: political corruption and cowardice, narcissism and megalomania, ruthlessness and stupidity." One reviewer for BuddyTV said that "I'll remember the legacy of 24 as an action drama that redefined what serialized television can do and provided many shocking twists and turns along the way"?the biggest one being the very real impact the show had on American foreign policy." The New York Times said "24 will live on, possibly as a feature film, and surely in classrooms and in textbooks. The series enlivened the country's political discourse in a way few others have, partly because it brought to life the ticking time-bomb threat that haunted the Cheney faction of the American government in the years after 9/11." The show was declared the sixth highest rated show for the first ten years of IMDb.com Pro (2002"2012).

Ratings

Seasonal rankings were based on average total viewers per episode of 24 on Fox. Most U.S. network television seasons start in mid-September and end in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. 24 aired during both February and May sweeps. Beginning with its fourth season, 24 began its season in January and aired new episodes non-stop until May.

Season		Episodes	Timeslot (ET)	Season premiere	Season finale	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1	2001"02	24	Tuesday 9:00 pm	November 6, 2001	May 21, 2002	#76	8.60
2	2002"03	24		October 29, 2002	May 20, 2003	#36	11.73
3	2003"04	24		October 28, 2003	May 25, 2004	#42	10.30
4	2005	24	Monday 9:00 pm	January 9, 2005	May 23, 2005	#29	11.90
5	2006	24		January 15, 2006	May 22, 2006	#24	13.78
6	2007	24		January 14, 2007	May 21, 2007	#27	13.00
'''''	2008	2 (TV film)	Sunday 8:00 pm	November 23, 2008		#17	12.12
7	2009	24	Monday 9:00 pm	January 11, 2009	May 18, 2009	#20	12.62
8	2010	24		January 17, 2010	May 24, 2010	#39	9.31

Awards and nominations

24 was nominated for and won several other television awards including the Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. It is the only TV series (besides NYPD Blue and The West Wing) to have ever won the Emmy Award, the Golden Globe and the Satellite Award for Best Drama Series.

24 was nominated in categories for acting, directing, writing, editing, sound, music score, and stunt coordination. The American Film Institute included 24 in its 2005 list of 10 Television Programs of the Year.

The series received 68 Emmy nominations, with 20 wins. It received nominations for Outstanding Drama Series at the Primetime Emmys in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and won the award in 2006. Kiefer Sutherland received nominations in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2009 (for 24: Redemption) and won in 2006. Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran won for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2002 for the pilot episode. Composer Sean Callery received nine nominations for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, nominated for every season and 24: Redemption; he won in 2003, 2006, and 2010.

The series' fifth season was its most successful for awards, earning twelve Emmy nominations and five wins, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for Kiefer Sutherland (after being nominated every year previous). Jon Cassar won for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series, and Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart received Best Supporting Actor/Actress in a Drama Series nominations. In 2009, Cherry Jones won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama.

The series received twelve Golden Globe nominations with two wins. It received nominations for Best Drama Series at the Golden Globes in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2006, winning in 2003, and Kiefer Sutherland received nominations at the Golden Globes in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008 (for 24: Redemption), winning in 2001. Dennis Haysbert received a nomination for Best Supporting Role in 2002.

The series received ten Screen Actors Guild nominations with four wins. It was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2003, 2005, and 2007 at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Kiefer Sutherland was nominated in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, winning in 2004 and 2006. The series won for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series in 2008 and 2010. In 2008, Empire magazine ranked 24 as the sixth greatest television show of all-time.

Distribution

24 was distributed across the globe. Kiefer Sutherland attributed the show's strong support from Fox to its early success in the UK. Its viewership in the UK decreased significantly when the BBC lost the rights to subscription channel Sky1 after the second season.

The release of 24 on DVD had a significant impact on the success of the television series. In an interview with IGN in 2002, Sutherland revealed, "[24's] success in [the UK] was phenomenal. It was the biggest show the BBC has ever had. It was the number one DVD there, knocking off Lord of the Rings, which is unheard of for a television show DVD to actually knock-out every feature DVD available. And that's because they showed it without commercials." The U.S. sales of the season one DVDs increased the audience size of season two by 25%.

A special edition of the first season was released on May 20, 2008. The new set includes a seventh disc of bonus features, while discs 1"6 contain all 24 episodes with deleted scenes, audio commentaries, and 5 extended episodes. The set was packaged in a steel box.

The television film ' was released on DVD in Region 1 on November 25, 2008, and in Region 2 on December 1, 2008. The DVD contains the broadcast version as well as an extended version with optional audio commentary, a making-of featurette, child soldiers in Africa featurette, a season 6 recap, and the first 17 minutes of the season 7 premiere episode.

The seventh season was the first season to be released on Blu-ray format. The eighth season, also on Blu-ray, was released simultaneously with the complete series set on DVD.

All eight seasons and .

DVD release		Episodes	Originally aired	Release date
				Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
	Season One	24	2001"2002	September 17, 2002	October 14, 2002	December 2002
	Season Two	24	2002"2003	September 9, 2003	August 11, 2003	September 2003
	Season Three	24	2003"2004	December 7, 2004	August 9, 2004	September 2004
	Season Four	24	2005	December 6, 2005	August 8, 2005	November 2005
	Season Five	24	2006	December 5, 2006	November 6, 2006	December 6, 2006
	Season Six	24	2007	December 4, 2007	October 1, 2007	September 19, 2007
	'	1 (Two hours)	2008	November 25, 2008	December 1, 2008	February 11, 2009
	Season Seven	24	2009	May 19, 2009	October 19, 2009	November 11, 2009
	Season Eight	24	2010	December 14, 2010	November 8, 2010	December 1, 2010

Remake

It was reported in November 2011 that Indian actor Anil Kapoor will be making an Indian remake of 24. Anil Kapoor, who played Omar Hassan in season eight of the original series will play the role of Jack Bauer as well as produce the remake series.