The final panel of a very eventful FOX day was for the upcoming eighth season of 24, and there were a number of questions that were hanging in the air. How are they going to deal with Jack Bauer running around New York City? Is the show something that people still want to watch when real life is scary enough? But the big question was: Is this Bauer's last roundup?First, the hats: FOX gave critics Yankees and Mets-ish looking baseball caps to commemorate the season.The caps were fitted, and they were HUGE; they were too big for even my 7.5-sized melon. But I took 'em anyway, because they looked cool.
The reporters pretty much got at the question of another season right away, and as far as Kiefer Sutherland and executive producer Howard Gordon is concerned, they'll keep doing the show as long as FOX wants them to.
"This is one of the greatest gifts of my life, doing 24. So I'm open to it," said Sutherland. "Right now, my focus is on finishing season eight."
"It's certainly a possibility," said Gordon, who explained that it's always been FOX's option whether to continue or not, even when Sutherland had years left on his contract.
So, there you go. If FOX wants to do it, the others are on board. But isn't it about time for Bauer to retire? How long can Kiefer be running and shooting his way through America's finest cities? Sutherland thinks he can do it for a while, but he does realize that "I'd have to think that Jack Bauer is a little slower now. But a kind of adrenaline kicks in (during the action sequences)." It's something he's been doing constantly for eight years now, and it seems he's in no mood to let it stop, despite how horrified he was to see how much he's aged since season one.
One thing that you'll see from Bauer that we haven't seen in a while: a smile, in this year's first hour. "It felt weird to do that," said Sutherland. He recalls the last time Jack smiled was in season three, when he had Nina captured and he smiled at her. "That was a few episodes before I got to shoot her," he joked.
Most of the panelists for season eight were newcomers, including Freddie Prinze, Jr., Mykelti Williamson, and Katee Sackhoff. Sackhoff feels that the role she plays, who initially is office-bound "is the closest character to myself that I've every played." Don't worry, Battlestar fans, Katee will eventually kick ass on the show. We just don't know when or where, and Gordon would only allude to the fact that her character of Dana will only be office bound.
As usual, Mary Lynn Rajskub was utilizing her deadpan humor during the panel. On CTU techie Chloe coming back after having her baby and being behind: "When I get there, all the protocols have changed. Whatever a protocol is."
How does the show negotiate New York and all of its quirks? Will Bauer be delayed by a subway signal problem? "In this 24-hour period, New York City is functioning perfectly," joked Sutherland. New York and its energy will be a character on the show, but it sounds to me that trying to get down 6th Avenue during rush hour won't be much of a problem for Bauer.
Gordon and Sutherland addressed the terrorism/ torture issues, but only lightly. "On some level, there's a cathartic aspect to (the show), a wish-fulfillment aspect," says Gordon, figuring people are so scared they love seeing terrorists get theirs. Sutherland thinks Bauer is as "apolitical" a character as he's ever played, and that Bauer has changed his mind about the use of torture, mainly via his interactions with Renee Walker.
Because of all of this, though, do people feel safer when they fly with Sutherland? "I'm shocked to hear people who I'm flying with tell me they feel safer with me. They obviously don't watch the show, because everyone I know gets killed."
Source: TVSquad.com
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