Fox announced today that they plan to launch a reboot of 24 without Jack Bauer, which is sort of like Konami making Metal Gear Solid without Hideo Kojima. It’s just not going to work.
The new series is called 24: Legacy, as EW reports. It will star someone named “Eric Carter” — lmao — and they’re looking for a totally new cast to replace Jack, Chloe and all the other moles who have circulated through 24 over the last glorious decade. Instead of bringing Jack back for more time-defying escapades — or even getting the stellar Yvonne Strahovski to return in her iconic role as Lady Jack from 24: Live Another Day — they’re just rolling the dice on a totally new cast of characters.
NOT COOL, FOX.
Just read this, via EW:
“There’s also a female co-lead who is a former head of CTU,” said Fox Television Chairman and CEO Dana Walden at the Television Critics Association in Pasadena on Friday. “It doesn’t feel like it is fully replicating the original in terms of how much Jack Bauer carried by himself, but it’s a very prominently featured lead.”
Walden also revealed to reporters there will be a time jump in the show’s storyline and that Legacy will deal with sleeper cells radicalizing Americans. “It’s a new CTU, a new cast of characters,” she said. “It’s a completely different story in terms of the special ops groups that we’re focusing on. It’s a very contemporary feeling story about the potential to activate new sleeper cells in the United States and radicalizing Americans. It’s a whole new story. There are nods in the pilot to prior CTU agents, there are a couple photos that will feel reminiscent of the original, but no ongoing [returning] characters.”
EXECUTIVE 1: “Hey why do people watch 24 again?”
EXECUTIVE 2: “Jack Bauer.”
EXECUTIVE 1: “OK let’s do it without him.”
I will begrudgingly watch this new series — and maybe even recap it for Kotaku, if you guys are lucky — but I’ll be mad about it the whole time.
Comments
21 responses to “Fox Is Rebooting 24 Without Jack Bauer, Which Is Garbage”
Get Hayter to play the lead.
I see what you did there.
Sorry I don’t share your pessimism. I actually remember how bad some of the 24 seasons got. Kiefer looked tired and was merely collecting a paycheck by the end of it all.
What are you, 12? Because “Jack Bauer” was a much better name? Condemning something before knowing anything about it is a fools errand. Lest you take a moment off shooting yourself in the foot and realising that over the last 12 months alone we’ve seen some amazing restarts to old movies and shows that have been stunningly good. New life is what 24 needed, as it was merely hobbling to the finishline, especially after the last season dumped the ‘realtime’ aspect. So bring it on. All it can be, is potentially bad, or potentially good. Who knows.
Tired? Well you would be too if you were running around for 24 hours straight!
Indeed… then he lost an arm, an eye, got metal in his head… we know how “Jack Bauer” ended up don’t we :O
“lost an arm, an eye, got metal in his head”.. Metal Gear Solid 5?
😀
He also went back in time apparently…
I think I only made it to the 4th season but up until that point, I thought it was one of the most tense, morally ambiguous shows of its time, asking some genuinely controversial and insightful questions that if asked today would be dismissed as if we actually knew the answer. Seems like the priority shifted to the villain and a bit of interest was lost in the political and cultural perspective of the show – which I always thought separated it from the rest.
That’s exactly what happened. Started off brilliant like you said but as it got long in the tooth, it shifted its focus and became a poor imitation of itself. Hindsight helps a lot of people conveniently forget that it seems.
No Keither Sutherland..No thanks!
No Jack? No thanks!
I never could take the show layout seriously it was just stupid, supposed to be in real time (24 hours) complete with ticking clock but apparently nothing happens during the ad breaks? so nothing for 6 hours? maybe that’s when everyone went to the bathroom due to not being able to go for 18 hours? who needs sleep or food anyway?
No pooping! The Jack Bauer powerdump!
U R so smrt.
Everyone, QUESTION WHERE TIME GOES in every movie to render them pointless. Hopefully, the next generation of acclaimed writers can fill this black hole of of an issue for all scripts in existence before the next show you watch. Those time-hopping thieves I call “writers” must pay – GIVE ME BACK MY TIME!
Yup, must have the writers stumped as to how to write events around ad breaks, because the characters are aware they will appear on TV and not just DVD. Must have the post production team fuming.
So, poor Jack will be off being tortured by the Russians indefinitely? Good one, Fox. Another show you’ve cut off before allowing a story to tidy up its loose ends.
[edit: wrong country]
“Like making Metal Gear Solid without Hideo Kojima”? If you’re going to make that particular reference, let’s at least make it correct.
It’s like making Metal Gear Solid without David Hayter.
We want keifer Sutherland back right now I don’t care about rule and order damn you bring jack Bauer NOW or else I going to angry at me I want keifer Sutherland back right now and then we want 24 episode on Fox now I don’t care about rule and order dumbass
There was a couple of decent seasons of 24.. but that’s all.. it’s a tired and worn out show type at the moment..
My god…everything is a reboot these days. It’s just like spiderman, it hasn’t been long enough to bother. And in TV? Where lots of new and original shows r coming out all the time too? Lame