10 Surprising Facts About 24
by Scott Beggs
With its American tough guy hero and a conveyor belt of terrorist attacks to foil, 24 accidentally became the zeitgeist marker for 2000s TV. The series—which was filmed before 9/11, but didn’t air until after—starred Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) officer Jack Bauer and told an epic story of imminent threats and last-minute saves to the soundtrack of a beeping clock. It was an innovative show that presented events in as close to real-time as anything with commercials can get, filling an hour slot with an hour of in-universe action. For an espionage thriller, the structure was perfect for making the audience feel the claustrophobic constraints of having to work faster than your enemies.
Presidential assassination attempts, nuclear detonations, and cyberattacks were just a few of the potential catastrophes that Bauer tried his best to help prevent, regardless of the methods necessary. The ends always justified the means, which is why the show took on both the good and the evil elements of the post-9/11 culture in the United States, specifically in its positive portrayal of using torture to achieve counterterrorism goals.
An undeniable phenomenon, 24 resurrected Sutherland’s career, earned massive audiences and prestige awards, and outlasted Mission: Impossible to become the longest-running American show about counterterrorism. Here are 25 surprising facts about the series, which premiered almost 20 years ago on November 6, 2001.
- ORIGINALLY, 24 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT A WEDDING.
Joel Surnow’s initial concept for 24 was solely about the real-time, ticking-clock So when Surnow called co-creator Bob Cochran to pitch the concept, the show was, at that point, about the day leading up to a wedding. That was quickly scrapped in favor of a thriller where someone’s daughter was kidnapped, and eventually morphed into an anti-terrorist drama. - 24 BORROWED SEVERAL ELEMENTS FROM LA FEMME NIKITA.
La Femme Nikita, a TV series adapted by Surnow from the 1990 Luc Besson film of the same name, was a cult staple of 1990s action television. It was also a proving ground for what Surnow would do later with 24, including a hero killing in cold blood, terrorist attacks that don’t get stopped, split screen formats, and even the name Bauer.
- THE CLOCK ON 24 WENT SILENT WHENEVER A CHARACTER DIED.
The show reminded viewers of its real-time gimmick with virtually every commercial break and credits sequence, ending scenes and episodes with its iconic digital clock beeping down the seconds. To mark the death of a major character or a moment of intense sadness, the clock would appear silently as a tribute. (They probably also did it because blaring a klaxon over and over might kill the impact of someone dying.)
- KIEFER SUTHERLAND GOT A TATTOO TO MAKE FILMING ON 24 EASIER.
Bauer has a tattoo of the Virgin of Guadalupe from his time in deep cover with the Salazar Brothers, but instead of spending hours in the make-up chair every time it appeared on screen, Sutherland got it for real. Presumably it was a big time saver—not to mention a lovely keepsake.
- JACK BAUER LIMPED IN 24’S SECOND SEASON BECAUSE KIEFER SUTHERLAND TRIPPED COMING OUT OF HIS TRAILER.
In season 2, Jack Bauer survived a plane crash, but pulled a piece of wooden debris out of his leg and limped afterward. The crash was always part of the plan, but the massive splinter and limp became quick fixes for Sutherland’s real-life limp, which occurred after he hurt himself stepping out of his trailer. They had to rewrite the show again when Carlos Bernard (who played Tony Almeida) dislocated his ankle during a basketball game, hobbling an epic fight scene between his and Jack’s characters.
- 24’S INFAMOUS COUGAR BIT ELISHA CUTHBERT.
Tough guy Sutherland may have hurt himself coming out of his trailer, but Elisha Cuthbert—who played Jack Bauer’s daughter, Kim—was bitten by the show’s infamous cougar from season 2. The cougar scene in “Day 2: 6:00pm – 7:00pm” is infamous for going over the top of the over-the-top treatment of her character, but she was hospitalized for it when the cougar bit her hand—and caused some unnecessary concern when she rolled into the ER covered in fake blood and fake injuries (for filming).
- SARAH CLARKE WORE THE SAME CLOTHES FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON OF 24.
Nina Myers is a massive part of 24, but Sarah Clarke was cast in the role at the very last minute—literally. The show was getting ready to kick off its first day of shooting when Clarke auditioned and was cast. Since she was shuttled straight from an audition to filming, the wardrobe department didn’t have time to create a costume for her, so she ended up wearing the clothes she had auditioned in for a full season of filming.
- A SEASON 4 EPISODE OF 24 FLASHED A REAL CELL PHONE NUMBER.
While most TV shows and movies use fake phone numbers (see: 555-5555), 24 used a valid cell phone number belonging to a crew member in “Day Four: 11:00am – 12:00pm,” which became known as the Fan Phone. The voicemail message alerted callers that they’d called the 24 prop phone, but some fans got through to talk to writers, producers, production designers, and more. It also became a go-to number, so tons of characters all share the same phone number like it’s some kind of party line.
- THE SHOW’S PRODUCERS ANNOUNCED 24’S FOURTH SEASON THROUGH A VIRAL WEBSITE USED IN AN EPISODE.
During Day 3, MI6-agent-turned-terrorist Stephen Saunders (Paul Blackthorne) uses SylviaImports.com as a mechanism for President Palmer to provide a list of covert sources around the world. Naturally, fans went straight for the site after its debut in the episode to find a special message: “A big thank from the crew of 24. Thanks for watching, we love making it for you, and yes, we did get picked up for Season 4.”
- SEAN ASTIN JOINED THE CAST OF 24 BECAUSE OF HIS CHIROPRACTOR.
Five years after the first The Lord of the Rings movie appeared in cinemas, Sean Astin joined the cast of 24 in its fifth season—and he landed the role in a rather unorthodox way. Astin just happened to see the same chiropractor as Surnow. One day, when both men were there for appointments, the chiropractor asked Astin if he wanted to meet Surnow; he said yes, and the two men proceeded to another room. Astin complimented the show, and Surnow—who was in his boxers—offered the actor a role right then and there.
- THE PHONE CALLS ON 24 WERE FILMED MUCH DIFFERENTLY THAN ON OTHER SHOWS.
The vast majority of TV shows film an actor on a phone call with a script supervisor or other crew member reading the other character’s lines, but the vast majority of TV shows don’t see characters spending most of their time on the phone. For 24, that meant having both actors present for phone calls, which worked out well for actors like Leslie Hope (who played Jack’s wife, Teri Bauer), who didn’t share much screen time with Sutherland but felt close to him because she was right next to him for the phone calls.
- SEVERAL ACTORS MADE REPEAT APPEARANCES ON 24—BUT AS DIFFERENT CHARACTERS.
In an unusual move for a TV series (unless you’re Law & Order), several actors returned to 24 as completely different people. Omid Abtahi played Safa in one episode of season 4 and had a recurring role as Jibraan Al-Zarian in season 7; Tony Todd played Detective Norris in season 3 and General Juman in season 7; and Anthony Aziz played Mamud Faheen in season 2 and Rafique in season 4. - DAVID PALMER WAS THE ONLY PRESIDENT ON 24 TO SERVE HIS FULL TERM.
24 went through 11 presidents in 18 years (of in-universe time). President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) is the only one elected to office to actually finish a full term. One president was incapacitated during an attack on Air Force One; another was unseated when his involvement in terrorist activities was made public; one died by assassination; one resigned because of her involvement in an assassination cover-up; and one intimated that he left office early because of Alzheimer’s. Others spent time as Acting President when another was temporarily removed with the 25th Amendment, and others stepped into the position midway through a full term. - JACK BAUER KILLED A LOT OF PEOPLE ON 24.
And we mean a lot: Jack killed 270 people over eight seasons. That’s 18 years in-universe, or 15 people a year—which makes our “hero” Jack much more prolific than your average serial killer. - KIM BAUER WAS ABDUCTED FOUR TIMES (INCLUDING THREE TIMES IN SEASON 1).
Nicknamed “Spawn” by hateful fans, Jack’s profoundly unlucky daughter was kidnapped three times in the first season alone, and experienced one more kidnapping in season 2 at the hands of a prepper who lied to her about an atomic bomb going off in Los Angeles. That doesn’t count the handful of times she was detained by police or held up in a convenience store The only thing producers didn’t do was tie her to train tracks.
source (Article; video and picture): 25 Surprising Facts About 24 by Scott Beggs, MentalFloss; 24 Opening and Closing Theme 2001 – 2014 HD Surround, TeeVees Greatest, Youtube
Vocabulary
tough | kemény |
to foil | meghiúsítani |
zeitgeist | korszellem |
hour slot | egy órás idősáv |
espionage | kémkedés |
constraints | kényszerek/korlátok |
assassination | merénylet |
detonations | robbanások |
regardless of | valamire való tekintet nélkül |
ends always justified the means | a célok mindig szentesítették az eszközöket |
to take on | felvállalni |
to achieve goals | célokat elérni |
counterterrorism | terrorelhárítás |
undeniable | kétségtelen/tagadhatatlan |
to resurrect | feltámasztani |
ticking-clock | ketyegő óra |
pitch the concept | meghatározni az elképzelést |
to scrap | félredobni |
to morph into | valamivé változni |
cult staple | kultikus alapfilm |
to prove ground for | alapot biztosítani valamihez |
split screen | osztott képernyő |
gimmick | ötlet/csel/propaganda fogás |
credits sequence | stáblista képsor |
tribute | tisztelet/elismerés |
blaring a klaxon | lármázó autóduda |
Presumably | Feltehetően |
keepsake | emléktárgy |
debris | törmelék |
to limp | bicegni |
massive splinter | nagy szálka |
fixes | megoldások |
to dislocate | kificamítani |
hobbling | bicegő/sántító |
cougar | puma |
infamous | hírhedt |
over-the-top treatment | túlzott kezelés |
to hospitalize | kórházba szállítani és felvenni |
concern | aggodalom |
ER | sürgősségi szoba |
literally | szó szerint |
to kick off | elindulni |
to audition | meghallgatni |
to shuttle | egyik helyről a másikra átvinni |
valid | érvényes |
to alert | figyelmeztetni |
to get through | kapcsolni |
covert | rejtett |
to get picked up | elindulni (forgatás elkezdődéséhez jogot megkapni) |
to land the role | szerepbe kerülni |
in a rather unorthodox way | egy eléggé nem megszokott módon |
to compliment | gratulálnia |
The vast majority | nagy többség |
script supervisor | naplóvezető (a forgatást és az utómunkát köti össze.) Fő feladata, hogy részletes jegyzőkönyvben pontosan rögzítse a felvételek technikai (kép, hang, kameramozgatás) paramétereit. |
to share much screen time with | sok időt töltenek együtt a képernyőn |
recurring | ismétlődő |
incapacitated | cselekvőképtelenné tenni |
to unseat | mandátumától megfosztani |
to resign | lemondani |
cover-up | álca |
to intimate | célozgatni/sejtetni |
temporarily | átmenetileg |
25th Amendment | 25. kiegészítés (az elnök halála/lemondása/eltávolítása esetén az alelnök lesz az elnök) |
midway | félúton |
in-universe | saját világa |
prolific | termékeny |
Spawn | ikra/pete/gombacsíra |
profoundly | mélységesen |
to kidnap | elrabolni valakit |
prepper | előkészítő |
to go off | felrobbanni |
to detain | őrizetbe venni/letartóztatni |
to be held up | rablótámadásba keveredni |
convenience store | kisbolt/vegyesbolt |
to tie to train tracks | sínekhez kötözni |