Wednesday, January 10 2007
24 EXCLUSIVE!

Kiefer Sutherland on 24’s explosive new season
by
David Hochman

On the set of 24 these days, everything radiates with double meaning. There's the CD box set inside Kiefer Sutherland's trailer with the title Love/Death/Travel that somehow encapsulates Jack Bauer's very personal war on terror. There's the anxious production assistant who interrupts the interview with a chilling "You've got 10 minutes... five minutes... two minutes." Then there's Mary Lynn Rajskub's pet Yorkie, who's yapping and sniffing and generally not letting anyone forget her name: Emmy.

Coming off its most popular, critically acclaimed and Emmy-honored season yet, 24 ticks into Day 6 with enormous expectations and more than a little tail-wagging ambiguity. Is Jack still on a slow boat to China? Who's running our country? Will we finally see the bathrooms at CTU?

On the eve of its two-night, four-hour season premiere on Fox, we've got the exclusive scoop from the set, and no, it won't take months of torture in a Chinese prison camp to get it out of us. Don your hazmat suits, comrades, and join us in the spoiler bunker!

Last season was widely considered the most dramatic yet for 24. Out of nowhere, major characters were killed off. One former president was assassinated and the current prez turned out to be aiding Russian terrorists. Jack Bauer saved the day, but was last seen battered and bruised on his way to Shanghai for crimes he committed in Season 4. Through it all, viewership was at an all-time high and the show landed five Emmys, including firsts for Sutherland and for the series.

"Do we feel the pressure to outdo ourselves?" Sutherland says, cracking a rare smile during an interview in his trailer. "How can I put it? Um, yes. Hugely. Definitely.... Should I keep going?"

Day 6 certainly dawns differently (for starters, it begins at 6 am instead of 7). In seasons past, 24 was all about hurtling toward and staving off terrorist attacks. This time, the bomb's already blown. The season opens 11 weeks into a series of attacks in 10 cities that have killed more than 900 people. Islamic militants are the prime suspects in the plot, which balloons into a full-on nuclear nightmare (five bombs are set to explode at any moment). Coexecutive producer Manny Coto says, "It's less Tom Clancy techno-thriller than last season. We wanted a believable scenario that's been projected in real policy discussions — suicide bombers, the escalation of unseen enemies. We said, ‘What if that happened here?'"

Apparently, we'd bypass the study groups and go directly to... Jack Bauer! But even by Jack's normal sourpuss standards, he's in crummy spirits this season. Sprung from 20 months in slave labor camp and with the back scars and facial hair to prove it, he's a moodier, twitchier Jack. Even the familiar spark in his eyes is gone. "Indifference is never a word I would use to describe Jack, but that's where we find him," Sutherland says. "He's indifferent to life, indifferent to death, indifferent to humankind. Any reason to live has been absolutely beaten out of him."

Meanwhile, there's drama at the White House, where new president Wayne Palmer (DB Woodside, sporting a most unpresidential goatee), brother of the late David Palmer, faces off against advisers in Washington who are sharply split on what to do. On one side is Thomas Lennox (Numbers' Peter MacNicol), who's ready to rewrite the Constitution to round up terror suspects. On the other is ex-CTU boss Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson), an advocate for Muslim liberties.

The first few episodes will raise as many questions as they answer. Jack's first word after months of silence is "Audrey," but even by Episode 4, there's no sign of the Department of Defense diva (played by Kim Raver). "She's the true love of Jack's life and she'll be back, but not for a long while," promises Coto. We also don't have President Logan (Gregory Itzin) or his high-strung First Lady (Jean Smart) to kick around anymore. Word is the disgraced prez is awaiting prosecution and will reappear for at least four episodes in the spring.

Over at CTU, Bill Buchanan is in charge and "more definitively than last season, thank goodness," says James Morrison, who says the spike in 24's success last year made life interesting for him between seasons. He says, "I couldn't go into Starbucks without somebody saying, ‘Ohmigod! Bill Buchanan!' and whipping out their camera phone."

Good thing Buchanan's busiest worker bee is ready for her close-up this season. Chloe O'Brian (Rajskub) is all glammed up with a new ‘do and a sexier dark dress. "Chloe did a lot of maturing last year, and we wanted to show she's more of a woman, not just a total computer nerd," Rajskub says. Or, as Carlo Rota, who plays Chloe's snarky ex-husband, Morris, a new addition to CTU, says, "Chloe's gone from geek to chic, and I mean, she's hot." Chloe and Morris, in fact, will rekindle their romance — at least as much as exes can in the fishbowl that is CTU. ("You can't really get it on in the CTU, but you have your shorthand," Rajskub says.) Add to the mix a virile new supervisor, Milo Pressman (Eric Balfour, returning from Season 1), and Chloe's barely got time for her A-Number-One. "Don't worry, I've got Jack's back, as always," Rajskub says. "There's a lot of communication between us out in the field, whether I'm supposed to or not." Incidentally, Chloe won't be pulling her Rambo-style antics again this season, Rajskub says. "I can barely leave my desk, there's so much going on," she says, but adds, "there will finally be a scene inside a CTU bathroom, for everyone who thought we never go."

Sutherland, too, knows the burden of a job that never lets up. "My children are grown, so my life has pretty much become [my work on 24]," he says. "I have very fond memories of doing other things, and I would hate to become someone who only lives for work." This past summer was the first Sutherland took off completely, and he's forcing himself to enjoy more breaks than usual. On set, he plays chess with fellow cast members. ("Kiefer plays like Jack Bauer would," says Roger Cross, aka CTU specialist Curtis Manning. "He's super-aggressive and hates when you take too long to make a move.") Over Christmas, Sutherland went heli-skiing in the Canadian Rockies with a select group from the show. "One of the things I admire about Jack Bauer is his incredible sense of responsibility," Sutherland says. "He gives you everything he's got. I'd like to be more like that, but at the same time, a guy's gotta have a life."

We'll actually get to see more of Jack's personal life than usual this season. As Day 6 unfolds, Jack's estranged father, Phillip (James Cromwell), shows up, as do other family members, who, let's just say, become major distractions. As executive producer Jon Cassar says, "I'll say this: Jack's family won't be your regular TV family. This is 24. Whether they're on the side of good or evil won't be apparent until we're deep into the season."

We can tell you now, however, that Jack goes into an emotional tailspin in Episode 4 after he's forced to kill a familiar character during a standoff. Does this development suggest a return to last season's Sopranos-style bump-offs of beloved regulars like President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) and Edgar Stiles (Louis Lombardi)? "That isn't the plan," says Coto, "At [last season's] rate, we wouldn't have any characters left."

Saying goodbye to long-standing cast members was emotional for everyone on set, particularly Sutherland. "From a very selfish perspective, you work with actors like Carlos for four or five years, and he becomes one of your closest friends," he says. "I was there when his daughters were born. That friendship allowed us to take the scenes to another level. I miss that. But it was in keeping with the show's promise to our audience. You give us an hour and we'll surprise the hell out of you."

As such, we don't want to spoil all the surprises this season. But rest assured, Day 6 is chock-full of bombshells, especially as some big-name actors turn up later this season. Deadwood's Powers Boothe will play Vice President Noah Daniels. Chad Lowe turns up as a savvy politico named Reed Pollock. And NYPD Blue's Rick Schroder comes in as CTU agent Mike Doyle when Jack needs him most.

That nagging assistant knocks on Sutherland's door to announce we're finally out of time, and Sutherland dons his Jack Bauer shades and heads back to set, but not without one last reflection. "People love this show and we've worked hard these past six years to make it better and better each season," he says. "In that way, we're a little like Jack, out there battling for something we believe in. It's why we put in all the hours we do." Hey, it sure beats the heck out of a Chinese prison camp.

For more on 24, check out the new issue of TV Guide, on sale Thursday.