This image released by Fox shows Kiefer Sutherland in a scene from "24: Live Another Day," premiering Monday, May 5 at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox.Daniel Smith/The Associated Press
Jack Bauer is back, dammit. Four years after getting off the grid (and our TV sets) to avoid being targeted by Russia and the United States as a terrorist, Special Agent Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) resurfaces in London to prevent an assassination attempt on (now-)President Heller (William Devane). The method of attack – U.S. drones commandeered by computer hacking – touches on a hot topic in the news. But the show has always had a fairly tight interplay with the real world, especially when it sparked a debate about the ethics and efficacy of torture. Here's a recap of the twists and turns of the first eight seasons.
DAY 1 (2001-02)
Bad guys: Vengeful Balkan terrorists
Target: Aspiring presidential candidate
Weapon: Forcing Special Agent Bauer to kill the candidate
Like real life: USA Patriot Act passed weeks before the show's premiere
Other countries involved: Kosovo
DAY 2 (2002-2003)
Bad guys: Middle Eastern terrorists
Weapon: Nuclear weapon
Target: City of Los Angeles
Like real life: London's Finsbury Park mosque is mentioned in the show; in January, 2003, British police arrest several people and seize several weapons in the mosque
Other countries involved: Three unnamed Middle Eastern countries
DAY 3 (2003-04)
Bad guy: Former government agent
Weapon: Deadly virus
Targets: 11 locations around the United States
Like real life: President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) prefigures Barack Obama as the first African-American president
Other countries involved: Mexico
DAY 4 (2005)
Bad guy: Middle Eastern terrorist
Weapons: Device to control nuclear power plants; stolen stealth fighter; commandeered nuclear missile
Targets: U.S. Secretary of Defense; U.S. nuclear power plants; Air Force One; City of Los Angeles
Like real life: Torture comes to the fore (in wake of Abu Ghraib scandal); power-hungry U.S. vice-president
Other countries involved: China
DAY 5 (2006)
Bad guys: Russian separatists, U.S. president
Weapons: nerve gas, Russian missiles (non-nuclear)
Targets: Suburban U.S. shopping mall, Russia
(Maybe) like real life: U.S. president acts aggressively to protect overseas oil interests
Other countries involved: Russia, China
DAY 6 (2007)
Bad guys: Jack Bauer's estranged father, Islamic terrorists
Weapon: Suicide bombings, drones equipped with suitcase nukes
Targets: Los Angeles bus; Baltimore mall; Chicago hotel; suburban areas of U.S.
(Too much) like real life: U.S. military asks 24 producers to stop depicting torture in a good light
Other countries involved: Russia
DAY 7 (2009)
Bad guys: African warlord; mercenaries employed by a U.S. defense contractor; former colleague of Jack
Weapon: Biological weapons
Targets: U.S. President, major U.S. cities, Jack Bauer
(Maybe) like real life: Jack questioned by Congress over his use of torture; U.S. president is a woman. (Does it prefigure Hillary in 2016?)
Other countries involved: Sangala (fictional)
DAY 8 (2010)
Bad guys: Terrorists from (fictional) Kamistan; Russian mafia; Russian government, former U.S. president
Weapon: Dirty bomb fuelled by Russian nuclear rods
Targets: Kamistani president, Jack Bauer
Like real life: Enemies are everywhere
Other countries involved: Islamic Republic of Kamistan (fictional), Russia
Simon Houpt