24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY: Howard Gordon and Robert Cochran on Reaching Episode 200, Whether Jack Can Be Happy, and More
June 13, 2014 by Marisa Roffman
One of the cool things about Fox reviving 24 for 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY is that this Monday’s brand new episode will mark the franchise’s 200th episode. (Not bad for a show that was off the air for nearly four years, right?)
To celebrate the occasion, 24 co-creator Robert Cochran and executive producer Howard Gordon hopped on a conference call with reporters to talk about the milestone and the new season…
On whether Jack is fated to be miserable:
The writers of 24 already had the chance to plan the end of Jack Bauer’s arc on television when season 8 concluded, and they opted to have Jack on the run. So is there a chance the man who has helped save countless people can actually have a happy ending? Or is he, perhaps, destined for a life of misery.
“That is the question of the decade,” Gordon acknowledged.
“I agree,” Cochran added. “That’s the big question the series poses. That’s exactly the question…that’s a question we ask ourselves in the story room all the time: what is Jack’s ultimate fate? Can he achieve some sort of personal peace and happiness? Or is that simply not his destiny? But that’s a question we ask ourselves.”
“Jack, unfortunately, loses a lot, and sacrifices many of the few people he’s come to love and who’ve come to trust him,” Gordon pointed out. “He loses them, and that scar tissue has built up over the years, and has made him an increasingly complicated and tragic character, but ultimately a hero.”
On jumping forward in time:
Gordon confirmed that the plan is still for 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY to take place over a 24-hour period, despite the fact that so far, the event series has been in real time. And while he acknowledged a jump is coming, he declined to specify whether it would be one big jump, or several smaller jumps.
On the show potentially continuing sans Jack Bauer:
One of the best surprises about the 24 revival has been Yvonne Strahvoski’s Kate, who has proven herself to be Jack Bauer-esque. But would there really ever be a version of 24 without Jack?
“I think it’s a possibility,” Cochran said. “It’s something we certainly think about. There’s no specific plans right now, but that’s the thing we’ll certainly consider.”
“I think what we’ve talked about often is that Bob and Joel [Surnow] created this amazing format, this real-time format, which is different than Jack Bauer, who they created as well, who’s an amazing character,” Gordon added. “The format itself is very sturdy and very durable. We think it’s something with the right story — like Bob said, there are no plans, but if a story presented itself, or we thought of one, we’d all be open to it.”
On Audrey’s role in the rest of the season:
Jack only recently reunited with his off-on love, Audrey, but her impact on the rest of the season shouldn’t be underestimated.
“I can tell you she will be very prominent [in the rest of the season],” Cochran teased. “She’ll play a very important role.”
“We didn’t introduce her — if you look at the [list] of people Jack has lost and who mean something to Jack, Audrey is one of the less than a handful of people who are still alive and mean something to Jack,” Gordon pointed out. “So, because of that, obviously, she’ll have a profound [impact]. Jack’s intersecting with her life will have a tremendous impact. She’s a big part of the story. Huge.”
On reaching episode 200:
It’s been a stranger path than most shows take to reach the 200th episode milestone (over 12.5 years!), but the producers expressed their delight at reaching it.
“It’s fantastic,” Cochran said of the milestone. “It’s something that makes us very humble and very thankful for the fans around the world and in the country that have supported us all these years. I can promise you when we started the show, this thing wasn’t even in our minds: we were trying to get to episode 2. We’re very thankful for it.”
“It’s true,” Gordon continued. “It represents over a decade of all of our lives. I think a lot of the friendships and the camaraderies we’ve developed with our colleagues, it really is a monument to that. I look at the box set, and often said, ‘Put it on top of my tombstone, because that was my 40s.’ I remember thinking this was a wonderful opportunity to revisit that and top it off.”
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24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY airs Mondays at 9 PM on Fox.
Related:
24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY: Mary Lynn Rajskub on Filming the Event Series, Jack and Chloe’s Conflict, and More
24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY: Mary Lynn Rajskub Shares Why You Should Watch
24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY Bosses Evan Katz and Manny Coto Preview the Event Series
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Filed under #1 featured, 24: Live Another Day
Keifer Sutheland as Jack Bauer is what makes 24 an incredible show not your writers. Without Kroger playing Jack I have no doubt I would never watch again. I have followed from the first show and I would continue to follow it stays on the air. This woman Yvonne that plays Kate, can’t stand her and she would never be any comparison to Jack Bauer and certainly no one to base the success of a show on.
I don’t dislike Kate, but I agree the show would be nothing without Keifer.
Denise is pretty ignorant, honestly. The show would be nothing without the writers. The writers are brilliant. You can have the best cast in the universe, and if you have bad writers, the show will be terrible. Yes Kiefer is amazing at playing Jack, but if the writers have an idea for a show with out Jack, I trust that they would make it work.
Jack Bauer is what makes 24, they know way they’ll
have a show called 24 without Jack. When Kiefer Sutherland
doesn’t want to play him anymore the show or any other
production of 24 will be over for good.
Hey Denise, who’s Kroger?
JACK BAUER..IS..24….And….24..IS…JACK BAUER!!..Its That Simple!..NO WAY Would I Watch Any Show..”CALLED 24″..With NO JACK BAUER!!!…I LOVE This New 24 Live..and Can Hardly WAIT Till Each Monday Nite Comes to Watch it!..Each Episode is Better Than the LAST!!..The Writers do an EXCELLENT Job–and We are Thankful For Them!!!…BUT–There is NOT ANYWHERE..ANY Writers..Who Could Even THINK about Calling a Show..”24″..With NO JACK BAUER..and With Kiefer Sutherland Playing Jack!!!…..Sooo–PLEASE–Writers..and–Producers..and FOX…BRING BACK MORE 24 Episodes..With OUR JACK BAUER!!!!!
Keifer Sutherland is Jack Bauer is 24. I have watched every single episode from Day 1 to now. Whenever 24 airs all stops at my house. Yvonne is good as a Jack wanna be. But she could never be Jack nor take his place. “If” a show were written to encompass her talent it could and should never be named or connected to 24. Jack’s fans wouldn’t stand for it and most likely wouldn’t watch.
No one can replace Keifer as Jack. I will watch him play Jack as many times as you bring him back. I don’t care if he has saved the world 10 times. I would watch him save it 10 more times. I don’t care if the stories are repetitive. I would still watch them. I have all the episodes and will add this season to my set.
Don’t ever close the door on Jack and 24. There are surely more story lines to be written.
Thanks to all the writer and directors for bringing Jack back. It has been great watching him again. He has been missed.
JACK
iS
Jack
enough said, 24 with out Jack will not work.
Jack will stay jack 4 real
I could see Kate leading this one day, she’s good, Iike her…..then after about 20 hours she needs help, calls in a friend….cut to the next scene….in comes Jack Bauer to save the day. I don’t think Kate can yell ‘Dammit Chloe’ like he can.
I’d rather see Kate than Audrey in the future.
Or is he Kroger now?
Please make more 24 episodes with Kiefer as Jack Bauer he’s the one that
makes 24, no other actor in the world can do it like Kiefer.
KEEP 24 ON THE AIR PLEASE !!!!! Even after this season live another day. Without seeing tonights episode on January 14. Jack is back in good graces of the US, let him come back home to America for next season and keep 24 alive! !! Best show on tv since its first season!
Thanks
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