24 is presented in real time with each season depicting a 24-hour period in the life of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) who works with the US government as it fights terrorist threats. Bauer is often in the field for the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) as they try to safeguard the nation from terrorist threats. The show follows Jack Bauer’s actions throughout the show and the actions of other CTU agents, government officials and terrorists associated with the plot. The first six seasons of the show were all based in Los Angeles and nearby locations some real and some fictional in California, although from time to time other locations have been featured as well most notably Washington DC where a portion of the episodes took place during the fourth and sixth seasons. Departing from tradition the seventh season is set primarily in Washington DC. The seventh season began with a two-hour spacial (titled 24: Redemption) set forty two months after season six and outlines the story for season seven.

Real time

24 is a is shown in real time with each minute of airtime corresponding to a minute in the lives of the characters. Commercial breaks are placed at times when something non essential is taking place, this allows for the show to actually occur in real time without compromising action the real time clock of the show continues to tick during the commercials, emphasizing the reality of the 24 hours of the season. 24 does not use slow motion even on moments of rapid action or sleight of hand. The shows actual run time is between 42 and 44 minutes without commercial breaks. If watched continuously, each season would take approximately 17 hours to finish the real-time nature is shown by an on screen digital clock appearing before and after each commercial break with a distinct beeping noise for each second. The action switches between different locations tracing parallel adventures of different characters involved in the same plot.

24 Redemption

24 Redemption is a television movie that fills in the gap between season six and season seven the episode takes place during a presidential inauguration and is split between the fictional African nation Sangala and the United States. We see Jack Bauer in Sangala at the Okavango school helping his old friend Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle) with his missionary work attempting to find peace. But he winds up in the middle of a military coup. While at the missionary Jack is served with a subpoena from the local US State Department official regarding torture charges if he refuses to go Benton’s school funding will be stopped. Meanwhile two boys from the school are playing soccer at a field in town with some other boys when they are ambushed by soldiers in General Juma’s militia, two boys run and are shot leaving one dead and the other wounded the rest are forced to join General Juma’s coup d’etat as soldiers.  Benton drives to town to find the two boys there he finds one dead and one wounded, he picks up the wounded boy and carrys him to his jeep. He calls Jack, telling him that Juma’s men are on there way to the school. Jack hides the children in an underground shelter beneath one of the huts and the arms himself from Benton’s weapons cache.  As General Juma’s soldiers arrive Jack ambushes them killing several men before being captured and tortured to find out where the hidden children are, Benton  returns ambushing the soldiers during the fight Jack manages to kill the leader. Jack and Benton begin to drive the children to the US Embassy in the capital city to evacuate them, however they only have until 5pm when the last transport leaves. On the way rebel patrols force them to leave the bus and continue on foot while walking along a river they are spotted by a helicopter forcing them to take cover in the forest. Soldiers on foot follow them and are gaining ground on them when Benton (Robert Carlyle) steps on a land mine, Jack tries to disarm it when Benton tells him to go take the children and leave. Jack reluctantly leaves a few minutes later he hears an explosion Benton is dead and so are the soldiers. Reaching the embassy Jack must surrender himself in order to guarantee the children’s safety, meanwhile in Washington Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) is inaugurated as President of the United States. Jack is arrested and leaves with the children by helicopter.

Season 1 cast

Kiefer Sutherland                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
Leslie Hope
Sarah Clarke
Elisha Cuthbert
Dennis Haysbert
Penny Johnson Jerald
Carlos Bernard
Lou Diamond Phillips
Dennis Hopper
Michael O’Neill
Xander Berkeley
Daniel Bess
Karina Arroyave
Michael Massee
Glenn Morshower
Jude Ciccolella
Eric Balfour
Željko Ivanek
Misha Collins
Paul Schulze

Season 2 cast

Kiefer Sutherland                      Paul Schulze
Sarah Wynter                              Harris Yulin
Elisha Cuthbert r                       Donnie Keshawarz
Penny Johnson Jerald            Randle Mell
Xander Berkeley                       Tobin Bell
Carlos Bernard                           Glenn Morshower
Dennis Haysbert                        Sarah Clarke
Reiko Aylesworth                     Kevin Dillon
Jude Ciccolella
John Terry as
Francesco Quinn
Laura Harris
Phillip Rhys
Billy Burke                                      Click for 24 merchandise
Daniel Dae Kim

Season 3 cast

Kiefer Sutherland                                   Daniel Dae Kim
Elisha Cuthbert                                       Greg Ellis
Carlos Bernard                                        Vincent Laresca
Reiko Aylesworth                                  DB Woodside
James Badge Dale                                  Randle Mell
Dennis Haysbert                                    Riley Smith
Penny Johnson Jerald                        Glenn Morshower
Mary Lynn Rajskub                              Sarah Clarke
Jesse Borrego
Zachary Quinto
Paul Schulze
Paul Blackthorne

Season 4 cast

Kiefer Sutherland                               James Frain
Kim Raver                                             Gregory Itzin
Alberta Watson                                   Louis Lombardi
Lana Parrilla                                         Geoff Pierson
Roger Cross                                          Nestor Serrano
William Devane                                   Aisha Tyler
Carlos Bernard                                    Glenn Morshower
Reiko Aylesworth                              Shohreh Aghdashloo
Dennis Haysbert
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Arnold Vosloo
James Morrison
Jonathan Ahdout
Jude Ciccolella

Season 5 cast

Kiefer Sutherland
Kim Raver
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Carlos Bernard
Gregory Itzin
James Morrison
Roger Cross
Louis Lombardi
Jean Smart
Dennis Haysbert
Sean Astin
William Devane
Elisha Cuthbert
Reiko Aylesworth
Jude Ciccolella
Glenn Morshower
Peter Weller
Jayne Atkinson
DB Woodside
Carlo Rota

Season 6 cast

Peter MacNicol
Regina King
Marisol Nichols
Eric Balfour
Carlo Rota
Jayne Atkinson
James Morrison
DB Woodside
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Kiefer Sutherland
Roger Cross
Gregory Itzin
Kim Raver
William Devane

Season 7 cast

Kiefer Sutherland                      Jeffrey Nordling
Mary Lynn Rajskub                  Rhys Coiro
Cherry Jones                              Janeane Garofalo
James Morrison                        Carlos Bernard
Annie Wersching                      Elisha Cuthbert
Colm Feore                                 Kurtwood Smith
Bob Gunton                                Jon Voight

Click to view  24 episode list

Season 8 cast

Kiefer Sutherland
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Anil Kapoor
Annie Wersching
Mykelti Williamson
Katee Sackhoff
Chris Diamantopoulos
Freddie Prinze Jr
Cherry Jones
Gregory Itzin
Elisha Cuthbert
Nazneen Contractor
Necar Zadegan
TJ Ramini
Bob Gunton
Frank John Hughes
Nick Jameson