In 2014, 24: Live Another Day revisited all-around badass Jack Bauer four years after the main 24 series concluded. However, the limited series left off on a relatively open-ended note with Kiefer Sutherland’s character. Talk of a 24 revival has subsisted since then, and in September, Sutherland shared that executive producer Howard Gordon came up with an idea that he likes. Gordon has now confirmed this is true, although he does have a specific concern about moving forward with a 24 revival.
Gordon, who worked on 24 for the entirety of its run and served as showrunner for its latter four seasons, discussed this chapter of his career while talking about his new series The Beast in Me, which can now be streamed with a Netflix subscription. When Deadline interviewer Nellie Andreeva brought up what Kiefer Sutherland had said, Gordon stated the revival is “absolutely in process” and being developed, but Disney, the parent company of 20th Century TV, has not “committed to it.” A little later, he provided the following insight into his mind:
One thing we couldn’t figure out for a long time was a direction that ever held water, that sustained itself. This feels like it could be, but it’s not formal, it’s not done. And there’s a part of me, Nellie, honestly, that also feels like, particularly at this point in my career and in my life, what I really don’t want to happen is that it’s not good because I don’t think that’s fair to the show. It’s not fair to the fans, not fair to, frankly, to myself. So it has to be something that you connect to, or at least you tell yourself you’re connected to. It may not turn out very well, but you have to at least believe that it’s something.
24 was one of the most popular non-HBO prestige TV shows of the 2000s, with the action drama delivering 24-episode seasons that week to week explored an hour in the dangerous life of federal agent Jack Bauer. 24: Live Another Day and the short-lived spinoff 24: Legacy opted to shorten their seasons to 12 episodes, and I honestly doubt that if 24 was revived, we’d go back to those full seasons. Nevertheless, I’m glad Howard Gordon has finally settled on an idea that he’d feel comfortable moving forward with, whether it’s another shortened season or even a 24 movie.
At the same time, I understand where he’s coming from given how successful 24 was in its day. We live in an era where more older shows than ever are being brought back for new installments, and while some are well received, there’s certainly no shortage of others that are not. So Howard Gordon has every right to be cautious about moving forward with the project. As much as I want to learn what happened to Jack Bauer after he was carted off to Russia for the crimes he committed in Season 8, I’d be more disappointed if those answers came at the cost of the 24 revival not sticking the landing.
Hopefully this idea Gzordon’s come up with is strong enough to warrant moving forward with, even if some kinks still need to be ironed out. For now, remember that 24, including Live Another Day being labeled as Season 9, can be streamed with a Hulu subscription.