In 2019 Jack Bauer settles down as stay-at home grandfather...

[Trekker4747]

Counter-terrorism agents of the FUTURE!!!

On January 17, a little under two-weeks from now, 24's eighth season will premiere on Fox (God, willing for Time Warner cable subscribers ) with the usual 2-hour "feature-length" episode. This "day's" events will occur in New York CitA city remarkably unscathed by terrorism in 24's universe over the course of the series' some 13-year (in show) time span. In preperation of this event, let us discuss 24!

Naturally, I will host the weekly discussion threads with my usual brand of wit and humor but for now let us discuss what we hope to see happen this season, discuss things that've happened in seasons past and what we hope to see occur in future seasons!

I think it's high-time the show just says "fuck it" and have Jack fall into a wormhole and come-out sometime in '70s or '80s and have him fight counter-terrorism old-school style. (Granted, this would be hard to do as the production would have to be more careful to match the era, but trying to do that would look less silly than everyone in the 24-verse seeming to drive 10 year old cars.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

They're all the way to 2019 now?

I like the wormhole idea, BTW. They should partner Jack with Gene Hunt. Bring back Harvey Keitel!

 

[Aragorn]

They're all the way to 2019 now?

You have to base in on the fact that one Presidential term is four years. We went through David Palmer's first and only term in seasons two and three. Season six was the beginning of Wayne Palmer's term and Noah Daniels didn't get re-elected, and season seven had a whole new President. And who knows how long the duration was during seasons four-six with Keeler, Logan and Gardner.

 

[Trekker4747]

They're all the way to 2019 now?

I like the wormhole idea, BTW. They should partner Jack with Gene Hunt. Bring back Harvey Keitel!

Un officially, yeah.

Season 1: California Presidential Primaries. (February of an election year, generaly accepted to be in 2004.)

Season 2: 18 Months Later - August 2005

Season 3: 3 Years Later - August 2008 (fairly consistent with it taking place during the presidential debates in an election year.)

Season 4: 18 Months Later - January 2010

Season 5: 18 Months Later - June 2011

Season 6: 20 Months Later - March 2013 (Fairly consistent with it being early in W. Palmer's first term.)

Redemption: January 20 -inauguration day-, 2017. Part of the episode takes place on President Taylor's inauguration from Noah Daniels.

Season 7: I don't fully remember, but the episode is suggested to be taking place a matter of months after "Redemption" possibly only a matter of weeks.

Season 8: Said to take place some 18 months to two years after Redemption/Season 7.

If we follow the series as a logical continuity this is -more or less- as it pans out, though there's some oddities in there (for example, when the series started California's Primaries were in a different month than they were in the "real" 2004 compared to when they were when the series started in 2002) there's also some in-show issues as calendars and displays suggests different dates than what they "really" should be. It can also be argued that Season 1 takes place in 2000 (earlier than the year it came out) and not 2004 (after it came out.)

"Officially" -this is as far as the producers are concerned- the series takes place in a "perpetual now" meaning no matter how much time has passed in-series the current season takes place in the current -or, I guess, closest- year as when the show airs. This would, then, push back the earlier seasons which means Season 1 "really" took place sometime in the early 90s (which kind-of jacks up a lot of the technological achievements shown as well as societal events). For me, it's more fun to say the series takes place in 2017 and to kind-of "make fun of" what the show proposes 2017 will be like.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Has the actual year ever been said in dialogue?

 

[Trekker4747]

Has the actual year ever been said in dialogue?

Nope, never, -read my edit- though it's been "seen" on computers but only by people who've been to the sets and/or are observant when the camera happens to pass by one or is caught.

The show is very quiet about the date, which makes sense when a day passes through the season for your characters, but a year passes for your actors. Further, your seasons have to take place months or years apart to make it appear that terrorist activities aren't occuring on a regular basis in the fictional world. This has the effect of having your actors ages "catching up with" their characters.

I guess this is all the "price we pay" for a show with this sort of story-telling format which, frankly, I wouldn't want to see this show any other way aside from taking place over the course of day in one season. It's about the only gimmick the show has that makes it worth watching. Jack Bauer kick this much ass over the course of a few weeks wouldn't be as much fun.

 

[Lindley]

They can't be in 2019. Everyone knows China put down the blanket signal and turned most of America into zombies by then.....

 

[Mike Farley]

2019? Maybe Jack could square off against Roy Batty.

 

[The Evil Dead]

I remember back in season 3 someone got a screenshot of Kyle Singer's ID and we are all like "Oh my god, the show IS set in the future!"

 

[Top41]

I can't wait for this show to come back--whatever year it takes place in. Nice timeline!

 

[Harvey]

I'm not particularly enthused about returning to this show for another season. Seven seasons and a TV movie in eight years were really enough. Actually, in retrospect, two seasons were really enough, but it just keeps going and going and going... I suppose I'll watch, in hope that it recaptures its former glory (like some of seasons five and seven), but my hopes aren't very high.

 

[Aragorn]

In season one the stakes were personal and reasonable, and Jack even fell asleep!

Now there's a tried a true formula -- mole! bad guy is just a lackey for the real bad guy! blowing up North America is just a diversion for the real terrorist attack! finding a babysitter for my cokehead sister is more important right now than finding a terrorist! -- that they won't deviate from.

And the President storyline really only worked with Palmer because of his friendship with Jack. Now it just drags everything else down.

 

[Skellington]

I think it's high-time the show just says "fuck it" and have Jack fall into a wormhole and come-out sometime in '70s or '80s and have him fight counter-terrorism old-school style. (Granted, this would be hard to do as the production would have to be more careful to match the era, but trying to do that would look less silly than everyone in the 24-verse seeming to drive 10 year old cars.

24 without cellphones? Surely not!
Your post did put me in mind of this "unaired 1994 pilot" for the show, though.

Jack would be what, 50 or so in 2019, with Kim being 30ish?

 

[Trekker4747]

I think it's high-time the show just says "fuck it" and have Jack fall into a wormhole and come-out sometime in '70s or '80s and have him fight counter-terrorism old-school style. (Granted, this would be hard to do as the production would have to be more careful to match the era, but trying to do that would look less silly than everyone in the 24-verse seeming to drive 10 year old cars.

24 without cellphones? Surely not!
Your post did put me in mind of this "unaired 1994 pilot" for the show, though.

Jack would be what, 50 or so in 2019, with Kim being 30ish?

Yeah, Kim would be about 33 (she was 18 or so -still in highschool) in season 1. This may actualy put Jack in his late 50s if not nearly 60. (I'm 31 and my parents are both 59 this year.)

 

[Skellington]

Yeah, Kim would be about 33 (she was 18 or so -still in highschool) in season 1. This may actualy put Jack in his late 50s if not nearly 60. (I'm 31 and my parents are both 59 this year.)

Whoa, gotta differ with you on that (Jack and Kim, natch, not your parents' ages )! Kim's age was specified as 15 in season 1, so she'd be circa 30 in season 8; certainly late 20s anyway. As for Jack, I assume that he was about the same age as Kiefer Sutherland in season 1, which would make him about 35 at that point. Given that JB is now a grandpa, I wonder if they'll make some concessions regarding his age. He's got to be getting too old for that sh!t.

Of course, all of this is dependent on making that cardinal sin: ascribing logic and self-consistency to 24.

 

[Trekker4747]

Yeah, Kim would be about 33 (she was 18 or so -still in highschool) in season 1. This may actualy put Jack in his late 50s if not nearly 60. (I'm 31 and my parents are both 59 this year.)

Whoa, gotta differ with you on that (Jack and Kim, natch, not your pasrents' ages )! Kim's age was specified as 15 in season 1, so she's be circa 30 in season 8; certainly late 20s anyway. As for Jack, I assume that he was about the same age as Kiefer Sutherland in season 1, which would make him about 35 at that point. Given that JB is now a grandpa, I wonder if they'll make some concessions regarding his age.

Of course, all of this is dependent on making that cardinal sin; judging 24 on logic and self-consistency.

I must've mis-remembered Kim's age in S1, I thought she was a Senior in high school. If Jack was 35 in S1 and Kim was 15 that means Jack had Kim when he was 20. Not impossible, but given that Jack likely attended some-sort-of service or had post high-school education it seems unlikely he was married to Teri and had a child at 20 years old. IMHO, he likely would've had to been closer to 40 in S1 for his history to make any sense.

 

[Skellington]

IMHO, he likely would've had to been closer to 40 in S1 for his history to make any sense.

Could be; and KS did once mention that he had been surprised that he'd be playing a dad in season 1. Man, that Bauer guy is old!

 

[ancientone51]

To heck with ages....if it's 2019 Jack saved the world from 2012 and we missed it!

 

[Trekker4747]

To heck with ages....if it's 2019 Jack saved the world from 2012 and we missed it!

We did get to see it, he just did it a year and half earlier oin Season 5. Because that's how awesome he is.

 

[Harvey]

I thought Kim was supposed to be 15 or 16 in the first season. Didn't they mention that she didn't have her driver's license yet?