Season 8



Season 8 of 24 premiered in the United States on January 17, 2010 at 8pm on Fox. The premiere was a 2-night, 4-hour event (January 17 and 18 from 9-11pm/8-10pm on FOX/Global).

On 26 March 2010, it was announced that Season 8 would be the show's final season.

Season overview
In the eighth season, CTU has been upgraded and is run by MBA-schooled and razor-sharp head honcho Brian Hastings in New York. Cole Ortiz, an ex-Marine who wants to follow in Jack Bauer's footsteps, runs the division’s Field Operations. Expert data analyst Dana Walsh collaborates with systems analyst Arlo Glass inside CTU. Rob Weiss serves as President Allison Taylor's new chief of staff, and Meredith Reed is an ambitious journalist with ties to the unfolding situation.

As President Omar Hassan of Kamistan comes to the United States on a peacemaking mission, he is targeted by a group of Russian terrorists, led by people from within Hassan's own country. CTU has to stop the impending threat, with the help of a reluctant Jack Bauer.

Series conclusion
In the afternoon of 26 March 2010, a statement was issued from FOX explaining that Season 8 would conclude 24's run on television. Kiefer Sutherland gave a statement:

This has been the role of a lifetime, and I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to everyone who made it possible. While the end of the series is bittersweet, we always wanted 24 to finish on a high note, so the decision to make the eighth season our last was one we all agreed upon. This feels like the culmination of all our efforts from the writers to the actors to our fantastic crew and everyone at Fox. Looking ahead to the future, Howard Gordon and I are excited about the opportunity to create the feature film version of 24. But when all is said and done, it is the loyal worldwide fan base that made it possible for me to have the experience of playing the role of Jack Bauer, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon was also a part of the decision. He was quoted saying:

"Kiefer and I have loved every minute of making 24'', but we all believe that now is the right time to call it a day. I echo his sentiments of gratitude toward the show’s amazing creative team, as well as the studio and network who have always believed in us and shown us unbelievable support." "24 is so much more than just a TV show – it has redefined the drama genre and created one of the most admired action icons in television history," said Peter Rice, Chairman, Entertainment, Fox Networks Group. Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company added, "We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series and will be forever thankful to Kiefer, the producers, the cast and crew for everything they’ve put into 24 over the years. It’s truly been an amazing and unforgettable eight days." Plans to continue the show on in feature film form are now being explored, with Billy Ray being contracted to write a screenplay, and plans for shooting to commence in late 2010 or early 2011.

Timeline
Day 8 begins at 4:00pm EDT (1:00pm PDT), the latest in the day of any season. This is the second season to use Eastern Time as opposed to Pacific Time. According to Operation Hero, it takes place on May 20-21.

Format
As with many previous Days, Season 8 can be divided into three acts. The first two are:


 * 1) Jack is unwillingly dragged back into the world of CTU, trying to help them stop the assassination of Kamistani President Omar Hassan during a conference at the United Nations with U.S. President Allison Taylor. The main antagonists of this act are Davros and Farhad Hassan.
 * 2) Jack and Renee try to acquire nuclear fuel rods from a Russian crime syndicate called Red Square, but the rods are stolen by IRK terrorists, who use the rods to make a dirty bomb to detonate in New York City, Jack and Cole fight to stop them. Their efforts are greatly hindered when CTU is struck with an electromagnetic pulse bomb. The terrorists threaten to use the dirty bomb to force the President Allison Taylor to turn over President Omar Hassan. The main antagonists of this act are Vladimir Laitanan, Sergei Bazhaev, Samir Mehran, Tarin Faroush, and Dana Walsh.

Major subplots

 * Jack Bauer's attempts to leave New York and be with his family.
 * Dana Walsh's mysterious past as "Jenny Scott", and the hoops she has to jump through to satisfy Kevin Wade, a man from her past that she would rather forget.
 * President Omar Hassan's paranoid behaviour because of his brother's betrayal, resulting in distrust amongst even his closest allies.
 * Renee Walker being reactived, despite being fired from the FBI.
 * An EMP is detonated at CTU, leaving them unable to assist with the mission to find the nuclear rods.
 * The presence of a mole at CTU who is aiding the terrorists.
 * High-ranking members of President Taylor's administration work behind her back in order to resolve the nuclear fuel rod crisis at the risk of destroying the peace process between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Kamistan.

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer (16 episodes)
 * Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian (16 episodes)
 * Anil Kapoor as President Omar Hassan (15 episodes)
 * Annie Wersching as Renee Walker (11 episodes)
 * Mykelti Williamson as Brian Hastings (16 episodes)
 * Katee Sackhoff as Dana Walsh (16 episodes)
 * Chris Diamantopoulos as Rob Weiss (12 episodes)
 * John Boyd as Arlo Glass (16 episodes)
 * with Freddie Prinze Jr. as Cole Ortiz (16 episodes)
 * and Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor (12 episodes)

Special guest stars

 * Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer (2 episodes)

Guest starring

 * Nazneen Contractor as Kayla Hassan (15 episodes)
 * Necar Zadegan as Dalia Hassan (12 episodes)
 * T.J. Ramini as Tarin Faroush (11 episodes)
 * Clayne Crawford as Kevin Wade (9 episodes)
 * Mido Hamada as Samir Mehran (9 episodes)
 * Akbar Kurtha as Farhad Hassan (8 episodes)
 * David Anders as Josef Bazhaev (6 episodes)
 * Michael Filipowich as Nick Coughlin (6 episodes)
 * Julian Morris as Agent Owen (6 episodes)
 * Juergen Prochnow as Sergei Bazhaev (6 episodes)
 * Hrach Titizian as Nabeel (6 episodes)
 * Ethan Rains as Ali (5 episodes)
 * Gene Farber as Oleg Bazhaev (4 episodes)
 * Doug Hutchison as Davros (4 episodes)
 * Jennifer Westfeldt as Meredith Reed (4 episodes)
 * Frank John Hughes as Tim Woods (3 episodes)
 * Rami Malek as Marcos Al-Zacar (3 episodes)
 * Jordan Marder as Dimitri (3 episodes)
 * Stephen Root as Bill Prady (3 episodes)
 * Sterling Sulieman as Jim (3 episodes)
 * Michael Gaston as General David Brucker (2 episodes)
 * Michael Irby as Adrion Bishop (2 episodes)
 * Benito Martinez as Victor Aruz (2 episodes)
 * Paul Wesley as Stephen (2 episodes)
 * Ryan Cutrona as Admiral John Smith (1 episode)
 * Scott Lawrence as Ben Landry (1 episode)
 * with Callum Keith Rennie as Vladimir Laitanan (3 episodes)
 * and Bob Gunton as Secretary of State Ethan Kanin (7 episodes)
 * and Mare Winningham as Elaine Al-Zacar (2 episodes)

Airings
The following episodes were broadcast as back-to-back as two-hour episodes:


 * Episodes 1 and 2; "4:00pm-5:00pm" and "5:00pm-6:00pm" on January 17, 2010
 * Episodes 3 and 4; "6:00pm-7:00pm" and "7:00pm-8:00pm" on January 18, 2010
 * Episodes 15 and 16; "6:00am-7:00am" and "7:00am-8:00am" on April 5, 2010
 * Episodes 23 and 24; "2:00pm-3:00pm" and "3:00pm-4:00pm" on May 24, 2010