Season 8




 * ''"All he wants is his family. All he needs is to survive one more day."
 * &mdash; Season 8 promotion

Season 8 of 24 premiered in the United States on 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, it was announced that Season 8 would be the show's final season.

Season overview
CTU has been reinstated by Allison Taylor in a New York City-based pilot program under the direction of Brian Hastings. 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
On the afternoon of, 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 in feature film form were explored, with Billy Ray being contracted to write a screenplay. Plans for shooting were scheduled to commence in late 2010 or early 2011, but Ray's script was turned down by FOX and the film effort is at a standstill.

Timeline
Day 8 begins 18 months after Day 7 at 4:00pm ET, the latest in the day of any season. This is the second season to use Eastern Time as opposed to Pacific Time. According to the date on Pavel Tokarev's phone, the day takes place on February 27-28, contrary to Operation Hero stating it takes place in late May. Day 8 takes place about 14 years and 6 months after Day 1.

Format
Season 8 is loosely divided into four acts:
 * 1) Jack is unwillingly dragged back into the world of CTU when an assassination plot is underway targeting Kamistani President Omar Hassan during a peace conference at the United Nations with U.S. President Allison Taylor. The main antagonists of this act are Davros and Farhad Hassan. (4:00pm–7:00pm)
 * 2) Jack and an emotionally tangled Renee Walker must go undercover with the Russian mob in order to prevent an IRK terrorist cell from acquiring stolen nuclear fuel rods. The main antagonists of this act are Sergei Bazhaev, Josef Bazhaev, Farhad Hassan and Vladimir Laitanan. (8:00pm–12:00am)
 * 3) The terrorists use the rods to develop a dirty bomb and threaten Manhattan while Jack is tasked with evacuating President Hassan to a secure location. The main antagonists of this act are Samir Mehran, Tarin Faroush and Dana Walsh. (12:00am–8:00am)
 * 4) Fueled by revenge, Jack goes rogue to hunt down members of the Russian government responsible for the day's events: Yuri Suvarov, Mikhail Novakovich, and Pavel Tokarev. Jack simultaneously runs from the enforcement apparatus of the federal government, as the White House attempts to cover up the truth in a desperate attempt to save the peace treaty. The main antagonists for the cover-up are Allison Taylor, Charles Logan, and Jason Pillar. (8:00am–4:00pm)

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 reactivated, 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.
 * The reappearance of Charles Logan and his impact on other characters.
 * Chloe O'Brian replacing Brian Hastings as the head of CTU and the impact it has on others.
 * Renee Walker is murdered, prompting Jack to go rogue and defy Chloe and President Taylor to avenge her death.
 * President Allison Taylor's questionable actions to keep the peace treaty alive.
 * Russian President Yuri Suvarov is revealed to be the mastermind behind the day's events.

Cast

 * See also: Recurring characters, Character appearances for Season 8

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer (24 episodes)
 * Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian (24 episodes)
 * Anil Kapoor as President Omar Hassan (15 episodes)
 * Annie Wersching as Renee Walker (13 episodes)
 * Mykelti Williamson as Brian Hastings (17 episodes)
 * Katee Sackhoff as Dana Walsh (20 episodes)
 * Chris Diamantopoulos as Rob Weiss (12 episodes)
 * John Boyd as Arlo Glass (24 episodes)
 * with Freddie Prinze Jr. as Cole Ortiz (24 episodes)
 * and Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor (20 episodes)

Special Guest Stars

 * Gregory Itzin as Charles Logan (8 episodes)
 * Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer (2 episodes)

Guest starring

 * Nazneen Contractor as Kayla Hassan (21 episodes)
 * Necar Zadegan as Dalia Hassan (20 episodes)
 * T.J. Ramini as Tarin Faroush (11 episodes)
 * Mido Hamada as Samir Mehran (10 episodes)
 * Clayne Crawford as Kevin Wade (9 episodes)
 * Frank John Hughes as Tim Woods (8 episodes)
 * Reed Diamond as Jason Pillar (8 episodes)
 * Akbar Kurtha as Farhad Hassan (8 episodes)
 * Navid Negahban as Jamot (8 episodes)
 * Graham McTavish as Mikhail Novakovich (7 episodes)
 * David Anders as Josef Bazhaev (6 episodes)
 * Michael Filipowich as Nick Coughlin (6 episodes)
 * Julian Morris as Agent Owen (6 episodes)
 * Hrach Titizian as Nabeel (6 episodes)
 * Jennifer Westfeldt as Meredith Reed (6 episodes)
 * Ethan Rains as Ali (5 episodes)
 * Gene Farber as Oleg Bazhaev (4 episodes)
 * Doug Hutchison as Davros (4 episodes)
 * Joel Bissonnette as Pavel Tokarev (4 episodes)
 * Nick Jameson as Yuri Suvarov (3 episodes)
 * Stephen Root as Bill Prady (3 episodes)
 * Rami Malek as Marcos Al-Zacar (3 episodes)
 * Jordan Marder as Dimitri (3 episodes)
 * D.B. Sweeney as Mark Bledsoe (2 episodes)
 * Paul Wesley as Stephen (2 episodes)
 * with Bob Gunton as Secretary of State Ethan Kanin (10 episodes)
 * with Callum Keith Rennie as Vladimir Laitanan (3 episodes)
 * and Jurgen Prochnow as Sergei Bazhaev (7 episodes)
 * and Michael Madsen as Jim Ricker (4 episodes)
 * and Eriq La Salle as UN Secretary General (2 episodes)
 * and Mare Winningham as Elaine Al-Zacar (2 episodes)

Crew

 * See also Season 8 production staff

While the crew for the show's eighth season was nominally the same as in the previous season, there were a few changes and two big departures. Jon Cassar, who had been the show's lead director since the second season, decided against returning for this season and so was replaced by Brad Turner, who had been the show's second most prolific director after Cassar. Turner's own position as the show's secondary director was taken by Milan Cheylov, with Nelson McCormick being the guest director for this season; producer Michael Klick also directed two episodes, as he had done for the previous season. Production designer Joseph Hodges was another major departure, and so the show's first production designer, Carlos Barbosa returned to the position. Another returnee was Chip Johannessen, who had previously written for the series as a freelancer and now joined the staff as a full-time writer, as did his writing partner Patrick Harbinson.

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


 * Episodes 1 and 2, and  on
 * Episodes 3 and 4, and  on
 * Episodes 5 and 6, and  on  (UK only)
 * Episodes 15 and 16, and  on
 * Episodes 23 and 24, and  on

Background information and notes

 * Day 8 is the only season to feature a sitting president and not feature a sitting vice president.