Editing Joel Surnow

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|image=[[File:24-_Joel_Surnow_at_Season_5_DVD_release_and_Season_6_preview_party.jpg|250px]]

|name=Joel Surnow

|born ={{d|November|29|1954}}<br>Detroit, Michigan, USA

|role = Co-creator<br>Executive producer<br>Writer<br>Showrunner (Days 1-4)}}

:''"Another thing is that a lot of shows are forgiven for sort of repeating certain plot twists and turns. But we can't get away with it. We're expected to go into new territory every time out."''

:<small>&mdash; [http://www.backstage.com/news/dialogue-joel-surnow-robert-cochran/ Joel Surnow on the writing procedures for ''24'']</small>

'''Joel Surnow''' {{born|November|29|1954}} is the co-creator of ''[[24]]'', along with [[Robert Cochran]]. He is also a former executive producer and writer on the show and served as showrunner for the first four seasons, after which [[Howard Gordon]] took over for unknown reasons. His cousin is fellow ''24'' writer-producer [[Michael Loceff]].

== Biography and career ==

Joel Surnow was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was raised first in Michigan, and later Los Angeles. Surnow attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years, and eventually graduated from UCLA film school in 1976. Soon after graduation, he began writing for film and television.

Surnow and [[Robert Cochran]] started working together in 1981 in the show ''Falcon Crest'', as a writer and story editor respectively. Surnow's first breakthrough came when he began writing for ''Miami Vice'' in 1984. After that, Universal made Surnow a supervising producer in the new show ''The Equalizer'', in which he worked for 3 years.

In 1993, Surnow began working as a writer on ''The Commish'', where he worked with Cochran and director [[Brad Turner]]. The three later collaborated, along with Surnow's cousing, Michael Loceff, on ''La Femme Nikita''. Surnow also worked as a staff writer for other popular series such as ''Falcon Crest'', ''Nowhere Man'', and ''Wiseguy''. He was also a writer on ''Special Unit 2'' where he worked with [[Evan Katz]], the creator of that show.

In 2014, Joel Surnow made his directorial debut in an independent production he had also written called ''Small Time'', starring [[Dean Norris]] and [[Xander Berkeley]].

=== Role on ''24'' ===

Joel Surnow and [[Robert Cochran]] developed ''24'' in 2001. During the first six seasons, they worked on the show as writers and executive producers.

On {{d|February|13|2008}}, Surnow announced that he planned to resign his position as producer of ''24'' to pursue other projects. While Surnow was creatively involved in the production of the first eight episodes of [[Season 7]] produced before the WGA strike, he had no involvement in the remaining sixteen.

Surnow and Cochran worked as executive consultants in later seasons, and are also credited as writers on [[24 (Indian TV series)|''24'''s Indian version]]. They are credited as creators for all episodes.

=== ''24''-related appearances ===

[[File:Day_4_production_Surnow_Callery_Cassar_Kiefer.jpg|thumb|right|Joel Surnow with Sean Callery, Jon Cassar and Kiefer Sutherland]]

* ''[[24 Inside]]'' season 5 show 2

* ''[[Pure 24]]'' episode 1x23

* ''[[24 Heaven]]''

* ''[[24: Access All Areas]]''

* Surnow recorded [[audio commentary]] for the following episodes:

** "[[Day 2: 5:00pm-6:00pm]]" (with [[Penny Johnson Jerald]])

** "[[Day 2: 3:00am-4:00am]]" (with [[Kiefer Sutherland]])

** "[[Day 3: 1:00am-2:00am]]" (with [[Mary Lynn Rajskub]])

** "[[Day 4: 7:00am-8:00am]]" (with [[Mary Lynn Rajskub]])

** "[[Day 5: 10:00am-11:00am]]" (with [[Michael Loceff]])

** "[[Day 6: 12:00am-1:00am]]" (with [[Mary Lynn Rajskub]])

* "[[24: On the Loose]]," <small>Season 3 DVD</small>

* "[[Biothreat: Beyond the Series]]," <small>Season 3 DVD</small>

* "[[24: The Official Companion: Season 6 DVD|Changing All the Rules]]," <small>''24: The Official Companion: Season 6'' DVD</small>

* "[[24: The Official Companion: Season 6 DVD|Keepin' It Real: The Stunts and Special Effects of ''24'']]," <small>''24: The Official Companion: Season 6'' DVD</small>

* "[[24: The Official Companion: Season 6 DVD|24 and the War on Terror: Can Truth Learn from Fiction?]]," <small>''24: The Official Companion: Season 6'' DVD</small>

== ''24'' credits ==

[[File:Day_3_Surnow_and_Gordon_discuss.jpg|thumb|Surnow and Howard Gordon discuss the outcome of [[Season 3|Day 3]].]]

=== Creator ===

All with [[Robert Cochran]]

*''[[24]]'' (all episodes)

*''[[24: Live Another Day]]'' (all episodes)

*''[[24: Legacy]]'' (all episodes, "Based on the series '24' created by")

*[[24 (Indian TV series)|''24'' (Indian)]] (all episodes, "Based on the U.S. series '24' created by")

=== Producer ===

* [[Season 1]] &ndash; [[Season 6]]: Executive Producer

* [[Season 7]]

** {{ep|7x01s}} &ndash; {{ep|7x08s}}: Executive Producer

** {{ep|7x00}}, {{ep|7x09s}} &ndash; {{ep|7x24s}}: Executive Consultant

* [[Season 8]]: Executive Consultant

* {{ep|9x02}}: Executive Consultant

* ''[[24: Legacy|Legacy]]'': Executive Consultant

=== Writer ===

All with [[Michael Loceff]] unless otherwise indicated.

<div class="appear">

*[[Season 1]]

**{{ep|1x01}} (with [[Robert Cochran]])

**{{ep|1x02}}

**{{ep|1x03}}

**{{ep|1x08}}

**{{ep|1x14}}

**{{ep|1x19}}

**{{ep|1x21}}

**{{ep|1x24}} (teleplay)

*[[Season 2]]

**{{ep|2x01}}

**{{ep|2x02}}

**{{ep|2x08}}

**{{ep|2x14}}

**{{ep|2x18}}

**{{ep|2x24}} (teleplay)

*[[Season 3]]

**{{ep|3x01}}

**{{ep|3x02}}

**{{ep|3x10}}

**{{ep|3x11}}

**{{ep|3x13}} (teleplay)

**{{ep|3x21}}

**{{ep|3x24}}

*[[Season 4]]

**{{ep|4x01}}

**{{ep|4x07}}

**{{ep|4x11}}

**{{ep|4x15}}

**{{ep|4x18}}

**{{ep|4x21}}

*[[Season 5]]

**{{ep|5x03}}

**{{ep|5x04}}

**{{ep|5x10}}

**{{ep|5x13}}

**{{ep|5x20}}

*[[Season 6]]

**{{ep|6x05}}

**{{ep|6x06}}

**{{ep|6x13}}

**{{ep|6x19}}

**{{ep|6x23}}

*[[Season 7]]

**{{ep|7x01}} (with [[Howard Gordon]] & [[Michael Loceff]])

**{{ep|7x02}} (teleplay)

*[[24 (Indian TV series)|''24'' (Indian)]]

**{{ep|in1x01}} (with [[Robert Cochran]])

**{{ep|in1x02}}

**{{ep|in1x03}}

**{{ep|in1x08}}

**{{ep|in1x14}}

**{{ep|in1x19}}

**{{ep|in1x21}}

**{{ep|in1x24}}

**{{ep|in2x01}}

**{{ep|in2x02}}

**{{ep|in2x09}}

**{{ep|in2x11}}

**{{ep|in2x13}} (teleplay)

**{{ep|in2x21}}

**{{ep|in2x24}}

</div>

== External links ==

* {{wp}}

* {{Imdb|name/nm0839695}}

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