- For years in the production of 24, please refer to the production timeline.
The creative team behind 24 has resisted placing any season in any specific year; moreoever, the few date references given tend to conflict with each other and/or with real life. Any timeline specifying the year in which the days depicted take place is therefore speculative, and dates not given explicitly are not to be included in Wiki24.
Relative Timeline
- Operation Nightfall
- 2 years pass
- Day 1 (March)
- 18 months pass
- Day 2
- 6 months pass
- 24: The Game
- 2 years, 6 months pass
- Day 3
- 6 months pass
- Season 4 Prequel
- 12 months pass
- Day 4
- 12 months pass
- Season 5 Prequel
- 6 months pass
- Day 5
- 7 months pass
- Season 6 Prequel
Theories about the timeline
There are several possible years in which to place Day 1 based on the available evidence.
- 1998
- Andrew Paige's driver's license makes Day 4 fall between April 2003 and May 2007. This places Day 1 between April 1997 and May 2001.
- A calendar visible in Day 4 10:00am-11:00am shows July/August 2004
- 1999
- Andrew Paige's driver's license makes Day 4 fall between April 2003 and May 2007. This places Day 1 between April 1997 and May 2001.
- 2000
- This is an election year in real life.
- A calendar visible in Day 1 8:00am-9:00am may represent August/September 2000.
- This year places Operation Nightfall in 1998, when Slobodan Milosevic was still in power.
- Recent dates in Reza Naiyeer's passport appear to be from 2001.
- Andrew Paige's driver's license makes Day 4 fall between April 2003 and May 2007. This places Day 1 between April 1997 and May 2001.
- 2001
- This year places Operation Nightfall in 1999, when Slobodan Milosevic was still in power.
- An on-screen date in Day 1 2:00am-3:00am is given as 2001.
- A calendar visible in Day 1 8:00am-9:00am may represent May/June 2001.
- Dates given at the bottom of every page in Findings at CTU may infer that Day 1 took place in 2001.
- According to Findings at CTU, Mark DeSalvo's wife died on June 11, 2000.
- Recent dates in Reza Naiyeer's passport appear to be from 2001.
- An on-screen date in Day 2 5:00pm-6:00pm is given as 2002, placing Day 1 in early 2001.
- The racing game 24: Countdown takes place in December of 2004, between seasons 2 and 3.
- Andrew Paige's driver's license makes Day 4 fall between April 2003 and May 2007. This places Day 1 between April 1997 and May 2001.
- 2002
- David Palmer is seen wearing a pin which didn't come into use until after 9/11/01.
- This year places Operation Nightfall in 2000, when Slobodan Milosevic was still in power.
- A calendar visible in Day 1 8:00am-9:00am may represent October/November 2002.
- A view of Jack's phone in Day 1 6:00pm-7:00pm says that it's March 19, 2002.
- Findings at CTU places Day 1 in April. Day 1 7:00pm-8:00pm shows Jack's watch with a date of "23" on it. April 23rd, 2002 was a Tuesday.
- According to Findings at CTU, Mark DeSalvo began working as a warden in 2002.
- According to Findings at CTU, Mark DeSalvo's wife died on June 11, 2000.
- Kyle Singer's driver's license gives his date of birth as being November 19, 1987. His age is given as 19, but if Day 3 takes place earlier than November, his father may have been rounding Kyle's age up.
- The racing game Countdown takes place in December of 2004, between seasons 2 and 3.
- In Trojan Horse, the 24 novel, Operation Proteus was just getting started two years before the novel. Operation Proteus took place in 2000, placing Day 1 in at least 2002.
- 2003
- David Palmer is seen wearing a pin which didn't come into use until after 9/11/01.
- According to Findings at CTU, Mark DeSalvo began working as a warden in 2002.
- According to Findings at CTU, Mark DeSalvo's wife died on June 11, 2000.
- A date scribbled by Kate Warner in Day 1 9:00am-10:00am appears to be 2004.
- The racing game Countdown takes place in December of 2004, between seasons 2 and 3.
- Kyle Singer's driver's license gives his date of birth as being November 19, 1987. If Kyle's father meant that Kyle was literally 19-years-old and Day 3 takes place earlier than November, then it was 2007.
- In Trojan Horse, Operation Proteus was just getting started two years before the novel. Operation Proteus took place in 2000, placing Day 1 in at least 2002.
- 2004
- This is an election year in real life.
- David Palmer is seen wearing a pin which didn't come into use until after 9/11/01.
- According to Findings at CTU, Mark DeSalvo began working as a warden in 2002.
- According to Findings at CTU, Mark DeSalvo's wife died on June 11, 2000.
- In Trojan Horse, the 24 novel, Operation Proteus was just getting started two years before the novel. Operation Proteus took place in 2000, placing Day 1 in at least 2002.