Series Eight: The Final Day?

According to Rodney Charter’s recent twitter messages, it looks like Season 9 of 24 will NOT happen. The original tweets of the show’s director of photography reads as follows:

“Celebrating with Kiefer the extraordinary gift of 24. mindful that our continuance not expected, nor even discussed or in contractual talks.”
and
“At a fine restaurant debating how we will cope with the demise of 24. It’s family, unimaginable to walk away from 9 years of camaraderie.”

Another catastrophic piece of news surfaced a few days ago, when Carlos Bernard, all Almeidaists’ favorite actor, announced on his homepage that

“I have not been contacted by the studio or producers of 24 about season 8.  They’re already well into filming next season and I’m about to start work on a film in South Carolina.  So, at this point, I highly doubt that I’ll be involved in the next season of 24.”

If these sources are to be trusted (and we’ve little reason to doubt them), it looks like we’re in for one last year of this nerve-wracking, gut-twisting, all-guns-blazing counter-terrorist rollercoaster that we call “24”; after that it’ll be up to each and every one of us to find a new life… Or something else worth watching on television.

Of course, I simply have to comment Carlos’s not being part of 24 next year. As you may know, I am one of those Almeidaists…

I never really assumed that Tony would be back in s8 (as late Ryan Chappelle taught us pretty soon on 24, ‘Don’t asume anything’), nor had I taken his return in s7 for granted, but I had hoped – wished – that his return meant something. That it meant that the makers of 24 had learned their lesson from s6 – that the show just does not work as well without Tony, without the Brotherhood between him and Jack. That keeping him alive would mean they would have some further use for him somewhere down the line.

That hope seems to have been futile.

I can’t say that 24 is just horrible if there is no Tony in it. I can’t say that it’s Tony Almeida that makes 24 (but I also don’t believe that it’s Jack Bauer alone). And I can’t say that Tony Almeida’s absence in a season of 24 automatically makes me say, I don’t give a rat’s arse about it anymore (even though I do not feel any urgency to watch s8 now…)

But I do think that Almeida would have deserved a better exit than getting arrested and thrown into prison (yet again), labelled a traitor (yet again), losing everything he’s had (yet again), including his best friend this time around. And I do believe that the only fair, the only right way to end this show for both characters and to do justice to the legacy of Almeida (which was beaten, bruised and crushed last year) was to offer  him some kind of redemption in the following year.

The only justice would have been for the Brothers to reconnect, for the show to end with them as brothers again.

Sadly, that isn’t going to happen.

Devoted fans have put up petitions partaining to both Tony’s absence and 24’s non-renewal. Sign them to show your support.

4 thoughts on “Series Eight: The Final Day?”

  1. I’m so excited for the new season of 24! I just wanted to let all of my fellow Kiefer fans know that Kiefer’s first biography, entitled “Kiefer Sutherland: Living Dangerously”, will be coming out this January…just in time for the new season of 24. Check it out on Amazon.com.

  2. Sounds awesome about the book i hope it comes out here in england in jan 🙂

    I will be very sad if Day 8 is to be the final series 🙁 !!! I really think a series 9 should happen and then end it and do a few movies. I guess it will just be one movie though after otherwise they will lose there chance to kill jack bauer off lol

    I look forward to the next series and hope things will change on a possible series 9

  3. Not sure what I’ll do if 24 ends…
    I hope the news characters in season 8 will be strong enough to make a “Season-9-without-Jack-Bauer” possible.
    I know I shouldn’t even be suggesting that, but I thought long and hard about it. I’d rather have 24 without Jack than no-24 at all!!!

  4. I think that there should be a season 9 of 24! I think Freddie Prince should replace Jack. I would literally cry if Jack was killed, but he has been through soooo much. I just hope that they continue with the series. Have Jack go to California with his daughter and grandaughter and make special guest apprearances for 24! Like a consultant for Freddie Prince’s character.

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