The New 24 Will Blow You Away

24's seventh season is well worth the wait

By Kristin Dos Santos Dec 27, 2008 1:30 AMTags
Kiefer Sutherland, 24: RedemptionMichael Klick/FOX

Hooray for presents! 24's big boss Howard Gordon sent us the following for Christmas last week:

  • The first four hours of the new season of 24, which starts Jan. 11.
  • A Jack Bauer action figure.
  • A letter warning that the Jack doll "will be watching for any spoilers."

We have blindfolded, gagged and bound Mini-Jack in order to share with you some scoop on the new season, as well as new sneak peek video, but we have to hurry!

Jack can get himself out of anything, as you know (even a disappointing sixth season, as it turns out), so quick! Check this out before he breaks loose.

FOX

Five Reasons the New Season of 24 Rocks

1. The "Good Old" 24 Is Back! Any of you who were disappointed in season six (and yes, we are with you) will be pleased to know that the high-stakes, high-drama and fully engrossing storylines and action of the earlier seasons of 24 have most assuredly returned for season seven.

In the first four hours alone, there are enough twists to turn your stomach into a pretzel (who's working for whom, where Jack is heading, etc.), and yet the plotlines are handled smartly and delicately enough to avoid Heroes syndrome (way too much happening way too fast to too many people). These guys know what they're doing.

2. Tony Almeda Is Freaking Back! No, it's not a dream, a shower sequence or a Francinator-like clone. Tony Almeda (Carlos Bernard) is among the living. And where he's been and what he's been up to will most assuredly leave your jaw hanging—as well as Jack's.

3. The New Cast Does Not Suck: You Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) devotees might be turned off by the idea of what appears very much to be a new Chloe—Janine Garofalo as an FBI computer whiz helping out Team Jack. But rest assured, there's a reason they've brought in a Chloe clone: The two geekalicious girls will be going head-to-head in no time, and the smackdown is thoroughly entertaining.

Also worth noting: The new femme fatale in Jack's life, Renee Walker (Annie Wersching) is instantly respectable, likeable and ultimately more badass than she might first appear.

4. Jack Is Sorta, Um, Bad: Forget CTU. Forget glossy, glamorous offices, big budgets and endless high-tech help of yesterseason. Ultimately this season of 24 will show Jack (who begins his day in a Senate hearing as a wanted man) in a much more rebellious and renegade light than we've seen him before. And that's because he'll be working with...

Crap! Jack Doll has awoken. Gotta go.

Check out these sneak peeks and post your thoughts on the new 24 below!

5. See For Yourself...