It’s over
Friday, March 26th, 2010Revisions/extensions part 3 (9:17 pm 3/26/2010) - AmyV posted the official press release over at TV Tyrant. Since this post is already long enough, I’ll let you go there to read it (unless, of course, Amy reposts it here). The original post, and the first two updates, follows….
Several TV-related blogs, from TV By the Numbers to Spoiler TV, have latched onto a Tweet from former producer Jon Cassar that said the cast and crew of 24 were told that there will be no season 9. Quoting from the Tweet – “News from the 24 set,the crew has been told that 24 has come to an end. There will b no season 9. Its been a great run, thanx all 4 watching”
A Twitter account appearing to be from Mary Lynn Raksjub would seem to confirm that. She said earlier today that they were shooting hours 23 and 24, and the last Tweet said they were told the bad news.
While none of the “traditional” TV media is confirming this at the moment, there is some further background news from The New York Times posted after the “Cassar”/”Raksjub” Tweets that would seem to authenticate the news:
For Fox, the show’s trademark clock is about to stop ticking. Nearly a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that so heavily influenced people’s perceptions of the show, Fox is planning to cancel it. The current season, its eighth, will be its last.
In an interview early this month, the Fox network’s entertainment president, Kevin Reilly, said, “It’s a hard decision for all involved.”…
Like many mature series, though, “24” has had an erosion in its ratings. So far this season it has averaged 11.5 million viewers. Its impending cancellation, which was first reported in early March by television trade publications, will be announced in the coming days, according to a person associated with the show who requested anonymity because Fox and its studio were declining to comment. Although NBC reportedly contemplated picking up the show, it has opted not to.
A “24” movie script is in development, although a film is not guaranteed. Mr. Sutherland said in a recent interview that the movie would be a “two-hour representation of a 24-hour day.” For Jack Bauer, there is always a ticking time bomb to defuse.
Revisions/extensions (8:25 pm EDT, I think, 3/26/2010) - TheWrap.com confirms the end in an interview with executive producer/show-runner Howard Gordon. Gordon said that, in a meeting between him, Kiefer Sutherland, and two of Fox Entertainment chiefs a few days ago, they decided that the story had “run its course in the 24-hour, real-time framework”.
R&E part 2 (8:45 pm, 3/26/2010) - – Jim found further confirmation from The Hollywood Reporter, as well as an interview from THR with Gordon. A couple of tidbits from that interview:
- The movie is likely to be set in Europe (possible prequel?).
- There will be more “dark”, “complex” twists. That matches up with one of Raksjub’s Tweets that the end will be shocking for Chloe fans.
- Gordon said that Seasons 4, 5 and 7 would also have been good season-enders (I can see 4 and 5, but the last 10 minutes of Season 7 was The. Chunkiest. Evah.).
R&E part 4 (10:59 pm 3/26/2010) - The Times upated its story without noting the update. The part of the blockquote that reads, “Nearly a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that so heavily influenced people’s perceptions of the show, Fox is planning to cancel it. The current season, its eighth, will be its last,” has been changed to “Nearly a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that so heavily influenced people’s perceptions of the series, cast and crew members said they were told on Friday that it had been canceled.”

