THE SKINNY: At Fox’s press tour last night touting their new fall shows, iF caught up with Kiefer Sutherland who gave us some nice tidbits on what to expect from the sixth season of 24 which debuts in January.


Instead of picking up the next day, the show will pick up a year and a half after the events of Season 5.


While Bauer was being whisked off by the Chinese for crimes he committed in Season 4, Sutherland won’t spoil whether or not the series will be set in China this year.


"I don’t want to ruin any of that," he says. "There certainly will be stuff when I’m in Chinese custody. There will certainly be things for the DVD. Whether they make them in for the season, we’ll have to see."


Even with an additional bit of prodding, Sutherland still was tight with the details on the new season, but from the following quote, it seems pretty clear that Bauer will be back in Los Angeles at the beginning of the season.


"We always seem to run into great problems when we shoot on a plane, even if it’s an hour program," says Sutherland. "Whether there’s two storylines, whether one’s operating from China or not. I don’t want to blow that. If I was to be in China, I would stay there for the day."


The ironic part is that in real time, the Jack Bauer character should be close to 60 since every season, there’s usually a one to two year jump in between. Sutherland laughs though and notes, "I’m probably now my age [on the show]. I think I started out a little younger."



Of course the iF staff have already discussed in depth where we would like to see new season of 24 head, and just from the cliffhanger last season, it wouldn’t be a surprise us if Jack Bauer is programmed ala the MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE by the Chinese to be the bad guy for the new season.

Sutherland didn’t flinch, when asked this, but he admits you can’t rule anything out with 24.


"One of the fantastic things about our writers, is the options are always open for everything," says Sutherland. "In certain areas and I think one of the discussions about 24 that I think has been interesting is that people have a serious moral dilemma with some of the things that Jack Bauer has done. So that rides a very thin line already. So we’ll see."


As for returning characters, Sutherland does reveal that both Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart, who played the President and First lady respectively, will likely return some time during the season.


"I think they are both going to be, [but] in which capacity and how much [is to be determined]," says Sutherland.

Fox Tales
Kiefer up for a new day on 24

By BILL BRIOUX

When we last saw Jack Bauer, the 24 action hero was being beaten to a pulp and hauled off to a Chinese torture cell.

Bauer, or rather actor Kiefer Sutherland, looked tanned, relaxed and -- very unlike Jack -- happy at Tuesday night's Fox press tour party, an All-Star affair that Hugh Laurie (House), David Boreanaz (Bones), Courtenay Cox Arquette and David Arquette (the upcoming FX series Dirt, about dishy tabloids), David Foster (the upcoming reality show Duets), Brad Garrett ('Til Death) and JR himself, Larry Hagman (guesting next season on Nip/Tuck) all attended.

Sutherland, who stood with his requisite pack of Camel cigarettes in his pocket, figures 24 will pick up about a year-and-a-half from when we last saw Bauer. "We just got the first scripts," he told a scrum of reporters.

He was typically sketchy on other details but admitted things look pretty grim for Jack. "He's at the end of his line. Something's going to have to really rejuvenate him from the position that he's in," said Sutherland, "otherwise he's just going to be dead."

He added that it will be interesting this coming season, which starts again in January, "to come from a really deep dark place and actually try to come up instead of starting from an up position and trying to go down."

Asked if Kim Raver, who played Jack's lost love Audrey Raines, is through with 24 (she's joined the cast of ABC's The Nine), Sutherland said don't count her out yet. "She's contractually free to do both shows," he said. "We'll have to see what happens."

Some reporters were surprised Sutherland was at the press tour at all. His show is going into a sixth season and he's made his millions from syndication and DVD sales. This is usually the point where a big shot like Sutherland bails, at least until that farewell season is announced.

Still, the Emmy-nominated actor feels a certain loyalty to TV critics. "We wouldn't have been picked up if it wasn't for this group five years ago," he said. "We were on the fence and teetering off it in the wrong direction." He added that 24 "has been the most amazing experience of my career to date."

I had to ask him about one nagging detail from last season's finale that to me at least just didn't ring true. Why, given that Bauer was reachable via cell phone from all over the world, was he lured to a pay phone to take a call from his daughter? (It was all a setup; after saving the world yet again, Bauer was ambushed there by Chinese terrorists).

"That's interesting," said Sutherland, who attempted an explanation. He pointed out that Bauer had been estranged from his daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) and when they briefly reunited last season they, didn't exchange numbers. "In fact, she wants nothing to do with me," he said.

However, Sutherland admitted, "why CTU couldn't route her to my cell phone, that's a problem, yeah.