Editing 24 (TV series) (section)

==Synopsis==
===Premise===
''24'' is a [[serial drama]] starring [[Kiefer Sutherland]] as central character [[Jack Bauer]], an agent initially with the Counter Terrorist Unit Los Angeles Division (CTU), whose mandate is to protect the United States from [[Terrorism in the United States|terrorist]] plots. The episodes take place over the course of one hour, depicting events as they happen, in [[Real time (media)|real time]].<ref name="realnew">{{cite web|url=http://www.sptimes.com/News/110601/Columns/The_real_new_TV_seaso.shtml|title=The real new TV season starts tonight|last=Deggans|first=Eric|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|date=November 6, 2001|access-date=May 23, 2011|archive-date=November 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124230636/http://www.sptimes.com/News/110601/Columns/The_real_new_TV_seaso.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> However, commercial breaks are normally used to skip several minutes multiple times, which means that about 17 minutes of each hour is not shown. To emphasize the real-world flow of events, a clock is prominently displayed on-screen at certain points during the show, and there is regular use of [[Split screen (filmmaking)|split screens]], a technique used to depict multiple scenes occurring simultaneously.

In addition to Bauer, each episode typically follows other American government officials from CTU/[[FBI]]/[[CIA]] and the [[White House]], as well as the conspirators who set the events in motion. Because many of these conspirators commit murder for political gain, several of Bauer's contacts are killed as a consequence of government intervention. The grief that Bauer experiences from these deaths is often explored throughout the series. While Bauer does have the utmost respect for most of his colleagues, friends and family members, he always believes himself to know how to provide the best way of saving innocent lives and/or achieving his own sense of justice, often being proven right when taking action.

''24'' is known for employing [[plot twist]]s which may arise as antagonists adapt, objectives evolve or larger-scale operations unfold. Stories also involve [[interpersonal relationship]]s, delving into the private lives of the characters. As part of a recurring theme, characters are frequently confronted with ethical dilemmas. Examples of this are a bombing in season 2, which can only be prevented by blowing Bauer's cover, and an ultimatum in season 3, in which a terrorist agrees not to carry out an attack if a high-ranking CTU official is killed. Also, season 4 is notable for a scene in which two men—one of whom possesses crucial information—are dying in a room with only one surgeon.

===Overview===
{{Main|List of 24 episodes}}
{{:List of 24 episodes}}

[[24 season 1|Season 1]] begins at midnight on the day of the [[California]] [[United States presidential primary|presidential primary]] in [[Los Angeles]]. [[Counterterrorism|Counter Terrorist Unit]] [[Special agent|Agent]] [[Jack Bauer]]'s objective is to protect [[presidential candidate]] [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[David Palmer (24 character)|David Palmer]] from an [[assassination]] attempt and rescue his own family from those responsible, the Drazen syndicate, led by [[Serbia]]n [[War crime|war criminal]] [[Victor Drazen]], and his sons, [[Alexis Drazen|Alexis]] and [[Andre Drazen|Andre]], who seek retribution for Jack and Palmer's involvement with a [[Covert operation|covert American mission]] in the [[Balkans]].

[[24 season 2|Season 2]], set 18 months later, begins at 8:00&nbsp;a.m. Jack must stop a [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear bomb]] from detonating in Los Angeles, then assist the now-[[President of the United States|President]] Palmer in proving who is responsible for the threat and avoid war between the U.S. and three [[Middle East]]ern countries.

[[24 season 3|Season 3]], set three years later, begins at 1:00&nbsp;p.m. Jack must infiltrate a Mexican [[drug cartel]] led by [[Ramon Salazar (24 character)|Ramon]] and [[Hector Salazar (24 character)|Hector Salazar]], to seize a [[Biological warfare|deadly virus]] being [[Black market|marketed underground]]. President Palmer must deal with a potential scandal that could cost him his presidency.

[[24 season 4|Season 4]], set 18 months later, begins at 7:00&nbsp;a.m. Jack must save the lives of his new boss, [[United States Secretary of Defense]] [[James Heller (24 character)|James Heller]], who Jack now works for as a [[Secretary|special assistant]], and Heller's daughter [[Audrey Raines]] (with whom Jack is romantically involved) when they are kidnapped by terrorists. However, Turkish [[Terrorism|terrorist]] mastermind [[Habib Marwan]] uses this as a disguise to launch further attacks against America, and Jack is forced to use unorthodox methods to stop him, which results in long-term consequences for both Jack and the United States.

[[24 season 5|Season 5]], set 18 months after, begins at 7:00&nbsp;a.m. Jack is believed to be dead by everyone except a few of his closest friends. He is forced to resurface when some of those friends are assassinated and he is framed by terrorists with connections to the U.S. government. The acquisition of [[Nerve agent|nerve gas]] by the terrorists poses a new threat, and Jack discovers an insidious [[conspiracy]] while trying to stop those responsible.

[[24 season 6|Season 6]], set 20 months later, begins at 6:00&nbsp;a.m. Jack is released after being captured by Chinese official [[Cheng Zhi]] and being detained in a Chinese prison following the events of Season 5. Terrorists led by [[Abu Fayed]] who hold a vendetta against Jack plot to set off [[suitcase nuke|suitcase nuclear devices]] in America. Later, Jack is forced to choose between those he loves and [[national security]] when the Chinese set their sights on sensitive circuitry that could trigger a war between the U.S. and Russia.

''[[24: Redemption|Redemption]]'', set three-and-a-half years later, begins at 3:00&nbsp;p.m. Jack finds himself caught up in a [[Coup d'état|military coup d’état]] in the fictional [[Africa]]n nation of Sangala. Militants are being provided assistance from officials within the United States, where Senator [[Allison Taylor]] is being sworn into office as president. Due to the [[2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike|2007–08 Writers' Strike]], season seven was delayed one year.<ref name="showshurryupandwait">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/arts/television/11show.html|last=Carter|first=Bill|title=After Strike, TV Shows Hurry Up and Wait|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 11, 2008|access-date=May 31, 2011|archive-date=September 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110922055912/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/arts/television/11show.html|url-status=live}}</ref> To bridge the one-and-a-half-year gap between seasons, ''Redemption'' was produced. This television film aired on November 23, 2008.

[[24 season 7|Season 7]], set 65 days after the end of ''Redemption'', begins at 8:00&nbsp;a.m. CTU is disbanded, and Jack is assisted by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] and covert operatives when the firewall for America's federal computer infrastructure is breached by the same people responsible for a conflict in Sangala. Jack must uncover [[corruption]] within the now-President Taylor's administration, which has allowed the Sangalans to raid the [[White House]] and capture Taylor. She is later blackmailed by Starkwood, a fictional [[private military company]] led by its [[Chief executive officer|CEO]], [[Jonas Hodges]], in an attempt to release biological weapons on U.S. soil.

[[24 season 8|Season 8]], set 18 months later,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/tunedin/archive/2009/08/07/press-tour-journal-24-plans-ahead.aspx|title=PRESS TOUR JOURNAL: '24' plans ahead|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|first=Rob|last=Owen|date=August 7, 2009|access-date=May 31, 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427021546/http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/tunedin/archive/2009/08/07/press-tour-journal-24-plans-ahead.aspx|archive-date=April 27, 2012}}</ref> begins at 4:00&nbsp;p.m. Jack is brought in by the now-reinstated CTU to uncover a Russian plot to assassinate Middle Eastern leader [[Omar Hassan (24 character)|Omar Hassan]], the President of the fictional country of the Islamic Republic of Kamistan, during [[peace negotiations]] with President Taylor at the [[United Nations]] in [[New York City]]. Russia's [[contingency plan]] involves engineering a [[dirty bomb]], which [[Islam]]ic [[Extremism|extremists]] threaten to detonate in [[Manhattan]] unless Hassan is handed over. Jack later seeks retribution for personal losses suffered, including the death of ex-FBI [[Special agent|Special Agent]] Renee Walker, after former President [[Charles Logan (24 character)|Charles Logan]] convinces Taylor to cover up these crimes to protect the [[Peace treaty|peace agreement]]. Jack finds himself at odds with both the Russian and U.S. governments.

''[[24: Live Another Day|Live Another Day]]'', set four years later, begins at 11:00&nbsp;a.m. and finds a fugitive Jack in [[London]] trying to stop an assassination attempt on the now-President Heller and later a [[Drone warfare|drone]] terrorist attack on London by terrorist Margot Al-Harazi while being hunted by but later working with the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/10/03/24-live-another-day/2916577/|title=Jack Bauer surfaces for '24: Live Another Day'|work=[[USA Today]]|first=Jayme|last=Deerwester|date=October 3, 2013|access-date=October 5, 2013|archive-date=October 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005231809/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/10/03/24-live-another-day/2916577/|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, Jack must prevent an old enemy, Cheng Zhi, and Russian [[diplomat]] Anatol Stolnavich, from sparking a war between the U.S. and China.