TVSquad

As in years past during the World Series, FOX has started up the marketing machine for the new season of 24 and this year is no different. The official trailer for Jack Bauer's eighth very bad day (which has 24's traditional 2-night 4-hour premiere on January 17th and 18th) aired last night.

While it doesn't shed too much light on the new season (which takes place in NYC), one thing is for certain -- despite how we last saw Jack, sick as a dog with Kim by his side, the guy seems pretty healthy now. And a healthy Jack Bauer means an ass-kicking Jack Bauer, retired or not.

It's been revealed that the new season will focus on the assassination attempt of a Middle Eastern political figure played by Slumdog Millionaire's Anil Kapoor. He gets a little bit of play here in the trailer as well as a quick glimpse of the resurrected CTU. But let's be honest -- all we care about seeing is Jack, even though he is a grandpa now. Check it and tell us what you think!

I wasn't particularly impressed with season seven of 24, partly because I really want Jack Bauer to be the kick-ass character he used to be, rather than the sickly guy struggling to survive (well, he's always been struggling, but in more of a kick-ass way).

The show took some heat for some of the earlier implausible plotlines (Really, Jack? You escape from the Secret Service guys and steal a helicopter to save the President? And say what? You spring back to life after being "dead" to find the bombs and save the world?), but that's what I loved about the show.

But could the Jack Bauer era be coming to an end? Kiefer Sutherland recently told Contact Music that he fears his character might be killed off.

Stephen Root has had an incredibly prolific career. He may not be a headliner, but you always remember him as something that has influenced pop culture (usually NewsRadio or the movie Office Space). Now he will be adding to his long acting resumé by appearing on the Fox series 24 as a parole officer.

The wonderful thing about Root is how he can play a multitude of characters. To use the previous examples, his character on Office Space, Milton Waddams, is nothing like his character on NewsRadio, Jimmy James. Neither of them are like his character from True Blood, Eddie. Well, you get the idea.

I'm also impressed with his ability to go from comedy to drama and back while mastering both types of performance. Yes, I'm a Stephen Root fan.

This is an incredible gain for 24. I may tune in just to see what sort of character he'll be playing in this one.

Clips and full episodes for 24 can be seen here.

I'm wondering when David Anders will get his very own show. Not as a supporting character, but a lead role. I think he has proven himself to be a good actor, good with both the dark stuff and the funny stuff, on shows like Alias (Julian Sark) and Heroes (Adam Monroe). I think he could carry a show.

For now, though, we'll have to be content with seeing him in supporting roles, including this new one. Anders has joined the cast of 24 for the 8th (and possibly last?) season. Sources say he'll be in a "handful of episodes."

Katee Sackhoff, known mostly as the female Starbuck in the revamped version of Battlestar Galactica will be joining Jack Bauer to fight terrorists in the next season of 24.

I met Ms. Sackhoff once and she was quite nice, so I'm glad she's found another gig. It even makes sense that she's been cast, since 24 is very much like Battlestar Galactica but with less of a science fiction vibe (particularly if you substitute "Cylon" for "double-agent"). There is likely a lot of crossover appeal.

She is set to play a character named Dana Walsh, a CTU data analyst. Secretly I'm hoping she won't be stuck behind a desk decrypting computer files or anything boring like that and we'll be able to see her take down a terrorist or two (or whomever the enemy is next season).

This is a good casting choice and almost makes up for the show's casting of Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Freddie Prinze Jr. will be joining the cast of 24 for the eighth season as a recently-returned marine and Jack Bauer-wannabe named Davis Cole. I think this is an example of Fox either wanting to expand or continue the franchise without Kiefer Sutherland.

Think about it. Sutherland is only getting older. He can't be Jack Bauer forever. Prinze is a younger, recognizable face (much as all of us want to forget the Scooby Doo movie franchise). This could be the set-up for one of three things: the retirement of Jack Bauer from 24, a spin-off series, or an opportunity to have more negotiating power for Kiefer Sutherland's next contract renewal. It could even be a combination of the three.

So the question to ask is: could the series continue without Jack Bauer, or would that be the beginning of the end? Since the name of the show is 24 and not Jack Bauer, I would think so.

Kiefer Sutherland was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Friday and talked about 24 and, well, that whole head-butting thing (which has now been settled). He also did Fallon a favor by recording an outgoing message for him in his Jack Bauer persona (whole interview below - phone segment is near the end).

Not sure who I'd want on my answering machine. Maybe a character from The Simpsons, Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock, or Ben from Lost. I don't watch Idol, but having Simon on my phone could be funny. (Video also here.)

(S07E23/S07E24) "You don't know what I've done." - Jack

When 24 first premiered back in 2001, we were all taken off guard. It was so different, innovative, and action packed - like nothing we'd seen on TV ever before. But do you remember why it worked so well? Sure, there was a vast conspiracy that enshrouded the whole day in darkness, but for the most part, it was all about Jack and his family. The Bauers were what made Day 1 so memorable.

You felt horrible when Jack held Teri's lifeless body in those final seconds, and it was because the season focus was weighted towards them and not Drazen or Nina. Because of that formula, the show took off and with each season from then on, 24 became bigger than itself and so did the conspiracies. Then the bubble burst with Day 6 when it all came crashing down - we'd seen enough nukes, bio-pathogens, and Middle Eastern terrorists. The difference? All of that became more important than Jack. After Day 7's stellar finale, I think we can all agree that 24 has found its roots again.

Jimmy Fallon has put himself in an interesting position. Not that kind, sickos.

Next week, he welcomes 24 star Kiefer Sutherland to the Late Night studios in the wake of his latest assault charge in which he allegedly head-butted a fashion designer outside of a night club. I'm calling it "Butt-Gate" because I won't get that opportunity again until Jennifer Lopez and Shakira get into a fist fight.

The question for Fallon is how hard will he interview Sutherland on this latest incident that could land him in jail on a probation violation. This could be a defining moment for Fallon as a late night host. Granted, he's not interviewing the head of the Saudi Royal Family or even the head of the Hilton family, but it could either give him and his show some juice or take some away.

(S07E22) "Why did you betray me?" - Jack

Since next week's finale is actually the last two hours of the season back-to-back, I think it's safe to refer to tonight's hour as Day 7's penultimate episode. As is so often the case with pivotal installments that precede a finale (especially with 24), going into it, I couldn't help shake the feeling that the bio-terror threat would be erased for good only to reveal one more crisis ready to spill over into next week. I'm not trying to say that it was predictable, but ... well ... nevermind. It was predictable.

Unlike Jack Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland doesn't throw any punches. Literally.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sutherland was in attendance at an NYC club this past Monday night when fashion designer Jack McCollough "rudely bumped" into actress Brooke Shields while she was speaking with Sutherland. After McCollough refused to apologize - wait for it - Sutherland headbutted him!

Normally, this wouldn't be that big a deal. Celebrity makes a boo-boo, money exchanges hands out of court, problem solved. However, fans of 24 may recall that during production of the FOX drama's seventh season, Sutherland was busted for drunk driving. He served 48 days in jail but it never interfered with production because the writer's strike halted it.

(S07E21) "I have to see this through." - Jack

After a run of so many good episodes, it had to happen sooner or later - the calm before the storm. Hour 21 wasn't much more than that. A lot of filler and only a little bit of action.

All the events that are going to play out over the season's final three episodes were set in motion, but it was done with such a deliberately slow pacing that you probably would have been fine just watching next week's "Previously on 24" clip.

(S07E20) "Another attack today is all we need to push this thing right over the edge." - Tony

Only four hours left. All the pieces are in motion and sides have been chosen. Following Tony's betrayal last week, things have progressed quickly - his cohorts aren't exactly the waiting type. As tense as the plot has become, I have to say that I'm a little disappointed. Essentially, the plan is exactly the same and Hodges has just been replaced with the dozen or so people in that bad guy summit ... not sure what else to call it.

(S07E19) "I would think you'd know by now that no one can change my father's mind when it's made up" - Kim

Wow - talk about a complete 180°. A lot of this season has played it safe, but after last week's shocking final minutes, Day 7 has kicked into overdrive. During last night's episode, at times it felt like we were watching something out of season five. It was that tense. New conspiracies, new players, and confirmation of the one thing we've all assumed but couldn't bring ourselves to admit - Tony has been lying to Jack all day.

Jack Bauer's very bad seventh day on 24 still has six hours to go, but we already know where he's headed next:

New York City.

Season seven's two-hour finale is scheduled to air on FOX on Monday, May 18th and production on the show's eighth season begins right around the same time. EW's Michael Ausiello has confirmed that the Big Apple is going to be Bauer's next metropolitan playground.

NYC isn't the only change in store for Jack though.