5 Takes About 24: Legacy Spinoff

Seth Opeil
Jan 29, 2016
3 min read

When 24, FOX’s real time based television show, ended it’s original run in 2010, most fans had a feeling the clock wouldn’t completely shut down forever, especially with rumors swirling about a movie right after season 8 concluded. That notion eventually came true in May 2013 when FOX announced the release of 24’s 12 episode special event series, 24: Live Another Day. Then after the finale of 24: Live Another Day, fans had the same perception that 24’s clock would continue ticking, which was supported by the critical and commercial success the special event series received.

On January 15th, 2016, perception turned into reality once again with the announcement of 24: Legacy. Similarly to 24: Live Another Day, 24: Legacy has been planned as a 12 episode special event series, the big difference with this new chapter, Kiefer Sutherland will not be reprising his role as Jack Bauer. Shortly after the initial announcement of 24: Legacy, FOX announced the main character would be, Corey Hawkins, who is best known for his roles in the The Walking Dead and Straight Outta Compton. So although the clock is still ticking, 24 fans will need to adapt to a time zone change as a new era of the show begins, so here are 5 takes from the announcement of 24: Legacy.

Kiefer Sutherland's lack of involvement with the show is not a surprise, as many reports from this past year hinted that Sutherland did not have an interest to reprise the role of his legendary character, Jack Bauer. What is surprising is FOX's choice to not feature any other returning characters from the old 24 era, especially with the high ratings and critical acclaim 24: Live Another Day received. This direction by FOX is also surprising, because the short film 24: Solitary, which was released after Live Another Day already introduced a storyline where Tony Almieda escapes from prison with hopes of attacking the country.
Complete reboots of shows have a tough time succeeding, because unless there is a tangible connective element such as characters, the only relation between the original series and the reboot is the namesake. Due to it's unique real-time format and fast paced presentation, 24: Legacy could have more of an audience draw than your average reboot. If the unique format doesn’t pull viewers of the original era in though, it could also end up being a Saved by the Bell: The New Class type flop, because with original characters and plot lines gone, there is less of a motivation for the original fans to invest their time in a reboot.
In a recent interview, Kiefer Sutherland stated, "24 is such a great idea, that this could go on forever". Sure, that is nice sentiment from Sutherland about the 24 brand, but he is short selling the importance of his involvement in the show. Jack Bauer has transformed into a legendary character, who has recently been included in several all-time lists of "Best Television Characters". The complexity of Bauer's character and the animation Sutherland put into his performance were driving factors of the show. It's hard to see 24 being successful without him, but either way, the ratings of this reboot will be interesting to track.
It is curious FOX didn't choose to center a reboot around actress Yvonne Strahovski, who played Kate Morgan in 24: Live Another Day. Strahovski's character was Jack Bauer's partner/understudy, who would seem to be a natural successor in a post Bauer 24. Stravhovski certainly commanded attention and won over fans with her portrayal of Kate Morgan in the series. Also, it certainly would have been a healthy and intriguing shift for 24 to re-focus their show around a strong female lead.
No matter who was cast for 24: Legacy, they were going to have big shoes to fill. On paper the choice of Corey Hawkins as the Jack Bauer replacement is a solid one. Although his acting in Straight Outta Compton has received recognition, Hawkins is still young to the industry and is an unproven prospect. The ceiling is high and the potential for success is there, but the choice certainly isn't a guaranteed success. On an unrelated note, it would be hard to ignore the obvious benefit for FOX to cast a black actor to build one of their tent pole series around. Although Hawkins is more than qualified, FOX might very well be utilizing this casting as one avenue to repair their image after some harsh criticisms some of their new correspondents made on the "Black Lives Matter" movement, which was a PR hit this past year.

So as the 24 clock restarts, this will certainly be the most intriguing chapter of the series. It could lead to the 24 clock continuing its counting for years to come or could also be the point where the clock truly hits zero on this game-changing series.