The writer’s strike and ‘24′
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- January
- 16
It’s no secret that Season 7 of 24 got really fouled up because of the writer’s strike.
It’s different, in a lot of ways, from any other series, given that it truly takes 24 episodes to wrap up the plot, and there’s no easy (or even, in the case of Lost, not horrible) way to air the episodes that have been completed and make the viewers wait until next season for the rest.
While Losties might be jonesing for their show to return, 24 is designed to be a 24-hour adrenaline ride. Show eight episodes and then wait eight month and you have fans who’ve either died from aneurysms or who just don’t give a hoot’n’holler anymore. (Sorry, channeling Jed Clampett for a moment.)
So this news/rumor from Michael Ausiello over at TVGuide.com was a bit unnerving. We must all keep in mind, however, that Fox hasn’t confirmed any of this, and there indeed are multiple scenarios being discussed:
Even if the strike ends tomorrow, the earliest the show could get back on the air is this summer  and there’s no way in hell Fox is dumping 24 onto the summer season. That leaves the network with several options, none of them ideal. One solution is to just kick off Season 7 next January, but by then Jack will have been in hiding for nearly two years. Another, and much more controversial, scenario being bandied about involves taking the eight episodes currently in the can and creating a 10- to 14-episode mini-season to air in the fall. That would be followed by another 10- to 14-episode mini-season  featuring a completely different plot  during the second half of the season.
My (not-so-)humble opinion?
As much as I hate the thought of having another year to go before hearing Jack yell, “Dammit!” in primetime again, I’d rather wait until next January for a full, 24-hour season.
Two mini-seasons would stink like raw meat left out in the sun. (What is wrong with me today?) Look at that, you’ve really pissed off Curtis now:
Look, they’re bringing back Tony Almeida from the dead and Jack’s on trial. There’s no way they’re wrapping that up satisfactorily in eight episodes, I don’t care what anyone says. Eight episodes that weren’t designed from Day 1 to be an eight-episode mini-season ARE NOT A MINI-SEASON. Period. End of sentence.
Photos courtesy of Fox.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 11:34 am by Amy Vernon.
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