Time flies faster than reality in 24 – updated
The following is my rough timeline for the aging of Jack Bauer, lead character on 24. The original inspiration for this post was the 24 Wikipedia entry. While browsing, I noticed the way time absolutely flies between 24 seasons.
24 first aired in November 2001, and was set on the day of the California presidential primary, but no specific year was provided. Just to make things simple, I’ve arbitrarily chosen 2000, which puts day one in June of 2000. Any year, however, would work just fine for tracking Jack’s age.
In June of 2000, Kiefer Sutherland was 34.5, so let’s assume that was Jack Bauer’s age as well. From there, as the seasons progress, time moves rapidly. In the following table, all of the After Prior Day values came from the 24 Timeline on wikia.com.
| Season Number | Start Date | After Prior Day | Jack’s Age |
| #1 | Jun 2000 | – | 34.5 |
| #2 | Dec 2001 | 18 months | 36 |
| #3 | Dec 2004 | 36 months | 39 |
| #4 | Jun 2006 | 18 months | 40.5 |
| #5 | Dec 2007 | 18 months | 42 |
| #6 | Aug 2009 | 20 months | 43.5+ |
| ‘Redemption’ movie | Feb 2013 | 42 months | 47+ |
| #7 | Apr 2013 | 2 months | 47+ |
| #8 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
The only real issue with this is that the timing of the Redemption movie is off–it’s supposed to occur on the day of the presidential inauguration, which has been on January 20th or 21st for over 70 years now, but the timeline shows it in February. I’m not sure why there’s a discrepancy.
Little is known about season eight, other than it’s set in New York City and will begin “very quickly” after the end of season seven. Let’s hope so, lest Jack reach mandatory retirement age prior to the day’s start date. Of course, after preventing seven major terrorist actions in just over 13 virtual years, Jack’s probably earned early retirement!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Way too much time analyzing 24! It’s ok… but it is just a violence delivery device. For great tv that is worthy of such thought, speculation and anticipation, look no further than Battlestar Galactica. This is BY FAR the finest tv show I have ever watched. It’s not just for SF geeks either. Better drama doesn’t exist on the small screen.
August 7th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
from thedigitalbits
And here’s something cool for you fans of Fox’s 24: Fox is releasing 24: Exile on DVD on 11/25 (SRP $26.98), just two days after its broadcast debut on 11/23. This will be an 88-minute “extended cut” (longer than the broadcast version) that takes place between Seasons 6 and 7, in which Jack Bauer must evacuate a group of orphans from the midst of a conflict in a small African nation. Extras will include audio commentary, 2 featurettes (The Making of Exile and Children of War) and 2 previews (24: Season 6 in Four Minutes and 24: Season 7 First Act). All of this leads up to the broadcast debut of 24: Season 7 on Fox in January.
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:58 am
I always wondered how Jack Bauer would get back from China to do another action packed day of torture and being tortured. Now after this season, if Jack has any more major exposures to nerve toxin, they will have to combine 24 and House, and Gregory House can be his full time doctor.