It seems time is running out for Fox’s actioner 24. According to Variety, the Kiefer Sutherland drama will end after this season, the show’s eighth.
The trade mag says that although studio and network reps declined to comment on the rumour, industry insiders expect a decision to be made in the next couple days.
Why? You can blame increasing production costs and slumping ratings. And critics – including TVGuide.ca’s Denette Wilford – have bemoaned the bumpy start to this season, though of late the series seems to be finding its groove again.
Last week, 24 earned a 2.8 rating for adults 18-49 in the overnight numbers, up from the previous week’s 2.5 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.
It’s believed that 20th Century Fox TV is contemplating selling 24 to another network, but interest may be daunted because of the show’s age and price tag.
The franchise could live on in the form of a feature-film, and last month reports surfaced that 20th Century commissioned Billy Ray (State of Play, Flightplan) to write the script.
The movie would bring Sutherland’s character, Jack Bauer, to Europe. Execs have been responsive to the pitch, and Sutherland (an executive producer on the show) is reportedly eager to make it happen – especially if the show’s intensive production schedule isn’t a factor anymore.
The real-time terrorism-fighting series has won multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards, and helped Fox achieve a ratings boom among adults 18-49 in the 2000s.
The two-hour Season 8 finale is scheduled for Monday, May 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
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