Expectations were high among many 24 fans when Fox debuted its brand new series 24: Legacy this earlier this month, but viewers got something they weren't expecting during a recent installment. The fourth episode of the first season aired on February 20, and it featured footage from a 2013 terrorist attack in Nairobi that resulted in the deaths of 75 people at a shopping mall and left 175 people injured. A Fox representative has now come out out to issue an apology on behalf of the 24: Legacy producers for including the footage.
In the Fox statement, 24: Legacy executive producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto express their regrets at including the footage and apologize for "any pain caused to the victims and their families." The footage of the Nairobi tragedy will be removed from all subsequent airings of the episodes and versions of the series. If you didn't catch the fourth episode when it aired on Monday night, you'll probably never have to watch the very real footage in the fictional series.
The episode incorporated the Nairobi shooting footage during a scene in which officials were reviewing footage of terror attacks perpetrated by the series' villain in years past. The clips chosen for the episode showed masked gunmen opening fire on civilians in a shopping mall as well as the crowds that were attempting to flee the shooting. The point of the inclusion was for the officials to realize the potential repercussions if the villain isn't caught; the intention definitely wasn't to sensationalize a tragedy for the sake of entertainment. It was a big error in judgment on the part of the 24: Legacy producers, but at least they chose to take the heat for what they did.
Of course, somebody at Fox needed to acknowledge the ill-advised use of the footage after the uproar online and from Kenyans who were furious at what the TV show had done. The Nairobi shooting was one of the deadliest in the history of Kenya, according to Variety, and many were understandably quite upset that 24: Legacy had used the attack without consideration for the people who were affected in 2013.
Some folks who realized that the footage in the episode was lifted from real life took to social media to protest. The hashtag #SomeoneTellFox was used across Twitter. In addition to the many who were offended by the very fact that Fox used the footage, some were upset even further that the episode described the attack as taking place in "a market in Egypt" rather a shopping mall in Nairobi.
It should be interesting to see if the ratings for 24: Legacy drop as the season progresses. The show is getting a lot of negative buzz for its inclusion of the terror footage, but it's possible that the apology from Fox will work as damage control. We'll have to wait and see. Take a look at our midseason TV premiere schedule to see all your viewing options, and don't forget to check out our 2017 Netflix premiere schedule.
