For a generation of television viewers, 24 became a mainstay with Jack Bauer at the forefront of CTU's war against terrorism. FOX attempted to recapture that glory with 24: Legacy earlier this year, but the Bauer-less take on fast-paced anti-terrorism didn't totally resonate with fans. However, rumors have swirled for some time that the 24 brand may be gearing up to come back bigger and better than ever in an anthology format, and it now looks like we will soon see the series shift from the battlefield to the courtroom.
According to a report from Deadline, FOX is currently aiming to take another crack at 24, but with a notably different twist. Instead of returning to the world of Jack Bauer and CTU, the new take on 24 will reportedly center on a female protagonist immersed in the world of criminal justice. As of right now, the rumored premise of the anthological take on 24 is that it will follow a female attorney racing against the ever-ticking clock to exonerate a death row inmate that she helped put away when new evidence suggests that he may actually be innocent.
This development comes after the recent cancellation of 24: Legacy at FOX. Unlike the new version of the series that's reportedly planning to take off, the Corey Hawkins-led revival was more or less a retread into the familiar -- centering on a badass soldier-type trying to stop a terrorist plot. Despite strong opening numbers in its post-Super Bowl slot, Legacy debuted to mixed reviews, and its ratings slowly dipped over the course of its run. Something needs to change in the world of 24, and FOX seems to think that the anthology format is the way to go.
Conceptually, bringing the 24 model to a criminal justice arena arguably seems like a logical next step for the 24 brand. All you really need to make the formula work is a high-stakes environment and a ticking clock for the hero/heroine to face off against. Jack Bauer and the war on terror was the heart and soul of the property for the bulk of its run, but there's no definitive reason to assume that this can't work by moving into other genres.
We will bring you more updates related to this newly retooled version of 24 as new information about the potential project becomes available to us. Until that happens, make sure to take a look at our fall TV premiere guide to keep yourself in-the-loop on anything and everything debuting over the course of the next few months, and listen to the most recent episode of The Cord Cutter Podcast to hear what have to say about the latest developments in the world of streaming content.
