One 24 Star Wants To Come Back Even Though We Thought They Died

sherry palmer 24

24 was one of the most intense shows on television during its original run, and fans were on the edges of their seats as Jack Bauer raced to accomplish the practically impossible all in the span of a single day. Few characters ever felt entirely safe on 24, and there were some major deaths that rocked the franchise. One such death came in Season 3 when Sherry Palmer was shot and killed... or so we thought. Actress Penny Johnson Jerald, who played Sherry in the first three seasons of 24, doesn't believe that Sherry is as dead as fans assumed, and she'd be on board to return.

CinemaBlend's Mike Reyes recently spoke spoke with Penny Johnson Jerald, and she had this to say about Sherry Palmer's fate on 24:

I believe I never finished playing Sherry Palmer, that's why when the thought they shot and killed me, Penny's butt kept breathing on the floor, because I believe that she never died. I just feel like that's a character that I would want to play to feel a completion, because I never really completed playing her. ... They never buried her, and you never saw her die.'

Back in Season 3, the scheming Sherry was shot twice in the abdomen by Julia Milliken, and she hit the floor pretty hard. Attention shifted right away to Julia, however, who turned the gun on herself and ended her own life. It was a violent scene that seemed like the end of two complex characters in Season 3, but that may not have been the permanent end of Sherry. Penny Johnson Jerald revealed that Sherry was still breathing when she went died, and we definitely never saw her pronounced dead or in a coffin for burial. Most of us probably assumed she was dead; that didn't have to be the case.

Of course, we can probably be forgiven for assuming that Sherry was gone for good. She didn't reappear in the series in any of the rest of the original series or in the recent 24: Legacy revival. She never came back. If she is still alive somewhere, she probably either turned over a new leaf or has been biding her time before making a comeback. Sherry can't exactly seek any revenge on Julia, but we can bet that she'd have some tricks up her sleeve if she was to reappear.

While 24 finished its run and 24: Legacy got the axe, a return for Penny Johnson Jerald as Sherry Palmer isn't out of the question. An anthology spinoff reboot could be in the works at Fox, and we do know that a 24 spinoff is in development that would move the action into the courtroom. Perhaps Sherry Palmer could turn up on one such show at some point. Jerald does have a new show keeping her busy, but it's a Fox show. Perhaps The Orville would be willing to lend Jerald to 24 for at least a guest shot.

We'll have to wait and see. There's no saying at this point if Penny Johnson Jerald will ever get to reprise her role as Sherry Palmer for 24, but you can find her on the small screen on Fox's freshman comedy The Orville, which airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. For your other viewing options, take a look at our fall TV guide.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).