The return of 24 to the TV airwaves was just one big surprise of last year, and now that Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is indeed back for another end-of-the-world bad day, we've gotten steady updates about what 24: Live Another Day, including what the storyline is for the 12-episode season, what returning characters we can expect, and some impressive acting talent joining the cast in new roles.

Now we know when Live Another Day will be hitting the airwaves: Monday, May 5 @8pm. In traditional 24 fashion it will be a two-hour premiere - however unlike traditional 24 premieres, it will not be a two-night event; the show will enter its normal timeslot on Monday, May 12th @9pm. It makes sense, with only twelve (instead of twenty-four) episodes to work with...

You can find out more details in the official press release below - most of it has already been reported, though:

Fox today announced today that "24: Live Another Day" will premiere with a special two-hour television event Monday, May 5 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), and makes its time period premiere the following week on Monday, May 12 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The high-octane saga reunites the Emmy Award-winning team of executive producer Howard Gordon; star and executive producer Kiefer Sutherland; co-creator Robert Cochran; executive producers Evan Katz, Manny Coto, David Fury and Brian Grazer; and executive producer and director Jon Cassar.

Set and shot in London, the suspenseful event series once again will follow the exploits of heroic agent Jack Bauer (Sutherland), as he attempts to thwart an unthinkable terrorist attack that could change the world forever. Retaining the real-time, nail-biting, fast-paced format with split screens and interweaving storylines, the highly-anticipated series also stars Mary Lynn Rajskub ("Firewall"), Kim Raver ("Revolution") and William Devane ("The Dark Knight Rises") reprising their original roles. Newcomers to the drama series include Yvonne Strahovski ("Dexter"), Giles Matthey ("Jobs"), Gbenga Akinnagbe ("The Wire"), Michael Wincott ("The Crow") and Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Judy Davis ("Life with Judy Garland").

What you don't see there is mention that the new season (season 9, if you're getting technical) will be set in an international location, could potentially feature some returning villains, will lose the "Superman Jack" approach of some of the latter seasons - and the cast, as you can see, looks pretty solid.

The need for "pretzel logic" planning to fit the show's real-time format is no longer such a burden, thanks to the 12 episode format, which allows showrunners to outright skip boring segments of time and limit their focus to core character arcs. The genuine hope on the parts of both fans and the showrunners is no doubt that a leaner 24 is a better 24; it would be unfortunate to get Jack Bauer back on shorter track for Another Day only to see he's somehow lost a step in the process.

____________________________________________________

24: Live Another Day premieres on Monday, May 5 @8pm EST.

Source: Fox