In the 24 season 5 premiere, the FOX series made the shocking decision to kill David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), but why? President Palmer was easily one of the show's most beloved characters, and is still referred to by many as one of the best TV presidents.
Over the course of nine seasons, 24 went through quite a few presidents. Some, like Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), helped Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) thwart terrorist plots, while others, such as Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe) and Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin), were secretly the masterminds. One president in particular, David Palmer, stood out as a character who was a friend and ally to Jack and a president who knew how to handle a crisis. Haysbert was a series regular for three seasons, and was reduced to a recurring role for the show's fourth season, since at this point he was no longer President of the United States.
24 opened season 5 with a bang by killing off David Palmer. It happened when Palmer was visiting his brother, Wayne (D.B. Woodside). During a conversation with Wayne, Palmer stands in front of a window and is suddenly assassinated by a then-unknown assailant. Jack, who is framed for Palmer's assassination, sets out to find the killers and learns of their connection to a much bigger terrorist plot. It was later revealed that Palmer was killed because he was close to uncovering the truth about their plan and the people involved. According to Dennis Haysbert, killing off Palmer wasn't his decision, though some may have assumed that Haysbert wanted to leave because he had recently landed the lead role in CBS' The Unit. However, this was not the case.
Palmer was no longer a main character, so this wasn't an issue. In fact, Haysbert has been adamant about not wanting Palmer to die. Haysbert says that he refused to return to film Palmer's death scene for a "great many months", but was eventually convinced by the showrunner to come back (via New York Magazine). The writers and the showrunner deemed his death necessary for the benefit of the story. Palmer was told that his death was needed to kick off the story for 24 season 5.
Palmer's death did have the desired effect on the show, as it had a tremendous impact on the main characters and set the stage for the rest of the season. It also affected viewers, who were upset by the death of such a beloved character, and this is actually the reason why Haysbert was so hesitant to do the scene. He felt that there was no need to kill a character who was "so loved by everybody", and that he now regrets his decision to return. This sentiment is echoed by 24 fans. 24 had no shortage of major deaths, but there may not be any more memorable than David Palmer's shocking assassination in season 5.