"I'm federal agent Jack Bauer and today is the longest day of my life." With these words began one of the most innovative, thrilling and acclaimed drama series on television, on November 6, 2001. Carried on Fox Network and created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, 24’s unique format covers one hour of real time in each episode, and the season’s entire story takes place in one action-packed day. Viewers follow several key characters through a day that none of them will ever forget.
    The series’ main character, federal agent Jack Bauer, is perfectly portrayed by actor Kiefer Sutherland. Last season, the show’s fourth, Jack led Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) operatives in the series’ most intense hours as they prevented a criminal mastermind from detonating a nuclear bomb just minutes before it would have killed millions of people and changed the world forever. Season five picks up 18 months later as national security is brutally breached and the thrilling clock begins to tick again.
    Interestingly, the series coincidentally premiered on the heels of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, making the premise somewhat more realistic than it might have felt two months earlier. Season five begins on January 15, 2006.(more)