Fox’s highly acclaimed but ratings-challenged “24” is coming back next season, but the clock will probably stop and the format will likely change.
Although the network hasn’t announced it officially, a high-level source at Fox said the odds of “24” coming back have risen to around 75 percent.
That’s good news for the loyal viewers who have kept this taut action-thriller alive. Fox quickly agreed to air all 24 episodes of the series earlier this season when it realized that an uncertain fate would only further erode viewership. By endorsing it early on–and avoiding the embarrassment of having to rename it “8,” or worse–Fox gave an early present to viewers.
That kind of patience is increasingly rare in the TV industry. Gone are the days when an NBC would sit and wait for “Hill Street Blues” to find an audience. In the hyper-competitive world of modern-day television, where cable and the Internet have pulled the broadcast audience down to less than 50 percent of the population, networks fear patience.
But “24” has always been a victim of hype: Critics claimed that it was the best new fall show. Other networks, worried that its unique, multicamera look would dent their own audiences, raised expectations about “24” (they also counterprogrammed against it, effectively reducing the audience). At any rate, “24” has never had more than mediocre ratings.
But Fox expected that. It’s hard to keep viewers involved in a serial–especially on Tuesday night, one of the most fiercely competitive on the schedule. If potential viewers skip out because they fear the commitment needed, they’ll never come back.
Nonetheless, “24” is a success for Fox for several reasons. In the demographics, the show’s loyalty is with 18- to 49-year-olds–and they seem to show up no matter what precedes it (for example, “Undeclared,” which is skewed toward young males).
Fox hasn’t indicated whether “24” will stay in the tough Tuesday slot. The show could move to Monday or Friday–two days that will need help in the fall. The X factor in all of this is whether the network develops any compatible dramas (Fox is on a roll right now with sitcoms).
Now, the tough part: If “24” comes back, it will almost certainly not be in the same format. The producers have already said they could think of no other ideas to believably sustain over a 24-hour period (although if their paychecks are at stake, they’ll come up with something).
This will probably be a major internal struggle at Fox. You have to keep the title, no question there. But even die-hard fans who watched last week’s episode will have to agree that the plot twists are becoming maddeningly unbelievable and unjustifiable. The problem for the producers has always been how to keep spinning plates, but at what point does every scene become preposterous?
Kiefer Sutherland is an obvious lock to continue. The look of “24”–unique to television–could stay. But by May, when the networks pitch shows to advertisers at the annual “upfront” meetings in New York, ad buyers are going to want to know in which direction “24” is going. So a decision will have to be made soon.
In less than a month we’ll know what Fox chooses. If it decides to return the series intact, forget it. There’s no chance of it becoming a hit. Changing the format may create something more formidable and lasting.
Either that, or let it die after 24 episodes, a noble experiment.