Groundbreaking, Critically Acclaimed and Award Winning Drama '24' to Debut in Off-Net Syndication

'24,' Starring Kiefer Sutherland and Recently Nominated for 11 Emmys, Will Allow Viewers



LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- "24," the groundbreaking, award-winning and critically-acclaimed series starring Kiefer Sutherland, will premiere in off-network syndication on local television stations throughout the U.S. beginning on October 1, 2005 (please check your local listings). Weekly, "24" will provide viewers with the unique opportunity to watch the program from its first season on.

In the hour-long series, Sutherland stars as U.S. Counter Terrorism Unit Agent Jack Bauer in one of the most innovative, thrilling and acclaimed dramas on television.  Each distinct episode of "24" features a dedicated storyline unveiling layers of intrigue over the course of one season that shapes a 24-hour period, when Bauer must go to great lengths to prevent a singular tragedy from occurring.  In season one, he fights to uncover a plot to assassinate the first African American candidate for President of the United States (Dennis Haysbert).  In "24's" second season, Bauer is forced to prevent terrorists from detonating a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles, while in season three he must stop a blackmail scheme involving relatives of an imprisoned Mexican drug lord threatening to unleash a biological weapon.  Wrapping its fourth and most compelling season this spring, "24" involved a train crash, the kidnapping of the Secretary of Defense, a chain-reaction meltdown of the nation's nuclear power plants as well as detonating a nuclear bomb and the fatal crash of Air Force One.

The series was recently nominated in two of this year's Emmy Awards' most prestigious categories, including Outstanding Drama Series and Kiefer Sutherland for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the fourth year in a row.  In its first four seasons, "24" has achieved a multitude of awards, including Emmys for writing and editing, and has been nominated for nearly 40 Emmy Awards.  "24" also has received seven Golden Globe nominations, including three for Best Television Series - Drama, which it won in 2004; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Drama for three years, with Sutherland winning once.

Other cast members to have starred in "24" include Elisha Cuthbert, Penny Johnson, Carlos Bernard, Reiko Aylesworth, Sarah Wynter, William Devane and Kim Raver.  The program has also guest-starred Dennis Hopper, Zeljko Ivanek, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michelle Forbes, Sara Gilbert, Lukas Haas, Nestor Serrano and Shohreh Aghdashloo, among others.

Created and executive produced by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and produced by 20th Century Fox Television, "24" first premiered on FOX in 2000 to rave reviews.  The program has been cleared in syndication covering 97% of the country and is distributed by Twentieth Television.

A leader in the domestic program production and distribution arena, Twentieth Television oversees the domestic sales of one of the most extensive libraries of off-net programming in the entertainment industry.  In addition to "24," this fall, the company will launch The Peabody Award-winning sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show" in off-net syndication.  In 2004, it successfully sold and launched the sitcoms "Yes, Dear" and "Malcolm in the Middle," the highest rated off-net premiere for the 2004-05 season.  Other programs being slated for future off-net launches include the multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy "Arrested Development," starring Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Portia de Rossi and Jessica Walter, among others; "Still Standing," with Jami Gertz and Mark Addy; David E. Kelly's critically-acclaimed drama "Boston Legal," featuring James Spader and William Shatner; reality hit "The Simple Life"; and the animated comedy "Family Guy."

First-run programs distributed by Twentieth Television include the news magazine "A Current Affair," the popular court show strip "Divorce Court" and new court show "Judge Alex." 

DATASOURCE: Twentieth Television



CONTACT:  Crystal Yang, [phone], or Les Eisner, [phone],

both of Twentieth Television



Web site:  http://www.fox.com/ 

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