24
Season 6
Promotional poster
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes24
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseJanuary 14 (2007-01-14) –
May 21, 2007 (2007-05-21)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 5
List of episodes

The sixth season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 6, premiered in the United States on Fox on January 14, 2007, and concluded on May 21, 2007. The season's storyline begins and ends at 6:00 a.m. It is set 20 months after the events of the previous season.

Season overview

The sixth season is set 20 months after season five. Over the last 11 weeks before Day 6, the United States has been targeted coast-to-coast in a series of suicide bombings. A man named Abu Fayed agrees to give the U.S. the location of Hamri Al-Assad, the supposed terrorist mastermind of these attacks, in exchange for former CTU Agent Jack Bauer with whom he has a personal grudge. As a result, President Wayne Palmer has negotiated the release of Bauer, who was illegally captured by Chinese government agents, under "high-price" terms.

Season 6 can be divided into two main acts:

  1. Jack is released from the Chinese prison, and works with CTU to take down suitcase nuke-armed terrorists, and discovers links to his own family in the process.
  2. After the nukes are recovered, the Chinese manipulate Jack into giving them one of the circuit boards, elevating tensions between the United States and Russia.

Major subplots

Summary

Agent Bauer, having been taken prisoner by China 20 months earlier, is released under a deal arranged by President Wayne Palmer. Jack is immediately asked to sacrifice himself to Abu Fayed, who has offered CTU Hamri Al-Assad, who is believed to be the terrorist mastermind behind the suicide bombings of the last 11 weeks. Jack finds out, however, that Assad is actually trying to stop the attacks, which were orchestrated by Fayed. Jack escapes and saves Assad, which requires him to kill Curtis Manning who is bent on revenge for an earlier incident. Having found out that Fayed is planning to detonate five suitcase nuclear bombs, CTU agents attempt to retrieve one of them but they are too late. While crying over the loss of his friend Curtis, Jack watches in horror as a nuclear blast destroys Valencia.

Jack discovers that his father Phillip and brother Graem are working against CTU and have been for some time. This reunites Jack with his nephew Josh Bauer and sister-in-law Marilyn Bauer who tells him that Audrey Raines is dead. Morris O'Brian is lured out of CTU, captured by Fayed and forced to arm the remaining nuclear bombs. After defusing one of them, Jack is aided by former President Charles Logan. Logan claims that his connection with the Russian Consulate General, Anatoly Markov can help Jack find Dmitri Gredenko, a former Russian general planning to arm RQ-2 Aerial Drones with the bombs to attack the U.S. Dissatisfied with Wayne Palmer's leadership during the crisis, Reed Pollock and a co-conspirator named Carson plan to assassinate Palmer and frame Al-Assad for it. Before Tom Lennox can prevent the attack, their bomb explodes, killing Assad and leaving Palmer in critical condition.

Vice President Noah Daniels assumes executive powers and threatens retaliation. Logan fails to blackmail Markov into giving up Gredenko, so Jack breaks into the Russian Consulate and tortures information out of him. President Logan convinces his ex-wife Martha to call the Russian First Lady, Anya Suvarov. As a result, Yuri Suvarov authorizes action against the consulate by a CTU team (led by new Director of Field Operations Mike Doyle). Jack immediately gives CTU Gredenko's location, but it is too late, as Gredenko has already launched a drone toward San Francisco. Jack manages to locate the drone's pilot and crash land the drone, but radiation is released during the crash. Noah Daniels authorizes a nuclear strike against the Middle-East, but Wayne Palmer is brought out of his coma to intervene.

Gredenko is captured by CTU and he agrees to help bring in Fayed in exchange for amnesty, but warns Fayed instead. Gredenko dies and Jack manages to track down Fayed. After a struggle, Jack single-handedly kills Fayed and finds the two remaining bombs. Jack then receives a phone call from Audrey, who is apparently still alive and is then turned over to Cheng Zhi. Cheng demands a Russian circuit board from one of the nukes, information that could start a war, in exchange for Audrey's freedom. President Palmer reluctantly authorizes Jack's plan but collapses during a press conference, allowing Daniels to assume executive duties and reverse the order. Jack goes rogue and goes through with the exchange, learning that Audrey has endured pharmaceutical torture. His plan to destroy the board fails and Cheng gets hold of it.

Russia discovers that the Chinese have the circuit board and threatens military action. Cheng discovers that the board has been damaged and calls Phillip Bauer to fix it. Jack gets a lead from Audrey about Cheng's location but before they can use it, CTU is infiltrated by Chinese mercenaries, led by Zhou, and most members of CTU are taken hostage. Milo is fatally shot when he steps up to protect Nadia. Jack Bauer, Mike Doyle and others are able to kill the mercenaries and they learn that one of Phillip Bauer's conditions for helping the Chinese was that his grandson Josh be delivered to him. Phillip Bauer calls the White House and offers to give the circuit board for Josh, and they agree. Doyle takes Josh from Jack to go ahead with the exchange.

Jack finds out about the deal and gets help from Bill Buchanan, who had been fired from CTU earlier after the Department of Justice needed a fall guy for the escape of Abu Fayed. The exchange fails as Jack predicted and Phillip Bauer manages to capture Josh on an offshore oil rig while still in possession of the circuit board. Daniels decides to launch an air strike against the oil rig but Jack and Bill commandeer a helicopter in order to save Josh. They arrive in time to kill Cheng's men, capture Cheng alive and rescue Josh. Phillip Bauer dies in the subsequent airstrike. Jack confronts Audrey's father, James Heller, by whom he feels abandoned and lashes out. Heller apologizes, but convinces Jack that Audrey would be safer without him. Jack tells a sleeping Audrey that even though he loves her, he must let her go for her own sake. He walks outside to a cliff and stares off at the ocean at an uncertain future.

Characters

Season 6 main cast: (from left to right) Eric Balfour, Marisol Nichols, Carlo Rota, James Morrison, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kiefer Sutherland, Jayne Atkinson, Peter MacNicol, Regina King, and D. B. Woodside

For a more thorough list, see List of 24 characters § 24: Season 6.

Starring

Special guest stars

Guest starring

Episodes

See also: List of 24 episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
1211"Day 6: 6:00 a.m.  – 7:00 a.m."Jon CassarHoward GordonJanuary 14, 2007 (2007-01-14)6AFF0115.79[1]
20 months after the events of Day 5, U.S. cities have been the targets of terrorist attacks for weeks. Jack Bauer is delivered by Cheng Zhi to CTU as the result of an agreement between the two governments. Buchanan tells Bauer that a known terrorist named Hamri Al-Assad is believed to be responsible for the attacks. A rogue operative named Abu Fayed has demanded Bauer in exchange for giving Assad's location. It is revealed that Fayed's brother died while being tortured by Bauer years ago. Bauer agrees without resistance. President Wayne Palmer talks to Bauer on the phone and expresses his gratitude. Fayed takes Bauer and gives Assad's location to CTU. Bauer memorizes the coordinates before Fayed starts torturing him and revealing that he is the person behind the attacks, and that Assad has actually come to stop him. Bauer manages to escape. Meanwhile, there is a debate at the White House between Tom Lennox, the Chief of Staff, and Karen Hayes, Palmer's national security advisor and Buchanan's wife, on how to treat Muslim Americans in order to stop the attacks. Ray Wallace saves Ahmed Amar, a Middle-Eastern neighbor, from local assailants. Amar is revealed to be working for Fayed.
1222"Day 6: 7:00 a.m.  – 8:00 a.m."Jon CassarManny CotoJanuary 14, 2007 (2007-01-14)6AFF0215.79[1]
Bauer contacts Wayne and shares his knowledge, but Hayes and Lennox do not believe him. Wayne decides to continue with his plan to neutralize Assad. Bauer heads to the location alone and warns Assad, who finds Fayed's spy among his operatives. The Army helicopters shoot the house, but Bauer, Assad and the spy survive it. They hide in an empty house, where Assad tortures the spy and finds the next target before killing him. Bauer and Assad head to the location, which is a subway station. Bauer picks out the bomber, and Assad chases the bomber's handler. Bauer manages to throw the bomber outside the train before he detonates his suicide vest. Wayne realizes that Bauer was right about Fayed and Assad. Meanwhile, Amar is attacked again by locals. Scott, Ray's son and Amar's friend, intervenes before Amar kills the assailants and shows hostility towards Scott. The FBI arrives at an Islamic American community organization and starts investigating the records. Sandra, Wayne's sister and the community's lawyer, deletes the records. As a result, she is arrested along with Director Walid Al-Rezani.
1233"Day 6: 8:00 a.m.  – 9:00 a.m."Brad TurnerEvan Katz & David FuryJanuary 15, 2007 (2007-01-15)6AFF0315.73[2]
Bauer has an intentional car crash with the handler, damaging the handler's car. Assad arrives and offers the handler a ride, which he accepts. Bauer contacts CTU and tasks them to track Assad's car in order to reach Fayed, who calls Wayne and demands the transfer of dozens of inmates of a specific prison. Wayne orders the process. Agent Manning questions Wayne's decision to ally with Assad, believing his past actions to be unforgivable. The handler separates from Assad, who joins Bauer and other agents chasing him. He spots them and commits suicide with a grenade, which almost completely destroys his laptop. CTU manages to recover the identity of the associate Hasan Numair, who is one of the prisoners scheduled for transfer. Numair manages to escape by the help of a guard. Assad reveals that Numair is a nuclear engineer, and CTU deduces that Fayed is planning a nuclear attack. Meanwhile, Amar takes Scott and his mother hostage, forcing Ray to go to a location and acquire a device. The FBI brings Sandra and Rezani to a detention facility, but then frees Sandra on Wayne's order.
1244"Day 6: 9:00 a.m.  – 10:00 a.m."Brad TurnerRobert CochranJanuary 15, 2007 (2007-01-15)6AFF0415.73[2]
Ray calls Amar and demands that he release one of his family members. Amar releases Jillian, Ray's wife, who then calls and informs CTU. Bauer deduces that Manning has a personal grudge against Assad and tasks Agent Chloe O'Brian to investigate it. Bauer leads the team to the Wallaces', where Amar is critically shot. Scott recalls the location that Amar had mentioned, which is in Valencia. CTU sends a team to the location, where Numair starts preparing the nuclear bomb with the device Ray has brought. Chloe reveals to Bauer that when Manning served in the Army after Desert Storm, Assad killed Manning's soldiers in a live broadcast. Manning tries to kill Assad before being fatally shot by Bauer, who becomes depressed afterwards. CTU agents storm into the Valencia facility but Numair explodes the bomb, killing himself, Ray and thousands of other people nearby. Meanwhile, at the detention facility, Rezani detects a message, which CTU interprets as there being four more bombs.
1255"Day 6: 10:00 a.m.  – 11:00 a.m."Milan CheylovJoel Surnow & Michael LoceffJanuary 22, 2007 (2007-01-22)6AFF0514.47[3]
Wayne and his staff are moved to the bunker. Jack starts helping people in trouble after the explosion. CTU checks the records of a Russian associate named Dmitri Gredenko, and finds the name of Phillip Bauer, Jack's father. Buchanan informs Jack, who reveals that he has not talked to Phillip for years, but convinces Buchanan to let him investigate Phillip alone. Jack's brother, Graem, who is revealed to have been Charles Logan's co-conspirator during the events of Day 5, finds out about Jack's investigation before he gets a call from Jack, who tasks him to find Phillip. Jack pays a surprise visit to Graem at his house, where he meets Graem's son, Josh, and wife, Marilyn, with whom Jack was previously involved. Jack and Graem go to his working room, where Jack locks the door and starts torturing Graem. Meanwhile, with Numair gone, Fayed convinces his associate Darren McCarthy to find a new engineer. Rezani is welcomed into a group of inmates with the help of the agents.
1266"Day 6: 11:00 a.m.  – 12:00 p.m."Milan CheylovJoel Surnow & Michael LoceffJanuary 29, 2007 (2007-01-29)6AFF0614.04[4]
Graem states that he made a mistake by dealing with Gredenko, and Phillip got involved trying to fix it. Jack and Graem head to the family company, where Jack reunites with Phillip. Jack convinces him to let CTU investigate the case and stop the upcoming attacks. However, Phillip's mercenaries are revealed to be loyal to Graem, who takes Jack and Phillip captive. He orders his men to take the duo to a secluded place and kill them. Meanwhile, Hayes continues to question Lennox's restrictive measures on the Muslims. Lennox tasks Reed Pollock, his deputy, to find something to blackmail Hayes into resignation. Pollock finds evidence that Buchanan had Fayed in custody months ago. Since Buchanan could be blamed for the day's attack, Lennox convinces Hayes to resign quietly for the good of Buchanan. Rezani steals a cell phone an inmate secretly carries and the FBI gives the call record to Chloe, who finds out that those inmates are not associated with Fayed. Rezani is beaten by the inmates for spying before he is rescued by the guards.
1277"Day 6: 12:00 p.m.  – 1:00 p.m."Jon CassarHoward Gordon & Manny CotoFebruary 5, 2007 (2007-02-05)6AFF0713.60[5]
Jack and Phillip manage to free themselves. Jack alerts CTU; Graem is arrested in his house, where he is tortured with hyoscine pentothal, a serum that causes agonizing nerve pain. Marilyn reveals to Jack that she knew of Graem's illegal activities, but stayed silent because of Josh. Graem reveals his involvement in the events of Day 5, making Jack so angry that he orders excessive serum to be injected, which traumatizes Graem. Phillip has a secret talk with Graem; It is revealed that Phillip was involved in the events of Day 5 and his association with Gredenko is much more than what is believed. He kills Graem, making his death seem as a result of the injections. Meanwhile, CTU intercepts the message between Fayed and McCarthy, and starts decrypting it. Agent Morris O'Brian gets a call to visit his brother in a hospital. As he leaves, he is revealed to be McCarthy's proposed engineer. McCarthy and Rita Brady, his girlfriend, abduct Morris. Lennox apparently convinces Wayne to approve his project. Wayne convenes the Cabinet, where he reveals that he will not sign it. Vice President Noah Daniels disagrees, but to no avail.
1288"Day 6: 1:00 p.m.  – 2:00 p.m."Jon CassarEvan Katz & David FuryFebruary 12, 2007 (2007-02-12)6AFF0813.73[6]
Lennox gets angry with Wayne's decision. Pollock secretly offers him a plan to assassinate Wayne so that Daniels, a proponent, can ascend. Lennox initially denies it and tasks Pollock to type a resignation paper for him. Phillip, Marilyn and Josh are brought to CTU while Jack leads a team to rescue Morris. Brady kills McCarthy and takes Morris to Fayed alone. Fayed kills Brady instead of paying her. He starts torturing Morris to make him activate the bombs. Morris finally accepts. Jack's team storms in and saves Morris. They find Fayed gone with one armed bomb left behind. Jack manages to defuse it. Morris reveals that the other bombs are now functional. When Lennox hears the news, he decides to hear Pollock's offer instead of resigning. Meanwhile, Assad is transferred to Washington, D.C. and brought to Wayne, who offers Assad a peace initiative proposed on a live broadcast. Wayne believes Assad can dissuade some of Fayed's followers.
1299"Day 6: 2:00 p.m.  – 3:00 p.m."Brad TurnerAdam E. FierroFebruary 12, 2007 (2007-02-12)6AFF0913.73[6]
Gredenko is revealed to be preparing the delivery mechanism for the bombs. Marilyn tells Jack that she remembers an address that is associated with Graem's, and possibly Gredenko's, activities. Later Marilyn converses with Phillip, who is able to deduce Jack's plan to find Gredenko. Phillip formulates a plan and secretly tasks his operatives to find and kill Gredenko: He abducts Josh and takes him to a hotel. With this, he calls Marilyn and forces her to give Jack a decoy address. Jack enters the location with his team, but finds a bomb inside, and runs out. He manages to survive the explosion. Marilyn and agent Milo Pressman are attacked by Phillip's operatives. The truck crashes, and the duo continue on foot while the operatives give chase. Meanwhile, Morris is returned to CTU before he becomes depressed for helping Fayed, pushing Chloe away. Lennox secretly meets Pollock, who reveals that there are other people, but not including Daniels, that support the plan. Lennox approves the plan and starts gathering the necessary tools and information.
13010"Day 6: 3:00 p.m.  – 4:00 p.m."Brad TurnerHoward Gordon & Evan KatzFebruary 19, 2007 (2007-02-19)6AFF1013.05[7]
Jack arrives and saves Milo and Marilyn from Phillip's operatives, arresting the head operative. Jack confronts Marilyn for lying to him about the address, and she reveals the truth about Phillip's abduction of her son. She gives him the real address, and CTU sends a team to that location, however they find the house to be empty. In order to find Phillip, Jack forces the operative to tell Phillip on the phone that he has captured Marilyn, but she wants to see her son before she gives him Gredenko's address. Phillip gives his location. Jack heads there and finds the hotel room empty. Phillip calls from the building across the street. Jack offers himself in exchange for Josh, which Phillip accepts. Jack heads there and Josh is freed. Phillip tells Jack that he aided Gredenko because the latter had evidence that proved Phillip's involvement in the events of Day 5. Phillip spares Jack's life and leaves a cell phone with a phone number on it. Jack calls it and Charles Logan answers the call, revealing that he knows about the situation and offering help. Meanwhile, a guilt-ridden Morris drinks liquor while at work. Milo informs Chloe, but Morris convinces them that he will not do it again. Pollock's associate enters the bunker with the help of Lennox, who later changes his mind and decides to warn Secret Service before Pollock knocks him unconscious.
13111"Day 6: 4:00 p.m.  – 5:00 p.m."Tim IacofanoManny CotoFebruary 26, 2007 (2007-02-26)6AFF1112.80[8]
Jack calls Buchanan, who reveals that Logan's trial was never made public. Logan had made a deal to resign and go into house arrest. Jack visits Logan, who offers to help without anything in return. Jack informs Wayne, who expresses his doubts, but eventually approves it. Logan reveals that the Russian consul, Anatoly Markov, is associated with Gredenko, and that he can convince Markov to talk. They prepare to head to the consulate. Meanwhile, Chloe becomes worried that Morris is still drinking and confronts him at several points. He throws away the bottle he is keeping. Gredenko's delivery devices are revealed to be drones. Pollock locks Lennox in a room, where the associate arrives and prepares a bomb with the tools he has brought inside without detection. The associate instructs Pollock as to how to detonate the bomb, which Pollock sets at the conference room. Lennox makes an unsuccessful escape attempt. Assad detects the bomb, but too late. Pollock detonates it and Wayne is critically wounded while Assad is killed.
13212"Day 6: 5:00 p.m.  – 6:00 p.m."Tim IacofanoTeleplay by : Evan Katz & David Fury
Story by : Howard Gordon		March 5, 2007 (2007-03-05)6AFF1213.05[9]
Logan meets Markov. He reveals that he has evidence that can incriminate Markov and will disclose it if he does not help CTU find the bombs. Markov insists that he does not have any more connection with Gredenko, and Logan leaves. Jack decides to infiltrate the consulate and torture Markov. Logan tries to dissuade him, but to no avail. Jack learns from Markov that Gredenko is in Shadow Valley, but he is arrested by Russian guards before he can contact CTU. He convinces a Russian assistant to give the information to CTU, but the assistant is killed by an associate of Markov before he can make any calls. Meanwhile, Assad is revealed to have died in the explosion. Pollock apparently convinces Lennox not to reveal the truth, and frees him. Lennox warns Secret Service and is arrested along with Pollock and his associate. Daniels assumes command and demands that Lennox announce that Assad was complicit in the attempt, by threatening to reveal Lennox's involvement to the Justice Department. As Hayes prepares to leave D.C, Buchanan calls and informs her of the attempt.
13313"Day 6: 6:00 p.m.  – 7:00 p.m."Jon CassarJoel Surnow & Michael LoceffMarch 12, 2007 (2007-03-12)6AFF1312.39[10]
Agent Mike Doyle arrives from Division Command and takes over for Manning. He sets his agents outside the consulate. Charles states that his former wife, Martha, is friends with Russian President Yuri Suvarov's wife. Charles calls and informs Aaron Pierce, who has married Martha. Charles meets Pierce and Martha, who shows displeasure upon seeing him, but she finally decides to call Suvarov's wife. However, she critically stabs Charles. Markov disobeys Suvarov's order to free Jack, so Suvarov allows CTU to attack the consulate. A shootout starts and Markov is killed. Jack finally gets the chance to inform CTU of Gredenko's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Daniels forces Lennox to tell the ambassador of Fayed and Assad's country that Assad was complicit. This gives Daniels the opportunity to force that country to start cooperating with CTU to find the other bombs. Daniels threatens to attack that country if another bomb explodes.
13414"Day 6: 7:00 p.m.  – 8:00 p.m."Jon CassarTeleplay by : Howard Gordon & Evan Katz
Story by : Manny Coto & David Fury		March 19, 2007 (2007-03-19)6AFF1411.80[11]
Jack returns to CTU and informs the others about Shadow Valley. Marilyn tells Jack that she heard a report that Audrey Raines has died. Jack tasks Chloe to check it. She finds the report, which states that Raines died in a car crash in China, where she had come to find him. He confronts Buchanan for hiding the report from him. Chloe states that Gredenko has an inside agent in CTU. Doyle tasks her to check agent Nadia Yassir first, since she is a Muslim. This angers Pressman, who is involved with Yassir. However, Chloe finds that she actually is the mole, which results in Yassir's arrest. Doyle starts interrogating her, until he is informed that the pilot of the drone has been located. Jack and Doyle lead a team there and kill the pilot. Jack manages to stop the drone, which gets damaged along with the bomb, leading to a radiation spill. Although the bomb did not detonate, Daniels still orders Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin to prepare for a nuclear strike on the Middle-Eastern country. Lennox and Hayes, who has returned to help with the crisis, disagree, but to no avail.
13515"Day 6: 8:00 p.m.  – 9:00 p.m."Brad TurnerHoward Gordon & Manny CotoMarch 26, 2007 (2007-03-26)6AFF1511.78[12]
An agent finds evidence that proves Yassir's computer was hacked, proving her innocence. He shows it to Doyle, who decides not to reveal it for now. The agent finally reveals the evidence himself. Pressman gets angry with Doyle, who explains that he was investigating more. Yassir is freed and decides to quit, but Buchanan dissuades her. CTU locates an associate of Gredenko, named Mark Hauser. Jack leads a team there, and they storm into Mark's house. Mark gets shot and reveals that Gredenko will be meeting him there. Mark tasks his brother, Brady, to cooperate with CTU. Brady meets Gredenko, who is then captured and arrested by CTU. Gredenko offers to surrender Fayed in exchange for a pardon and the guarantee not to be returned to Russia. Meanwhile, Hayes convinces Sandra to consent with reviving Wayne, who orders the Air Force to stand down. Daniels claims that Wayne is unfit to run the office and decides to invoke the Section 4 of the 25th Amendment of the Constitution.
13616"Day 6: 9:00 p.m.  – 10:00 p.m."Brad TurnerRobert Cochran & Evan KatzApril 2, 2007 (2007-04-02)6AFF1610.95[13]
CTU plants a tracker in Gredenko's forearm. Gredenko meets Fayed and reveals his deal with CTU. The agents storm in and find Gredenko's forearm containing the tracker amputated. Fayed and Gredenko escape into a bar, where Gredenko reveals to the customers that Fayed is a terrorist before escaping. The crowd starts beating Fayed until Jack arrives and arrests him. Gredenko succumbs to his wound in the coast. Daniels convenes the Cabinet. Both Wayne and Daniels defend their positions before the voting is held, with both parties earning an equal vote. The Attorney General interprets it as Wayne's victory. However, Daniels claims that Hayes' vote is invalid, since she resigned earlier. The Supreme Court starts checking the case. Daniels tasks Lisa Miller, his assistant, to manipulate the records. Having recorded the conversation, Lennox forces Daniels to drop the case. However, Wayne announces his plan to strike as Daniels intended.
13717"Day 6: 10:00 p.m.  – 11:00 p.m."Bryan SpicerDavid FuryApril 9, 2007 (2007-04-09)6AFF1711.45[14]
Wayne's plan is revealed to have been a ruse to force the Middle-Eastern country to fully cooperate. The country's ambassador reveals that they have arrested a military general associated with Fayed. Jack finds Fayed's torture useless, so he orders Fayed be transferred to CTU. During transfer, CTU forces are attacked by armed people who rescue Fayed and tell him that they've been sent by the general. This is revealed to be CTU's plan to lure Fayed to find the bombs. Fayed demands to talk to the general on the phone for confirmation that he sent them. In order to get the general to cooperate, Wayne forces the ambassador to threaten the general's family in addition to torturing him. As the general is talking to Fayed, he gives a hidden distress message. Fayed then kills the others and escapes. Jack chases Fayed to his compound. He manages to kill Fayed and his men, securing the two remaining bombs. He then gets a call from Cheng, who has taken Raines hostage, threatening to kill her if Jack does not perform his demands. Meanwhile, Wayne learns from Lennox about his leverage on Daniels.
13818"Day 6: 11:00 p.m.  – 12:00 a.m."Bryan SpicerMatt Michnovetz & Nicole RanadiveApril 16, 2007 (2007-04-16)6AFF1811.32[15]
Cheng demands that Jack remove from one of the bombs a circuit board containing advanced Russian military technology, in exchange for Raines. Jack attempts to remove the circuit board, but is stopped after Morris detects Chloe aiding him. Jack calls Wayne and makes an offer: to plant explosives in the circuit board and detonate them after Raines is secured, meeting both wishes but sacrificing his own life. Wayne approves it, and Doyle is tasked to accompany Jack. With the information Wayne has learned from Lennox, he demands that Daniels resign. He then collapses during a press conference. His physician states that his status is critical, and he can not run the office anymore. Thus, Daniels takes over again, aborting Jack's plan. Jack abandons Doyle on the road and continues on his own.
13919"Day 6: 12:00 a.m.  – 1:00 a.m."Brad TurnerJoel Surnow & Michael LoceffApril 23, 2007 (2007-04-23)6AFF1910.41[16]
CTU starts tracing Jack, who manages to lose them temporarily. Jack arrives at the location he's meeting Cheng, and forces him to let Raines leave until she is safe before he hands over the circuit board. As he is handing it over with intent to detonate, CTU agents intervene. They detain Jack and save Raines, but Cheng escapes with the circuit board. Jack learns that Raines' traumatic experience has inflicted post-traumatic psychosis on her. Meanwhile, Daniels is revealed to be involved with Miller; he fails to convince Lennox to destroy the tape. A DOJ agent meets Hayes and plays a video of Pollock revealing that Buchanan had Fayed in custody months before the attack and freed him. The agent advises Hayes to fire Buchanan in order to avoid her own expulsion, since the further the outcast is from the President, the less of a political scandal it will be. She agrees to do it, leaving Yassir in command of CTU.
14020"Day 6: 1:00 a.m.  – 2:00 a.m."Brad TurnerHoward Gordon & Evan KatzApril 30, 2007 (2007-04-30)6AFF2010.93[17]
Jack claims he can get information from Raines, who is entrusted to a psychiatrist from Division. Doyle frees Jack, who reaches out to Raines and escapes with her to a room and locks the door. He starts working on her for a location that could lead to Cheng's whereabouts, but CTU agents break in just as she mentions a name. Yassir orders the psychiatrist to leave, and sends Jack back to detention. James Heller arrives and takes Raines home after showing displeasure with Jack and warning him to stay away from her. Meanwhile, Miller is revealed to be involved with another man named Mark Bishop, a lobbyist who is actually spying for the Russian government. Suvarov contacts Daniels and reveals his knowledge of the circuit board, threatening to attack a U.S. Army base in the region if it is not recovered. Lennox starts investigating and finds out about Bishop, as well as his affair with Miller. Daniels confronts her, ordering her to cooperate with Lennox to end the crisis, and to make the Russians believe that the circuit board is recovered.
14121"Day 6: 2:00 a.m.  – 3:00 a.m."Bryan SpicerManny CotoMay 7, 2007 (2007-05-07)6AFF2110.92[18]
CTU confirms the address Raines revealed, and Doyle leads a team there. On arrival, they find it full of weapons and explosives. Cheng's mercenaries, led by a man named Zhou Yong, attack CTU and take the agents hostage. Zhou demands the Director step forward. Pressman introduces himself instead of Yassir, and is killed by Zhou. The mercenaries start looking for Josh. Jack instructs him to escape using the ventilation system. Jack and Marilyn are captured, and Zhou announces on the speaker that he will kill Marilyn if Josh does not surrender, which he does. Cheng is revealed to have made a deal with Phillip to deliver Josh to him in exchange for repairing the damaged circuit board. Meanwhile, Lennox plants information into the circuit board in Miller's PDA and instructs her to rendezvous with Bishop at his hotel room and act normal until he can upload the false intel, persuade the Russians to back down. She visits him and they start having sex.
14222"Day 6: 3:00 a.m.  – 4:00 a.m."Bryan SpicerHoward Gordon & Evan KatzMay 14, 2007 (2007-05-14)6AFF2210.57[19]
As the mercenaries prepare to leave with Josh, the captive agents turn on them, killing some of the mercenaries, including Zhou. The others take Josh to Cheng; Jack arrives and saves Josh, and Cheng manages to escape. Phillip calls the White House and offers to trade the circuit board for Josh. Daniels approves it, and Doyle gets Josh into a helicopter while other agents hold Jack from stopping the mission. Meanwhile, Miller leaves bed as planned to give Bishop the chance to upload the intel, but he finds out and attacks her. The agents storm in and capture him. She is taken to medical care, and Lennox demands that Bishop upload the intel and cooperate to avoid the death penalty. Bishop agrees, and Daniels contacts Suvarov to tell him the same news. However, Suvarov reveals his knowledge of Bishop's capture and threatens to attack the American base soon. Daniels, Lennox and Hayes deduce that Suvarov is under pressure from the military generals to fight the U.S.
14323"Day 6: 4:00 a.m.  – 5:00 a.m."Brad TurnerJoel Surnow & Michael LoceffMay 21, 2007 (2007-05-21)6AFF2310.30[20]
As Doyle and Josh head to the location, Jack calls Hayes and convinces her that Phillip will never honor the deal and will keep the circuit board. He asks her to free him so that he can stop Phillip. She contacts Buchanan, who then has an intentional car crash with the CTU vehicle transporting Jack, who manages to escape with Buchanan. They head to the seaside location where Phillip is to make the trade, while Karen is arrested for aiding Jack. Phillip's operatives arrive on a boat, and in exchange for Josh they hand over an item which turns out to be a bomb. It explodes at the hands of Doyle, who loses his eyes. The operatives and Josh board the boat and head to Phillip's location, which is an oil platform owned by his company. He is revealed to have made another deal with Cheng for asylum along with Josh in China. Meanwhile, Daniels keeps updating Suvarov, hoping to delay the conflict. Lennox advises Daniels to free Hayes now that she and Jack are revealed to be right about Phillip. Chloe collapses while working.
14424"Day 6: 5:00 a.m.  – 6:00 a.m."Brad TurnerRobert Cochran & Manny Coto & David FuryMay 21, 2007 (2007-05-21)6AFF2410.30[20]
Chloe is informed that she is pregnant. She decides to move back in with Morris. Jack and Buchanan arrive at the platform on a helicopter. A shootout starts, and Jack manages to captures Cheng and free Josh. Phillip gets injured and is unable to leave. Navy jets destroy the platform to ensure the destruction of the circuit board. Jack, Josh and Cheng manage to board the helicopter in time and they leave. Jack separates from them, and Cheng is arrested by CTU while Josh reunites with Marilyn. Buchanan convinces Yassir to let Jack go and not pursue him. Suvarov aborts the attack. Daniels frees Hayes and convinces her to resign and leave. Lennox gives the tape to Daniels. Jack breaks in Heller's place and confronts him for his actions. Heller begs him to leave Raines alone for her good. Jack visits her while she is sleeping and says goodbye to her before leaving. Jack goes on to the beach and takes some time to reflect as dawn breaks.

Production

A shocking twist from the fourth episode was the detonation of a suitcase nuke that killed twelve thousand civilians. The subsequent episodes, however, hardly showed any of the panic that would result from this. David Fury explained the development by saying that the intended writing direction kept fluctuating. "In the early seasons of 24, [the writers tried] to map out stories and arc out stories [beforehand] a little bit more than they did, say, in seasons four and five, and four and five turned out to be two of most successful seasons."[21] The nuclear threat was defused before the end of the season, leading to a story that was more personal for Jack. A panel of writers at Comic-Con said that they originally planned for Tony Almeida to return in the sixth-season finale.[22]

A ten-minute prequel to the sixth season of 24 is available on the Region-1 version of the Season 5 DVD. The clip begins seven months after Day 5 and shows the Chinese torturing Jack trying to learn the identity of a double agent in their ranks. What appear to be American covert-ops soldiers break into the complex and free Jack, bringing him to a Chinese man named Hong Wai. As Jack flinches in recognition of Hong, the Chinese show up and thank Jack for identifying the double agent they had suspected all along. Cheng Zhi then executes Hong.

Additionally, an epilogue to Season 6 was released called 24: Debrief. It was first made available to American Express cardholders but was later released on the Season 6 DVD.

Trailer

The original trailer for the sixth season opens with Kiefer Sutherland breaking the fourth wall and thanking the fans. The trailer features scenes from the first four episodes and sets Jack Bauer up to be sacrificed. It was released on October 24, 2006.

Casting

Eddie Izzard was cast as Darren McCarthy but left the show after one day of filming. According to Izzard, producers wanted to option further dates, but he was unavailable due to working on The Riches.[23] He was replaced by David Hunt.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 74% with an average score of 7.9 out of 10 based on 31 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "24's sixth day still delivers the goods on the action front, but this season's attempt to introduce Jack Bauer's familial angst into proceedings feels more contrived than inspired."[24]

Some members of the production staff cite Season 6 as their most disappointing season. In a 2010 interview, Howard Gordon said "I feel as though the story made a very wrong turn in season 6".[25] In a 2016 interview, Gordon said: "This season was maligned by critics and fans, but there was a real challenge with where we’d left Jack. He had pretty much lost everything he had to lose, so in many ways he was like a walking ghost and even welcomed the chance to sacrifice his life. There’s no episode that stands out to me."[26] Also, when speaking about Season 7, Kiefer Sutherland said "We hit a couple rough spots with a lot of our viewers in Season 6, and we really wanted to remedy that".[27] Nevertheless, the season received many positive reviews, and holds a Metacritic score of 79 out of 100.[28] For this season, Jean Smart received the Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series and Kiefer Sutherland received his sixth nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Award nominations

Organization Category Nominee(s) Result
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series William Dotson, Cathie Speakman, Pembrooke Andrews, Jeffrey Whitcher, Shawn Kennelly, Jeff Charbonneau, Laura Macias, Vince Nicastro, Rich Polanco, Vic Radulich Won
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Kiefer Sutherland Nominated
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Jean Smart Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) Sean Callery Nominated
Outstanding Stunt Coordination Jeff Cadiente Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) William Gocke, Mike Olman, Ken Kobett, Jeff Gomillion Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series Jeff Cadiente, Terri Cadiente, Troy Gilbert, Tracy Hite, Dustin Meier, Laurence Rosenthal, Erik Stabenau, Justin Sundquist Won
Producers Guild of America Awards Television Producer of the Year Award in Episodic – Drama Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, Howard Gordon, Evan Katz, Jon Cassar, Michael Loceff, Michael Klick Nominated

Home media releases

The sixth season was released on DVD in region 1 on December 4, 2007 (2007-12-04)[29] and in region 2 on October 1, 2007 (2007-10-01).[30]

References

  1. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 17, 2007. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 23, 2007. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  3. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 30, 2007. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  4. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 6, 2007. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  5. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 13, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 21, 2007. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  7. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 27, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  8. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  9. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 13, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  10. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 20, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  11. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  12. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 3, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  13. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 10, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  14. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 17, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  15. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 24, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  16. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 1, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  17. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 8, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  18. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 15, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  19. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 22, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  20. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 30, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  21. ^ "6 Classic Series You Didn't Know Were Made Up on the Fly". Cracked. March 1, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  22. ^ Surette, Tim (July 28, 2007). "Comic-Con '07: One hour with 24". TV.com. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  23. ^ Mahan, Colin (November 1, 2006). "Izzard quits 24". TV.com. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  24. ^ "24: Day 6". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  25. ^ "'24': Howard Gordon talks Kiefer Sutherland, a cocktail dress and cigars". Zap2it. May 9, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  26. ^ Schwindt, Oriana (November 6, 2016). "'24' 15th Anniversary: Executive Producers Pick Their Favorite Episodes". Variety. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  27. ^ "Kiefer Sutherland: We hit a lot of rough spots with Season 6". 24 Spoilers. February 23, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  28. ^ "24: Season 6". Metacritic. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  29. ^ "24 – Season 6". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  30. ^ "24: Complete Season 6". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 2, 2009.

External links

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Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
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