Back to fight another day

TV series 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland. Photo / Supplied

It's yet another day in hell for Jack Bauer, as 24 embarks on its eighth season of espionage thrills. Kiefer Sutherland's Bauer might have retired but he's soon involved in uncovering a Russian extremist plot to assassinate an Islamic leader (Slumdog Millionaire's Anil Kapoor).

This season is set in New York and Sutherland feels the urban backdrop reinvigorates the show.

"There's no more identifiable city in the United States like it, and what makes it more interesting is that Bauer could pretty much have his way in Los Angeles, the way he went about doing what he does. But New York City is a little tougher. A cab driver is not going to just get out of your way. So the tempo matches the show a little more."

The series has certainly had its share of ups and downs in the ratings. Says Sutherland, "Season five was very successful, season six we ran into trouble, and it was questionable whether we would go to a season eight.

"I think you have to resign yourself to the nature of the beast.

"From the very first year if you would have asked me if we'd get past episode 13, I would have said no. In fact, when they started episodes 14 to 24, the writers weren't exactly sure they'd be able to complete them. Every year it's had its moments where you think, oh fantastic - we're on to something new. But every year we've also had its setbacks where you're going, oh, we've done this before."

Many of the regular cast members will return, such as Elisha Cuthbert (Kim Bauer), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O'Brien) who will be joined by a range of new faces.

"We've always had a balance of some very familiar faces, and a large influx of new actors every year," says Sutherland.

"I think from the beginning that was very difficult to deal with because I had a great relationship as an actor and as a friend with Leslie Hope, who played my wife.

"We were planning on great ideas for the story as we were going forward. As a couple we became closer, and then all of a sudden she was dead."

He looks genuinely upset about her departure.

"It was the same thing with Carlos Bernard, Sarah Chalke, Ryan Chappelle. We've lost so many great actors, friends of mine, and people you develop a wonderful rapport with, so it's a challenge. I think it's very difficult for an actor to come on our show, especially the sixth, seventh, eighth season but it makes it very exciting, and from an audience's perspective it will feel like a new show on some levels."

That said, it does remain the same character, day in day out, for Sutherland.

"I think every actor's fear of doing a television show, and it certainly was mine when I started, was that you're going to be doing the same character over a long period of time, and it's a really arrogant way to think," he says.

"It's the greatest learning experience I've ever had as an actor, doing 24, than the 60-some-odd films I made before this."

Sutherland's contract is up at the end of this season and like Bauer, he is philosophical about his near-decade tenure.

"I'm not the same age as I was as when I started. Bauer's gotten older and I think one of the things we do naturally as we look back on our lives is to take stock in what we've done - for better or for worse.

"Bauer has held himself responsible for many things that have happened. Some fairly, and some not so fairly. He's working through that and that's a very new dynamic in the character," he says.

"It's a learning process for Bauer and myself."

Lowdown

Who: Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer in season eight of 24
When and where: Screens C4, Friday February 5, 9.30pm