I’ve been a hardcore fan of the FOX action series “24” since the very first season. I’ve ridden out some of the highs and lows of the various seasons (Kim Bauer and the cougar!), but last year’s season was one of the worst in terms of wasted potential. The season started out with a bang, killing off several of the show’s most beloved characters – but it failed to deliver.

This season, the writers, producers and lead director of “24” decided to start from square one and bring the series back to basics. That means more focus on the heart and soul of the show: tortured CTU agent Jack Bauer, played by the delicious Kiefer Sutherland. This season starts in war-torn South Africa, where Jack has been keeping a low profile since uncovering a devious internal terrorist plot in Washington (once again) last season. Early screenings of the show’s opening episode are garnering positive reviews, some critics even going so far as to say the show is “back” to its former glory of the first few seasons.

After a routinely uninteresting fall TV season with new and returning shows failing to ignite the kind of excitement that inspires fierce devotion (CHUCK and FRINGE notwithstanding), iF Magazine was fortunate enough to be invited to an advance screening of the two-hour 24: REDEMPTION prequel movie set to air Sunday, Nov. 23 on Fox (and hitting DVD on Nov. 25).

And boy, what a ride. It’s nice to know Jack, after a year and half of television inactivity is back in action and ready to kick-ass in whole new package.

24: REDEMPTION is a bridging movie that leads into Season 7. It sets up many of the conflicts and characters that we’ll be seeing when the season begins in January.

It’s also a rather bold experiment for the show that stayed firmly entrenched in Los Angeles and the CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) throughout the show’s run.

It begins in Africa, where Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) has landed after several years travelling the globe, leaving his “saving the world” ways behind him.

Teamed with a former buddy turned missionary Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle), the two of them have been helping out children in Africa through education while a ruthless warlord (Tony Todd) is attempting to overthrow the government while abducting children into his militia.

While Jack wants to keep the peace and slide in and out of this role, when conflict strikes, somewhere down the line Jack’s can’t help but pull his gun, start shooting and take no prisoners.

Meanwhile in the States, the first woman president Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) is taking over the office from the exiting president Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe). This Africa coup is one of the outstanding bits of business the two of them disagree on, and it’s the ramifications of Daniels’ actions that President Taylor will have to deal with going into the new season.

To give away much more would spoil the surprise for 24 fans. Suffice to say, the movie plays out in real-time over a two-hour period, it retains all the things 24 fans love from double-crossings to high tension. It also sets up a great group of new cast members that should provide an interesting, different season than we’ve seen before on 24.

[From IF Magazine]

I’ve been in agony awaiting the new season, and let me tell you: I can’t wait for Nov. 23! It sounds like the show is taking on a bold new direction – which it needed after last season’s debacle. And as long as Jack Bauer is along for the ride, I will be too.

Kiefer Sutherland is shown at a new photo exhibit, “24: Redemption: Captured in Africa,” featuring photographs taken while on location in South Africa. Cherry Jones, who plays the first female president on the new season, is also in attendance. Photo credit: WENN.