View Full Version : 24 Season 7 - Plot Tossed, Production Delayed
FilmCritic3000
07-09-2007, 10:50 PM
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Exclusive-24-Plot/800018254
Season 7 of 24 promises to be its most tense yet. At least on the set.
Execs at the Fox hit have scrapped virtually their entire story line for the season, delaying the start of production by roughly three weeks.
So, more of the same then? I think so. :rolleyes:
Not that I'll be watching anyway, after that shark-jumping last season, but this news cements that fact.
dswallow
07-09-2007, 11:19 PM
It's shocking to think how bad it must've been if even network execs decided against letting it be filmed.
October Road is returning for a second season.
Sadara
07-09-2007, 11:36 PM
Interesting!!
WhiskeyTango
07-10-2007, 08:57 AM
This could be good news in that they got rid of a really bad storyline and are preventing another season 6 debacle. It could also be bad news though. One of the supposed changes was to move out of LA but they have an idea to do that and it gets scrapped. What part of LA looks like Africa?
It doesn't sound like it was bad. It sounds like it was expensive.
BTW, "second worst show"? Come on. I admit it's gone downhill compared to prior seasons, but no way is it even in the bottom few dozen.
allan
07-10-2007, 09:11 AM
It doesn't sound like it was bad. It sounds like it was expensive.
BTW, "second worst show"? Come on. I admit it's gone downhill compared to prior seasons, but no way is it even in the bottom few dozen.
Agreed! 24's worst season was still better than 90% of the shows out there. Though, that might say a lot about the other shows. ;)
dswallow
07-10-2007, 09:20 AM
What part of LA looks like Africa?
<ducking>What part of LA had rioting?</ducking>
Great. Now if they can scrap the storyline from last season, they'll be all set.
Rob Helmerichs
07-10-2007, 09:59 AM
It seems kinda odd to me that they were apparently less than a month away from filming before the plug was pulled on the Africa material. Did the producers forget to get permission from Fox in advance? Or did Fox wait until this late in the game to decide it was too expensive?
Either way, it sound like somebody screwed the pooch big-time. Which is especially disappointing considering interviews have suggested that this is the year they finally figured out they can't just wing it on a show this tight and intricate, and yet now they'll probably HAVE to wing it since they're re-conceptualizing the entire season this late in the game. Doesn't make me optimistic that they'll get their game back this season...
FilmCritic3000
07-10-2007, 10:12 AM
It seems kinda odd to me that they were apparently less than a month away from filming before the plug was pulled on the Africa material. Did the producers forget to get permission from Fox in advance? Or did Fox wait until this late in the game to decide it was too expensive?
Either way, it sound like somebody screwed the pooch big-time. Which is especially disappointing considering interviews have suggested that this is the year they finally figured out they can't just wing it on a show this tight and intricate, and yet now they'll probably HAVE to wing it since they're re-conceptualizing the entire season this late in the game. Doesn't make me optimistic that they'll get their game back this season...
That's exactly right, Rob. Now they're going to have to pull a plotline out of their butt in order to start filming so that the series can air on time in January. Mark my words...Season 7's going to make Season 6 look like David Palmer-era 24.
VegasVic
07-10-2007, 01:21 PM
As long as I get to hear a few "TELL ME WHERE THE BOMB IS!" from Jack, it'll all be good.
MickeS
07-10-2007, 02:15 PM
Maybe they should just skip this season and come back next year with better material.
There must be tons of "America's wildest car crashes with crazy animals" or something they could fill the slot with. :)
Church AV Guy
07-10-2007, 02:21 PM
I wish that they would abandon the U.S./world in jeopardy plotlines and go back to the first season premise where the story really centered around Jack and Palmer. There was no threat the country, just people with a beef against Palmer for authorizing a mission against Drazen, and Jack for executing that mission. I guess I can live without the hype of world peril histrionics.
Bierboy
07-10-2007, 02:32 PM
<ducking>What part of LA had rioting?</ducking>What does that have to do with anything :confused:
Bierboy
07-10-2007, 02:33 PM
As long as I get to hear a few "TELL ME WHERE THE BOMB IS!" from Jack, it'll all be good....or "DROP YOUR WEAPON....NOW!"
ironchef
07-10-2007, 02:40 PM
Write a whole new plotline for 24 hours worth of TV in 3 weeks? This smells like quality to me.
allan
07-10-2007, 02:58 PM
I wish that they would abandon the U.S./world in jeopardy plotlines and go back to the first season premise where the story really centered around Jack and Palmer. There was no threat the country, just people with a beef against Palmer for authorizing a mission against Drazen, and Jack for executing that mission. I guess I can live without the hype of world peril histrionics.
*scraps idea involving big honking deathray* :D
DevdogAZ
07-10-2007, 07:36 PM
...or "DROP YOUR WEAPON....NOW!"
and don't forget: "DAMN IT!!!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxzovLECtGc
busyba
07-11-2007, 12:16 PM
What part of LA looks like Africa?
Watts? <ducking>
:D
edit: and <smeeking> too, apparently. :)
RoundBoy
07-11-2007, 12:46 PM
I've never watched 24 ... but can someone really clarify that the last 6 seasons were really just a 'week' of real time ?
Does he never fly cross country? :)
busyba
07-11-2007, 12:48 PM
I've never watched 24 ... but can someone really clarify that the last 6 seasons were really just a 'week' of real time ?
Does he never fly cross country? :)
No. Each season is a continuous 24-hour period, but anywhere between 6 months to 2 years passes by in between seasons.
NinerK
07-11-2007, 12:54 PM
and don't forget: "DAMN IT!!!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxzovLECtGc
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE TODAY IF YOU DON'T TELLME WHERE THE DETONATORS ARE!!!!
I think the delay/scraping is good....It gives them time to figure out how to get the Lesbian Assassin back into the mix. :)
I think the delay/scraping is good....It gives them time to figure out how to get the Lesbian Assassin back into the mix. :)
Does she have a pink pistol?
-smak-
busyba
07-11-2007, 04:58 PM
Does she have a pink pistol?
-smak-
It's not pink, but it is shaped funny.
marksman
07-11-2007, 05:07 PM
Kim Kim Kim
Paperboy2003
07-11-2007, 06:04 PM
It probably wasn't implausible enough...
Church AV Guy
07-11-2007, 06:06 PM
The assassin's name was Mandy. Kim was Jack's daughter, who everyone wanted Mandy, or Nina, or anyone else for that matter, to kill. Hey, they could still bring her back to kill her off, like Logan and Tony.
If they were thinking of filming some of it in Africa, did they plan on Jack getting from LA to Nigeria and back in an hour? It's not much more far fetched than him getting across LA in a car, at 5:00 PM, in less than a half hour. :D
DevdogAZ
07-11-2007, 06:41 PM
The assassin's name wasn't just Mandy, it was Naked Mandy!!
;)
steve614
07-11-2007, 07:09 PM
A true test to how good the writers are.
I hope they aren't worried about trying to be PC, that just makes for boring stuff.
Rob Helmerichs
07-11-2007, 07:22 PM
It sounds like the only issue was the cost of filming in Africa.
Which, again, should have been considered long, long ago...
Church AV Guy
07-11-2007, 08:02 PM
During the Babylon 5 years, the producer, JMS, was fond of repeating that B5 was only about 2/3 the cost of a DS-9 episode to make, principally because he had everything laid out more than a month in advance. He said that he KNEW the DS-9 production teams sometimes were hit with huge stuff with only a few days notice, like having to construct full sized sets, or to arrange complex photography rigs. DS-9 teams, allegedly, needed to work weekend and third shift regularly to make deadlines because planning was so short.
Maybe things like planning the cost of shooting in Africa are not regularly considered long, long in advance. I agree, they should, but maybe that just isn't the way things are done. Like accounting, things in the entertainment industry are not always normal or logical.
Rob Helmerichs
07-11-2007, 08:27 PM
Yeah, but there's a difference between knowing that you're going to need a certain set on a certain day and knowing that you're going to spend a portion of the coming season filming ON ANOTHER CONTINENT. They pulled the plug apparently less than a month before filming was supposed to start. Either the producers dropped the ball by not running it past the suits, or the suits dropped the ball by not making a decision until what is, for all intents and purposes, well after the last minute (since now they have to delay production in order to rewrite the season).
I should hope this is the kind of ball-dropping that will get people fired, even in Hollywood.
FilmCritic3000
07-11-2007, 08:46 PM
It sounds like the only issue was the cost of filming in Africa.
Which, again, should have been considered long, long ago...
It's not the only thing. The writers had to scrap the entire Season 7 plotline and now they'll have to come up with a brand new one in two weeks.
Tivo_60
07-11-2007, 09:18 PM
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE TODAY IF YOU DON'T TELLME WHERE THE DETONATORS ARE!!!!
And of course : Previously on 24....
pkscout
07-11-2007, 09:59 PM
A true test to how good the writers are.
If last season is any indication, they failed. And they had a regular writing cycle to fail at season 6. Trying to cram an entire storyline development cycle into about three weeks is not really conducive to having a fragging clue what the story arch will be.
Unlike other shows where you can afford a bad episode and some weak plot points, a show that happens "real time" like this really can't afford a meandering plot.
Rob Helmerichs
07-11-2007, 10:23 PM
It's not the only thing. The writers had to scrap the entire Season 7 plotline and now they'll have to come up with a brand new one in two weeks.
Yes, but the reason they had to scrap the plotline was because part of it took place in Africa, and Fox decided they didn't want to pay for filming there.
steve614
07-12-2007, 06:36 PM
If last season is any indication, they failed.
I wonder, though, how much stuff they write gets scrapped because the suits are afraid of it not being PC enough.
They don't want to offend the muslims, so there goes 90% of the plots they could write about... :rolleyes:
Kevdog
07-12-2007, 06:48 PM
I wonder, though, how much stuff they write gets scrapped because the suits are afraid of it not being PC enough.
They don't want to offend the muslims, so there goes 90% of the plots they could write about... :rolleyes:
Maybe that explains why so much of last season's plot lines were recycled from previous seasons: they were the only ones the suits would approve...
MickeS
07-12-2007, 07:30 PM
I wonder, though, how much stuff they write gets scrapped because the suits are afraid of it not being PC enough.
They don't want to offend the muslims, so there goes 90% of the plots they could write about... :rolleyes:
Yes, when I think "PC", I think "24".
pkscout
07-12-2007, 08:31 PM
Yes, when I think "PC", I think "24".
+1
If the last few seasons were the "PC" stuff the suits would approve I'd hate to see what the writers wrote that was really offensive. The question isn't whether 24 is PC but rather how anti-PC it is.
I have no problem with 24 being anti-PC, and I'm not willing to blame a season or more of absolute crap writing on the faceless "suits."
Indiana627
07-13-2007, 08:13 AM
+1
If the last few seasons were the "PC" stuff the suits would approve I'd hate to see what the writers wrote that was really offensive. The question isn't whether 24 is PC but rather how anti-PC it is.
Too bad someone can't make reality more PC I guess. When a TV show can't use reality as a basis for a story line, then there's really something wrong.
WhiskeyTango
07-13-2007, 10:44 AM
+1
If the last few seasons were the "PC" stuff the suits would approve I'd hate to see what the writers wrote that was really offensive. The question isn't whether 24 is PC but rather how anti-PC it is.
I think they do try to be PC, though. Last season, China and Russia were mentioned as bad guys but they never singled out a specific Middle-Eastern country as the one that was the home of the terrorists and about to be nuked.
I can't think off the top of my head what 24 has been anti-PC about.
WhiskeyTango
07-13-2007, 10:58 AM
I wonder, though, how much stuff they write gets scrapped because the suits are afraid of it not being PC enough.
They don't want to offend the muslims, so there goes 90% of the plots they could write about... :rolleyes:
During Season 4, after it was mentioned in the show's first hour that one of the terrorists was Turkish, there was a big backlash from people in Turkey and the muslim group CAIR. They had a meeting with Fox and, if I remember correctly, some scenes were cut from later in the season to avoid offending the muslim community further.
TAsunder
07-13-2007, 11:45 AM
Too bad someone can't make reality more PC I guess. When a TV show can't use reality as a basis for a story line, then there's really something wrong.
In terms of realism, being PC is the least of 24's problems. The show is among the least realistic shows in the history of television.
Indiana627
07-13-2007, 12:53 PM
In terms of realism, being PC is the least of 24's problems. The show is among the least realistic shows in the history of television.
I'm not talking about how plausible 24 because you're right - it's off the charts. I'm talking about how people get offended when a TV show uses real life as a basis for story lines. "How dare a TV show in 2007 show Muslim extremists trying to kill 1000s of Americans." Do I get offended when the KKK is portrayed as an evil group (which they are) simply because I'm a white male? No.
catcard
07-13-2007, 01:17 PM
A female president - hmmmm.... maybe Jack will finally get some real action :)
busyba
07-13-2007, 01:21 PM
A female president - hmmmm.... maybe Jack will finally get some real action :)
Nah... he'll probably just shoot her in the knee.
JohnB1000
07-13-2007, 02:22 PM
Having watched all 24 season 6 shows in the last 3 weeks it's really not that bad if you don't sweat the details
Consider this another way. With a full writing schedule season 6 was disjointed and trying to cram too much in so now they have to write in two weeks, so maybe some real inspiration can make it better. Kind of like how the famous song is written in an hour and is much better than the one they labored over for months.
Of course the other point is that it could be written as they film which is what Season 6 seemed like.
Rob Helmerichs
07-13-2007, 02:51 PM
Of course the other point is that it could be written as they film which is what Season 6 seemed like.
Yes, and that's exactly what they'll have to do. Not only WRITE it week to week (which is to be expected), but there's a much larger chance now than a month ago that they'll be PLOTTING it week to week. Which greatly enhances the possibility (or probability) of Season 6-style suckitude.
newsposter
07-13-2007, 03:10 PM
i found the new plot online
www.supersecretjackbauerplanjackVSmtlion.com
TAsunder
07-13-2007, 03:11 PM
I'm not talking about how plausible 24 because you're right - it's off the charts. I'm talking about how people get offended when a TV show uses real life as a basis for story lines. "How dare a TV show in 2007 show Muslim extremists trying to kill 1000s of Americans." Do I get offended when the KKK is portrayed as an evil group (which they are) simply because I'm a white male? No.
But if the writers who make 24 were to write it, you can be sure it would be so stereotyped and absurd that it would in fact offend you.
steve614
07-13-2007, 09:48 PM
i found the new plot online
www.supersecretjackbauerplanjackVSmtlion.com
What the link brings up for me...
The website you're looking for cannot be found.
The website may no longer exist, or may have moved.
Try clicking on a suggested link below, or entering another web address.
You were looking for "www.supersecretjackbauerplanjackvsmtlion.com".
LoadStar
07-13-2007, 10:03 PM
Yes, and that's exactly what they'll have to do. Not only WRITE it week to week (which is to be expected), but there's a much larger chance now than a month ago that they'll be PLOTTING it week to week. Which greatly enhances the possibility (or probability) of Season 6-style suckitude.
The one thing I was really hoping for, the one thing that would get me to watch for certain again, would be for them to draft the entire season, start to finish, before a single episode gets filmed. They should have a big timeline on the wall indicating where every character is throughout the entire 24 hours, and block out times when the character is "out of commission" for whatever reason (travel time, bathroom break, being knocked out by a bad guy, eating, asleep, changing clothes, whatever).
Unfortunately, you're right, it sounds like the whole season will be filmed by the seat of their pants, and that results in nothing but sheer badness. I think I'm safe if I skip, assuming it's bad, and wait for people to report back and prove me wrong.
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