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What can fans expect to find in 24: The Official Companion Season Six?

I think fans of 24 are going to get a unique treat with the 24 Official Companion Season Six. In terms of in-depth coverage about a controversial year, there’s nothing out there that can touch this book. Let’s face it, the Sixth Season of 24 was arguably the least liked by critics and in general according to fan consensus, which makes it a challenging book to sell to the fanbase. But with countless blogs and features complaining and raising big questions about the sixth year overall, there is so much more to cover and answer and this book does it all! I talked to the entire 24 core creative team, the cast and the crew and they all address the issues, storylines and controversies that dogged the season. I asked them all the questions the fans and critics wanted answers about and to their immense credit, they answer them frankly, explaining the positives and the negatives of the year. It’s not a watered down overview of Season Six; it’s the definitive look at Season Six.

Aside from that, the 24 Official Companion Season Six also features a ton of great, brand-new cast interviews including Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, James Morrison and Jayne Atkinson. There are also long form interviews with the Emmy winning Sound Team and the Emmy nominated Stunt Department. And if that wasn’t enough, I got the opportunity to do a huge feature on the season finale, which was the biggest in the show’s history. It features interviews with all the team members and exclusive pictures from their personal collections. And last but not least, a really illuminating feature about all the changes to the season six finale (including all the incarnations of the much rumored surprise ending that never made it to screen).

This is the first companion to include a bonus DVD. What exclusive material can be found on it?

We’re very excited that we can offer this fun additional experience for 24 fans with the 24: The Official Companion Season Six. The book exclusive DVD offers three featurettes: Changing All the Rules, Keepin’ It Real: The Stunts and Special Effects of 24, and 24 and the War on Terror: Can We Learn from Fiction? They are really great visual extensions to the features in the book. They give insight into the rigors of putting the show together and also the interesting cultural repercussions of 24 on the national landscape now.

With this being your fourth official companion for 24, have you changed the way you write and research these books?

All of the books have been a challenge but as I move from volume to volume, it has settled into more of a pattern and a process. The heart of that process stems from the multiple set visits I do each season at 24. My material comes from the creators, writers, actors and crew of 24 so it’s really their oral history translated to the printed page. From those visits, I collect a huge number of interviews (once I did 40 in three days!) and then I go back to my office when I break down my notes, organize and determine the material I collected and what I still need to track down. From there I schedule phone interviews with everyone from cast to crew, then I organize those pieces of the narrative puzzle for the features or the trivia or the behind the scenes section and then the book starts to take more shape. Of course that sound wonderfully tidy and organized, but it’s never that easy. (Laughs) I have to be able to do interviews at a moment’s notice because of the fast-paced 24 production schedule, which means I’ve done cell phone interviews in shopping malls and once in a hotel room where I was attending a wedding.  Especially with this book, I was getting the last interviews for the book right down to the deadline because the Season Seven production delays affected me too. I had to get squeezed in by the gracious writing team who were under the gun but still managed to make time for me, track down cast that were on extended holidays and collect images and material from crew that were scattered far and wide. I truly understood the stress and tension of a bad Jack Bauer day when I finally turned in this book. (Laughs)

As mentioned in the opening section of the book, Season Six has received negative feedback from fans and critics alike. Why do you think people reacted this way and do you share this view?

It’s interesting. In six years, audiences have really become addicted to 24. There are no halfway fans. You either watch the show or you don’t and once a person is invested, it’s for 24 thrilling hours. That’s rare in television. Few shows really enjoy and earn that kind of commitment from people anymore, so in turn the 24 audience demands a lot. I think it’s easy to forget that seven years ago 24 was a trailblazer in television drama and it was a concept no one (not even the creators) imagined could sustain. It has thrived but the truth is that innovation is very, very hard to write. With 24, you can’t break the concept without destroying the show. 24 doesn’t have the luxury of time cuts or vast location changes or other writing devices that are stock and trade on other shows which can freshen up a long-running drama. Plus, Jack Bauer is the show. He’s become a cultural icon and the heart of the show, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that there’s only so much saving and loss he can do without it becoming repetitive. I think the writers were trying to shake things up with the introduction of the Bauer family, the White House story, the changes in CTU (including Chloe) and the return of Audrey. Some of those storylines worked and some didn’t play out with the depth that I think most critics and audiences would say felt different enough or involving enough. I agree with some of the criticisms in that I would have liked to see the story linger more on the Bauers and extend the Assad exploration, but there was also a lot I liked. I see both perspectives knowing the creative difficulties and also just being a fan that wants an involving hour to watch.

Which new cast members surprised you the most in Season Six?

I was really surprised by Peter MacNicol’s performance as Tom Lennox. I thought he was going to be the typical, smarmy advisor with an agenda, but Peter really gave us a nuanced character that was far from black and white. I loved that he could admit fault, that he has a passion for his convictions and his stellar interaction with characters like Wayne Palmer and Karen Hayes.

I also really loved what Alexander Siddig brought to the debate at Assad. I also loved that James Morrison got his great moment to shine at Bill Buchanan at the end of the season. He’s an unsung hero that really brings a lot to the show. I was so pleased to see his return in the waning hours and he talks about it in the book.

Who do you enjoy speaking with the most on the 24 set?

Ha! That’s like picking your favorite kid! I really do see the 24 team as a family, all very different but all so talented. It’s been my great honor for the last three years getting to know these people and what they do and how important it is to the care and feeding of 24. I adore talking to Howard Gordon about the challenges of writing this monster every year. I love hearing about the shooting headaches and triumphs from directors Jon Cassar and Brad Turner. I have learned so much from DP Rodney Charters and the fantastic technological advances he has brought to the show. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg! I get welcomed with a hug, a smile and such wonderful stories from everyone at 24 and that’s a gift I truly appreciate which I try to share and impart in the books.

Who is your favourite recurring character and why?

Well, I really love Bill Buchanan. James Morrison took a thankless CTU supervisor role and really made him a standup guy. He’s one of the few exposition characters that has never gotten boring because James has made him such a bedrock of trust and honor. I also loved Agent Aaron Piece. Glenn is a fantastic character actor and he really knocked it out the park when he was folded into the Logan story line. Otherwise, I have to say I always enjoy it when Tony is working with Jack (evil smile).

24 is known for its shocking plot twists, especially by killing off fan favourite characters highlighted in the official companion’s ‘In Memoriam’ section. Has there been one particular moment in the history of 24, which shocked you the most?

Wow, so many deaths in so many hours. (Laughs) I think the Logan “gotcha” in Season Five was a big surprise that could have failed miserably but worked superbly because of Greg Itzin, Jean Smart and the writers. I also was pretty shocked by the nuke going off in Valencia. I watched that with my 24 newbie boyfriend and we both felt that was a true “Holy crap!” moment for the series. And of course, the choice to kill Teri Bauer in the first season finale really set the tone for the entire series – so it was shocking and incredible.

There has been talk about turning 24 into a movie. Do you feel the format would work on the big screen?

I don’t know. First and foremost, 24 is an amazing thriller so I do think that the tone and production values would translate beautifully to the big screen. It already feels like a movie on TV every week anyway. But, I think something that makes 24 special is going along for the 24-hour ride and obviously you lose that on the big screen. I think if you made it 90 thrilling minutes in real time – then sure, but it would be more of a “24 characters” on the big screen theme than a strict translation. That being said, Joel Surnow, Bob Cochran and Howard Gordon have had a lot of time to think about it and they are truly the brilliant minds that could make it work, so I’m there with my $10 if they do!

Have you heard any rumours about the forthcoming Seventh Season?

Of course! Before the writer’s strike I was on the set twice – once at the Chatsworth soundstages and once in Washington D.C. for their first ever week of actual location specific shooting. I’ve already got lots of interviews and special pictures for a new book feature. I have also spoken in depth with Howard Gordon about the season and the choices made about where Jack is now in his life. I think there’s a lot to be excited about with the return of Tony and the exploration of a female President played by Cherry Jones. I think a lot might change when production starts back up again post-strike, but I’m just as excited to find out and document those changes for 24 Official Companion Season Seven. Regardless, I think all of us 24 fans know it’s going to be a loooooooong wait until we see Season Seven, so I hope my books are an exciting and interesting way to bridge the gap for those of us experiencing Jack Bauer deprivation.
 

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