Kiefer Sutherland and the 24 stars are finally back for season 7 after a twenty-month hiatus. Sutherland will take his character of Special Agent Jack Bauer to places never explored on the show.

On November 23, a two- hour TV movie/prequel called 24: Redemption aired on FOX. The network wanted to shorten the gap between Season 6 and Season 7, in addition to setting the tone for the new season. According to tvbythenumbers.com, “Redemption” attracted around 12 million viewers eager to see Jack Bauer return. The DVD for the prequel is already available and notable extras include a sneak peak at Season 7.

24: Day 7 had a two-night, four-hour season premier special on Jan. 11-12. The show brought had essentially the same ratings as with “Redemption”, attracting around 12 million viewers. The first four episodes showed that only four characters from previous seasons will be returning to the latest season. In addition to Jack, Chloe (Mary Lynn-Rajskub) will be returning after her season six-finale pregnancy, ex-CTU agent Bill Buchanan (James Morrison) and finally Jack’s partner from earlier seasons Tony Almeida will be returning after his “death” in season-five.

Returning “24” fans will find some noticeable changes in Season 7. There is no CTU for the first time. It is now going to be taken place in Washington D.C instead of Los Angeles. It was also revealed in “Redemption” that Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) will be the first female president on “24”. Jones may be best remembered for her roles in The Perfect Storm, Signs and Oceans Twelve as well as her stage work on the Doubt play.

Other well-known actors appearing on this season include Emmy-nominated actress Janeane Garofalo (The Larry Sanders Show) and Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight (National Treasure).

Look for many surprises to happen this year in “24” and look for Jack Bauer to use his phenomenal interrogation skills to get what he wants.