# 24: Fox Cancels Airing This Season Due To Writers' Strike **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2007, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954 "2007-11-10T19:57:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/1 "2007-11-10T19:57:05Z")
According to [this Hollywood Reporter article](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i903d9ca529efbd33a5e62b44abdc1f15), Fox has decided not to air the television show 24 this season, rather than show just seven episodes and perhaps being forced to end it there. This could change in the unlikely event the strike ends early, but as it now stands - no new airing of the show 24 this season. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/2 "2007-11-10T20:59:40Z")
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Any way to get Jack involved in the negotiations? “I promise you, your health benefits and internet residuals won’t even _begin_ to cover the damage when I get through with you!” ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/3 "2007-11-10T21:01:46Z")
_Chews off ear of lackey, spits it out onto negotiator’s table_ ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/4 "2007-11-10T21:16:37Z")
“If you don’t come back to the table, _millions of people are going to die!_” Kiefer’s jail time for the DUI couldn’t have been more opportune… ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/5 "2007-11-10T21:29:26Z")
Can’t they just dust off the scripts for the previous season, replace a few character names, change the McGuffin from a nuclear weapon/deadly virus/plot to execute the President to a positon weapon/deadly bacteria/plot to execute the Prime Minister? The only problem is the overuse of mountain lions as a deus ex machina; maybe they can replace them with…sea otters. Yeah, sea otters. They’re dangerous buggers. Alternatively, they could just go to the writers of “MI-5” and have them gin up a season worth of episodes. Problem solved. Screw the writers. We haven’t needed them since _Chinatown_ anyway. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/6 "2007-11-10T21:41:00Z")
They could have just retooled it as _5_, a gripping tale of the worst afternoon of Jack Bauer’s life. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/7 "2007-11-10T21:49:04Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] They could have just retooled it as _5_, a gripping tale of the worst afternoon of Jack Bauer’s life. [/QUOTE] The sad part is, I suspect that would work a lot better than most actual seasons of _24_ have. They wouldn’t have time for all the ridiculous subplots and extra layers of Byzantine conspirators, or the seven or eight episodes where they’ve accidentally overshot the end of their plot by resolving the main crisis too soon and have to sort of dither around trying to find some stupid circuit board in order to rescue _Audrey_, ferchrissakes… Ahem. The sad part is, I suspect that would work a lot better than most actual seasons of _24_ have. Just five non-stop hours of Jack Bauer racing the clock to stop the release of the genetically-engineered carnivorous hamsters in America’s daycare centers, or whatever the fuck it is. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/8 "2007-11-11T00:54:09Z")
Perhaps JJ Abrams is in the same boat? Splice the two shows together and call it _“The Lost 24 Hours”_. No? Well, I tried. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/9 "2007-11-11T01:28:49Z")
[QUOTE=MEBuckner] the release of the genetically-engineered carnivorous hamsters [/QUOTE] Where can you get those? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/10 "2007-11-11T01:39:30Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] They could have just retooled it as _5_, a gripping tale of the worst afternoon of Jack Bauer’s life. [/QUOTE] The official reason I read that they decided to postpone the show is the fact that there aren’t enough episodes- “It’s called _24_, not _8_.” ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/11 "2007-11-11T01:57:04Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] Kiefer’s jail time for the DUI couldn’t have been more opportune… [/QUOTE] I think you just uncovered the whole reason for the writers strike! They are trying to give Keifer some time off to do his time. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/12 "2007-11-11T03:49:16Z")
But … but … what will I tape every week? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/13 "2007-11-11T03:59:53Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] They could have just retooled it as _5_, a gripping tale of the worst afternoon of Jack Bauer’s life. [/QUOTE] “I have to get my kid from school to soccer practice on time or _millions of people are going to die!_” ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/14 "2007-11-11T04:20:27Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] But … but … what will I tape every week? [/QUOTE] C-Span! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/15 "2007-11-11T11:10:17Z")
[QUOTE=MEBuckner] the genetically-engineered carnivorous hamsters [/QUOTE] Aren’t these the power source behind the Dope server? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/16 "2007-11-11T14:08:20Z")
Chloe: Jack, don’t. . . don’t put needles in Patric Verrone’s eyes. Wait for the negotiations. . . Jack: I have no choice, Chloe. _we’re running out of time!_ ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/17 "2007-11-11T14:10:11Z")
This gives you an idea of what AMPTP’s position is with regards to getting the issues resolved, doesn’t it. On day 2 of the strike, they began systematically suspending production company workers. Now, they’re pulling the plug on shows that COULD have been finished in time if issues were resolved. Posturing much? Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/18 "2007-11-11T17:06:26Z")
[QUOTE=Elenfair] This gives you an idea of what AMPTP’s position is with regards to getting the issues resolved, doesn’t it. On day 2 of the strike, they began systematically suspending production company workers. Now, they’re pulling the plug on shows that COULD have been finished in time if issues were resolved. Posturing much? Yeah. [/QUOTE] Well, being a producer is all about posturing. Why should it be any different here? I take it we’re going to have more reality t.v. programming in the near future. I can’t wait until it descends to the level of “Missile Mike”. I have to admit, though, a show consisting entirely of Dick Cheney blasting away at random objects with a shotgun would hold my attention in some perverse, indescribable fashion. And he is going to need a job pretty soon, so… Stranger ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/19 "2007-11-11T17:20:36Z")
Does anybody (here) have any idea how much money these writers make, and how much more is at stake? Are the writers for “24” typical? BTW; I almost instinctively side with the strikers in any situation. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954/20 "2007-11-11T17:38:19Z")
[QUOTE=MEBuckner] racing the clock to stop the release of the genetically-engineered carnivorous hamsters [/QUOTE] …with lasers! No wait lasers are for sharks… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/24-fox-cancels-airing-this-season-due-to-writers-strike/425954.md?page=2)