# What year is it in the 24verse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852 "2010-01-21T16:07:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852/1 "2010-01-21T16:07:04Z")
I’ve never watched the show with any regularity, but as I understand it, the producers tend to jump ahead a few years between seasons. Anybody know what the current year must be? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852/2 "2010-01-21T18:22:24Z")
The way to count the passage of time, at least roughly, is by presidential terms, but that doesn’t help to establish an absolute date. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852/3 "2010-01-21T18:47:57Z")
Not much help, but there was a three-year gap between seasons at least once, though I’m not entirely sure that the season that aired in 2002 was necessarily set in 2002 ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852/4 "2010-01-21T18:59:06Z")
I lost trace some time ago, but each gap has been 1-1/2 to 3 years, except possibly the current one. I once tried to get up a pool on how long until Jack Bauer was exactly double Kiefer Sutherland’s age. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852/5 "2010-01-21T19:02:11Z")
Season 2 is 18 months after season 1. Season 3 is 3 years later. Season 4 is 18 months. Season 5 is 18 months Season 6 is 20 months. Season 7 is 4 years! Season 8 is only 8 months. So almost 14 years have gone by. But no specific year was ever set in the show. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852/6 "2010-01-21T20:54:27Z")
They should have personal jet packs by now. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852/7 "2010-01-21T21:01:08Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > They should have personal jet packs by now. Well, the CTU offices are much more futuristic than any real government facility. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-year-is-it-in-the-24verse/525852/8 "2010-01-21T21:07:19Z")
Judging by the technology, the prevalence of drones and satellite cameras, and the ability to hack into just about everything (implying near-universal networking), I’d say that they’re maybe 10-20 years into an alternate future. Then again, the characters in 24 have to move so fast to accomplish what they do within the real-time conceit that they probably have experienced relativistic effects. so I wouldn’t worry about Jack Bauer aging.