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| The Entertainment Review |
| By: Jon Cassar Publisher: Insight Editions |
It can be agreed that the sixth season of 24 may not have been the best, and quite possibly the worst, season of the
series but that’s no reason to despair. The show has suffered dips in quality before and has always come back
stronger than before. As fans await a seventh day of hell from Kiefer Sutherland’s long-suffering CTU agent Jack
Bauer, why not reflect on some of the best that the show has to offer? “24: Behind The Scenes” is, quite simply, a
must own book for any fans of the series.
A reflection and celebration of the first five seasons of the hit show, it’s packed with photographs that reflect some of
the show’s best moments, as well as off-set shots of the cast talking to each other, goofing around or preparing for
key scenes. It includes a foreword from Kiefer Sutherland, personal photos from director and executive producer Jon
Cassar and a DVD featuring exclusive interviews with the makers of the series, and an additional photo gallery.
Many of the 200 photos have never previously been published, and they’re accompanied by short but informative
pieces of text that offer telling insights into some of the biggest decisions in the show’s history, most notably, the
controversial in-house debate that took place concerning the murder of Teri Bauer at the end of season one and the
shocking killing of CTU boss Ryan Chapelle, played by Paul Schulze, in season 3.
As Cassar writes: “It was an unbelievable moment and what I’m most proud of was the character build-up of
Chappelle; a great testament to our writers and actors. We had introduced him as a fairly unsympathetic supervisor
at CTU, one of the many we’d had over the years. But by the time the plot had moved to this point, the viewer
somehow found himself pleading with Jack not to pull that trigger.”
Of the many photos, the various montages reflecting key action sequences are fun to relive, while several shots of
Kiefer Sutherland reflect both the seriousness with which he takes his role and some of the fun he indulges in to keep
the mood on the set light as well.
Fans of Elisha Cuthbert will be pleased to note there are plenty of photos of her as Jack’s daughter, both on set and
off, while the likes of Carlos Bernard, the happy couple Sarah Clarke and Xander Berkeley, and Dennis Haysbert are
all featured regularly throughout the book.
There are also excellent shots from Season 5, featuring such seminal show moments as the assassination of ex-
President Palmer and subsequent deaths of Tony and Michelle, and of course, loads of cool photos of Jack Bauer in
action, gun at the ready.
“24: Behind The Scenes” is really a nostalgia trip and behind-the-scenes insight that makes for essential reading
and viewing for any genuine 24 fan. Its quality reflects the high standards of the series up to season six. Fan can now
hope the show gets back on track soon, so that this book can be updated with many more happy memories for fans,
producers and stars alike.
series but that’s no reason to despair. The show has suffered dips in quality before and has always come back
stronger than before. As fans await a seventh day of hell from Kiefer Sutherland’s long-suffering CTU agent Jack
Bauer, why not reflect on some of the best that the show has to offer? “24: Behind The Scenes” is, quite simply, a
must own book for any fans of the series.
A reflection and celebration of the first five seasons of the hit show, it’s packed with photographs that reflect some of
the show’s best moments, as well as off-set shots of the cast talking to each other, goofing around or preparing for
key scenes. It includes a foreword from Kiefer Sutherland, personal photos from director and executive producer Jon
Cassar and a DVD featuring exclusive interviews with the makers of the series, and an additional photo gallery.
Many of the 200 photos have never previously been published, and they’re accompanied by short but informative
pieces of text that offer telling insights into some of the biggest decisions in the show’s history, most notably, the
controversial in-house debate that took place concerning the murder of Teri Bauer at the end of season one and the
shocking killing of CTU boss Ryan Chapelle, played by Paul Schulze, in season 3.
As Cassar writes: “It was an unbelievable moment and what I’m most proud of was the character build-up of
Chappelle; a great testament to our writers and actors. We had introduced him as a fairly unsympathetic supervisor
at CTU, one of the many we’d had over the years. But by the time the plot had moved to this point, the viewer
somehow found himself pleading with Jack not to pull that trigger.”
Of the many photos, the various montages reflecting key action sequences are fun to relive, while several shots of
Kiefer Sutherland reflect both the seriousness with which he takes his role and some of the fun he indulges in to keep
the mood on the set light as well.
Fans of Elisha Cuthbert will be pleased to note there are plenty of photos of her as Jack’s daughter, both on set and
off, while the likes of Carlos Bernard, the happy couple Sarah Clarke and Xander Berkeley, and Dennis Haysbert are
all featured regularly throughout the book.
There are also excellent shots from Season 5, featuring such seminal show moments as the assassination of ex-
President Palmer and subsequent deaths of Tony and Michelle, and of course, loads of cool photos of Jack Bauer in
action, gun at the ready.
“24: Behind The Scenes” is really a nostalgia trip and behind-the-scenes insight that makes for essential reading
and viewing for any genuine 24 fan. Its quality reflects the high standards of the series up to season six. Fan can now
hope the show gets back on track soon, so that this book can be updated with many more happy memories for fans,
producers and stars alike.
