Execs at the Fox hit have scrapped virtually their entire storyline for the season, delaying the start of production by roughly three weeks. According to sources, the 11th-hour time-out was called after the network put the kibosh on a costly plan to shoot a number of episodes in Africa. Producers briefly toyed with the idea of finding a location in Los Angeles that could sub for the continent, but ultimately, decided to ditch the whole concept and start over from scratch.
Although a 20th Century Fox spokesperson declined to comment, 24's expert scowler, Mary Lynn Rajskub, confirms that the clock for Day 7 has been reset. "I don't know what's going on over there, but they're going crazy," says the scene-stealer, who only learned last week that Chloe would even be returning. "We usually start [back up] at the end of July, and I don't think we're starting until a couple weeks into August now. It's kind of exciting, because I think [the postponement] means that they're really having to dig in there and come up with new stuff."
No doubt, the show's creative team already was feeling the pressure: Day 6 was considered to be about as explosive as a wet firecracker, so for season 7, they really needed a plot that was incendiary. In fact, news of the setback comes on the same day the semi-annual Television Week critic's poll (in which yours truly participated) named 24 the second worst show on TV, behind ABC's best-not-traveled October Road.
For more on 24's big rewrite — including what impact it'll have on plans to introduce the show's first female president — check out Ask Ausiello this Wednesday.
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