LOS ANGELES – Jack Bauer withstood unspeakable torture, the assassination of his wife and triple-crosses within his own agency. But in the end, the die-hard agent couldn't outwit Father Time.
"24: Legacy" comes to the screen Sunday with all the makings of a hit — including a familiar franchise name and a coveted post-Super Bowl premiere slot — but without its signature star, Kiefer Sutherland, who is busy saving the world these days behind a desk as the accidental president in ABC's "Designated Survivor."
Even if the Emmy winner were available, it's unlikely that audiences would accept a 50-year-old as the special-ops equivalent of the Energizer Bunny. Sutherland's attempt to revive Bauer in 2014 didn't quite work; it drew an average of 6 million viewers compared with nearly 14 million in the original drama's heyday, as audiences seemingly couldn't buy the agent racing against the clock without pausing for an early-bird dinner at Denny's.
The challenge of filling in for an iconic character wasn't lost on the show's new star, Corey Hawkins: "I'd be crazy to say there wasn't any pressure, but if the challenge wasn't there, there would be no reason for me to say yes to the role."
Hawkins plays Eric Carter, an Army Ranger who wiped out a Middle Eastern terrorist and is now the target of a intricate revenge operation.
"The only pressure as an actor," he said, "is stepping into Eric Carter's shoes and making him as complex and flawed of a human as I could. It's not about following in the footsteps of anything that came before, because '24' is all about the moment that you're in. As an actor, that's a gift."
The reboot comes at a time that is ripe with paranoia about terrorism, much like the original "24," which debuted just a few weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
As in the original, Carter must maintain a juggling act four times more daunting than anything showcased at Cirque du Soleil. It's not enough to thwart plans to carry out attacks across America. He must also bury the hatchet with his estranged brother (still smarting over the fact that his little brother stole his girlfriend); negotiate with a mentally unstable Ranger who wants to use the perilous circumstances for personal gain, and deal with unreliable allies at the fictional counterterrorism agency CTU, which is in disarray after its outgoing director (Miranda Otto) discovers that her husband's presidential campaign may be employing a terrorist.
