By Eddie Shoebang
Editor
CTU: Rookie
Those looking for last week's recap click here.
Jack Bauer may have the anti-terrorism skills, balls of steel and the ability to run around for 24 hours without hunger pains. But there’s a new guy in town and he takes the missions that Jack won’t.
“I need five double espressos, four coffees with five sugars and cream…hold on. Make that six coffees.”
So begins the CTU Rookie, a series of webisodes brought to us by Degree Men, the deodorant that protects men who take risks, which includes jumping off buildings, being single and marking three deductions on your W4 and creating a spin-off of 24 that is part show and part advertisement.
Rodney Charters, the director of photography on “24” since season one, was brought on to helm the project so that the look and feel of the webisodes would feel authentic to fans of the show.
“This was a great opportunity to do some great drama for the net,” Charters said. “It’s a new type of advertising that doesn’t infiltrate our show.”
There are currently three short webisodes up on the site (all under three minutes) and the only advertising we see is the logo of Degree Men in the beginning. The rest is all CTU: The Rookie, which highlights the trials and tribulations of a new agent just trying to get his feet wet.
The rookie is Jason Blaine who is played by Jeremy Valdez. Fans will recognize Valdez as the petty officer from season five who was taught how to slit a man's throat in the Russian sub by Jack Bauer. If you don’t recognize him, congratulations, you have a life.
In terms of appearance and action, the webisodes are like tiny siblings of “24,” save for one major difference.
“There’s a lot more humor in here then we’re allowed to do in 24,” Charters said. “Nobody smiles on the set of 24.”
The rookie is joined by two supporting characters Angie Lawson (Palmer Davis) and Alton Maxwell (Eric Beck).
Currently fans can view the entire “Coffee Run” webisode and a second one, titled “Get This to…” will star airing in late March. Eventually, these will turn into commercials/short films that will air on television and feature a “24-esque cliffhanger.”
Could this mean that “24” is this generation’s “Law & Order”?
“Without Kiefer, there is no 24,” Charters said. “I can’t imagine anyone else playing him. And there are certainly people higher up who want to turn this into a James Bond-like franchise.”
That means my hope to see “24: Camp Counselor” and “24: Mall Security” in the near future is still alive.
Word on the Street: According to Charters, at the end of Day Six, there will be an animated series released called “Day Zero” and will act as a “24” prequel. Whether or not the actors would voice the characters or if the stories would even be about Jack are unknown.
And if you're feeling nostalgic about 24 spinoffs, the mobisodes of "24: Conspiracy is available on YouTube. These mobisodes were released during season four and gives another story line told in minute-long recaps.
Interesting to go behind the scenes. I hope there will be more of these!
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