**Warning: major spoiler inside. Read at your own risk!!**
The art of tactfully dealing with spoilers is a well-honed craft. Knowing when to reveal hints about important plotlines and character developments can make or break one's enjoyment of watching a television show or movie, reading a book, or even playing a video game.
Apparently someone at Fox didn't get the memo. The latest press release from Rupert Murdoch's network has the skinny on the two-hour season seven premiere of 24, which has now officially been dated for Sunday, January 13. The action will continue the following day--its normal time slot, Mondays at 9 p.m.--with another hour of 24.
According to the release, the premiere will answer one of the show's biggest questions: What was the fate of fan favorite Tony Almeida? Last time viewers saw Jack Bauer's colleague, played by Carlos Bernard, he was left for dead in season five.
It turns out that Almeida is alive and will return to the show in season seven. However, it is unclear if he will return as a regular. The release reads: "Bauer's day gets off to a shocking start when former colleague Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), last seen in 'Day 5,' returns after being left for dead by a terrorist conspirator in CTU's infirmary."
Earlier this year, 24 execs danced around the subject of Almeida's return at Comic-Con, but did hint that a return was certainly a possibility. At the show's panel at the event, producer Evan Katz said, "I think it's fair to say if we haven't definitely portrayed a character as dead, it's a good bet they're probably not dead." David Fury, another producer on the show, answered the question with his own brand of humor: "Keep watching!"
In addition to Almeida's return, several other elements of 24 will be shaken up. Also confirmed at this year's Comic-Con was the show's new setting (Washington D.C.), the dismantling of the CTU and Jack Bauer operating as a lone wolf, and the return of Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brien.
Earlier this year, the producers of Lost faced a similar dilemma with a fan-favorite character, but had a fan-friendly plan on how to reveal the news. Harold Perrineau, who plays Michael Dawson, was supposed to be revealed to be returning to the island during the Lost Comic-Con panel with an unannounced guest appearance. Unfortunately, ABC chiefs spilled the beans a day earlier, ruining the surprise.
May I remind everyone that jack died twice during the show too? How come no one spoke up then? We laughed, we said it was crazy, and we still watched. So let's just enjoy the thought of Tony being alive and wait for the great season it seems like we're about to have here!
The-darkknight, are you sure you're not talking about Lost?Just a thought..
Fox made the mistake of re-newing the shows for 3 more seasons an paying Keifer 28 million at the end of the 2006 season. Last year people were not talking about 24 as they had in previous years. and the 2007 storyline was already an act of desperation on the part of the writers. This reminds me of the situation ABC had with Lois and Clark. During the middle of its 4th year on TV AC renewed it for 2 more years. The next season the show went fom the top of the ratings to the very bottom. My suggestion is to change the show and its concept from 24 hours to 24 days. Let each episode be a day instead of an hour; and this will allow the writers to write a different story.moreless
Bringing tony back to life IS a sign of desperation. As the poster below me intelligently stated, they killed off WAYYYY too many characters in season 5 for pure shock value (Edgar?@?@?!?!?!?) and then by season 6, they found themselves devoid of anybody worthwhile in CTU...I mean, who actually cared about Milo or that Morris guy who just never seemed to fit on the show. Killing Edgar was especially a travesty, because he was unique and because they spent so much time developing him in season 4.
Sure, I want Tony to return, but are you serious? This show was interesting because they "attempted" to make it as real life as possible-kinda-and this jumps over to the side of sci-fi way too much for me. I give the writers credit for realizing they killed Tony too soon...but its way way too late for this to be believable in anyway. President Logan better not fly into town in the first episode as well.moreless
cool i always liked tony
When the writers decided to have Jack kill Curtis it made me wanna go puke too. Jack went on but I stopped watching. I liked the show because it was fast passed and Jack did what needed to get done. I thought they crossed the line a couple times in the past having jack responsible for deaths of "good guys" but this one just went to far. You gotta know when to say when. There isn't such a thing as "not holding back." It's entertainment, not reality, I don't care about "well what if that had been a real world scenerio.." It aint. It's television. Having Jack kill cops even if he "had to" makes me loos respect for his character and interest in the show. Why I follow up on whats going on now and then still is beyond he. I guess it's because I once thought it was such a good show. Killing so many characters off in season 5 was stupid. Tony was clearly dead. Bringing him back is an act of desperation. Though I'm not sure why the producers would be desperate. If I'm not mistaken it was still rated pretty high through last season. Anyhow, I doubt I'll watch. Curious if any still loyal fans are parents. Particulary of young kids. I think maybe if I was still single and childless I might still be watching the show. I don't know. Kids defiantly change you though.moreless
I'm excited now. I gave up on 24 toward the end of season 6, but I think this has potential if they write it properly. (And c'mon, it's 24. It doesn't have to make sense or be realistic!!)
There was a tv movie made in 1990 called (buried alive)and in this movie the main characters wife poisons him and kills him thinkin he was dead they burie him and he awakes alive & kickin.turns out the poison only slowed his heart beat down to the point of every body thinkin he was dead.and apparently this can really happen.so why cant that pain inflicting chemical done something simular to tony...JUST A THOUGHT!!!
Woohoo - I'm a huge Tony fan!! It sounds like a great idea in theory, but I hope it doesn't end up tanking.
Great news...big fan of Tony's & Michelle. But I can't wait until January 13, 2008 for the season premiere. :D:D:D
Yay, I love Tony. It's not the same without him so I would love to have him back. But since when is Harold Perrineau a fan-favorite. I don't know anyone that can stand him and I hope he'll never return to Lost again.
I am a long time supporter of 24, but in response to the post below mine, I do!
Does anyone else see those circling fins over there?
LOL. They will make also a reality show?? "Desperate 24-writers". THERE IS NO WAY HE IS ALIVE!!! Last time he was seen in Season 5... AND INSIDE A BAG!!! Come on!!!! If Henderson did't kill him he would die becasuse inside a freakin' bag you can't breath!!! I hope this is a joke. Maybe Michelle is also alive, and Palmer (DAVID). Or they will be back, but as super advance robots, as in the movie AI. We lost 24. Too bad.
It's official- the writers of 24 are desperate. What a cheap carnival trick. This show used to be better than that. It's great that the powers that be realized they needed to do something to bring back the viewers disenchanted with the uneven quality of Season 6. But seriously guys, there are other ways than a trite stunt like resurrecting a dead character. You could try something bold and innovative like, say, actually writing a good script? Imagine that!
I bet TONY'z gona be kikin more a - -
than ever after losing Michelle and Jack won't
have 2 give a sh - - zy about any1 at C.T.U X-cept Chloe..
We all know 24'z filled with all these suprizes & stuff. At one point when Jack was shot we all thot he was dead, when Mr Heller's car sank into the ocean we thought he was dead and now when Tony was stabbed by Henderson ? ? ? ? ? juss watch the show
5 thumbs up
Hope someone saved his 'Cubs' Mug or maybe that's what the season will be about"Jack it's Tony you have 24 hours to get me my mug or I'll blow up congress"
And all of us who have been saying Tony's alive for ages now say:
TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!:D
Almeida rocks!
I love you FOX!
Kas Lincoln
Well, alrighty then.
As others have said, this is either going to be really, really great, or really, really horrific. And, to be frank, I'm not happy. I want Tony dead. Not because I disliked the character, but now, ANY character that "dies" can be brought back to life. Think about it: If Tony can die in Jack's arms and be alive, then why can't Teri? She died in his arms. And what about Palmer? Jack wasn't even there when he died, so there's always that possibility, right? You see, it just opens up a huge can of worms.
And before anybody gets confused- I don't want any of those things to happen. Ever. I don't want Tony to come back. I want characters who die to stay dead. And I want this series to have some sense of realism, which is probably the one thing that it has been sorely missing that has kept the last few seasons from being the best (season five doesn't count- it's still my favorite).moreless
I'm really glad that Tony will be back - and to be honest i was expecting it, though i sort of gave up hope after he did not pop up in season six...
I say this for two reasons - 1) the way they took him out; the needle injection i reckon is the kind of thing that you could imagine surviving if epidepherin or whatever treatment was administered. Maybe you could even consider a coma (kill bill style)- who knows i mean its TV isnt it...
Second of all the thing that really got my hopes up was the absence of the silent clock tick at the end of the episode - i thought that had to meant he wasnt dead - i knw they made a lot of people angry that the fat tub of goo edgar got the silent treatment and Tony didnt - i thought him not actually being dead had to be possible - looks like i was rite!!! hehe, come on Tony! Im wonderingif he'll be like still friendly with Jack or i dunno he sort of testifies against him in court or somit? (apparently the first scene is jack on trial in court facing criminal charges for acts he committed in the past)moreless
I guess this is supposed to be good in a sense but I think 24 is really stretching the boundaries here. Seriously, we saw him die...What possible explanation could they have for bringing him back? This is just going to be stupid and way too unbelievable. I don't know why they are doing this
I find it funny how they state that Tony never actually died... when the OFFICIAL 24 website states otherwise. Looks like a lot of backpedalling from the 24 writers:
http://www.fox.com/24/profiles/season5/ta.htm
Tony Almeida: Deceased
http://www.fox.com/24/character/season5/ta.htm
7:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M.
Tony learns that Henderson, the man who was responsible for killing Michelle, is now in the same room with him after the nerve gas lockdown. Tony grabs the guarding agent’s gun and threatens to kill Henderson. Jack talks him out of it over intercom. When Henderson lapses into a coma, Tony wants to inject him with a lethal dose of the medicine. Yet he can’t bring himself to do it. The alert Henderson takes Tony’s hand and forces him to stab himself. When Jack gets there, he finds that Henderson has escaped. Tony dies in Jack’s arms.
I hope thats true! Tonys return would really be something 24 fans would love. I just hope they dont use the Global Warming nonsense that rumored earlier. Turning Jack Bauer into Al Gore isnt something that would excite me.
I'm so glad Tony will be returning. He was one of my favorite characters. Alot of people think that supporting characters don't influence a show but most times they do. I actually like the supporting characters on most shows more than the series star. I guess he couldn't find work anywhere else. I think he'd be good on the Hispanic drama "Cane" with Jimmy Smits. Glad to have him back though.
Chloe is staying on! Yay!
Tony was OK, but they shouldn't have pulled this Dallas stint on him though...
And I am glad they moved the locale, I was getting tired of LA being the center of all the action.
Great news. Tony was one of my fave characters (except Jack)
wow, thats all I can say, wow!!!
Interesting move from 24, particularly since Season 6 was so lackluster. I got bored with it, stopped watching, and concentrated on Heroes instead. The announcement of Tony's return definitely makes me want to check out Season 7 now.
Tony is da man...I hope he is a field agent I don't like him as an office job employee. He should be Jack's right hand man.
I'm disappointed that CTU is being dismantled. The problem with 24 wasn't CTU, it was the perception that they had to up the ante on the terrorist thread from Day 2 on. Trying to top the President being the villain the very next season was a mistake that I'm not sure the producers have learned from.
Season 7 will be hot with the unexpected return of Tony. I can't wait to see that.
Good Deal. Long Live Tony!
Tony was injected with the Stuff that CTU had been pumping into Henderson, so if he was still alive why wasnt Tony still alive? Seems ok to me.I really hoped Bill would be back i quite like him. Maybe Tiony will be working for some government agency now like he was supposed to at the end of season 6.
About time too.
And remember, there was no silent clock for Tony. Of course he was alive. :)
Wow! This spoiler really surprised me, but it's true, we didn't know anything of Tony Almeida after the incident in CTU’s infirmary. I'm sorry this show is not like Supernatural or Buffy the Vampire Slayer to bring Michelle Dessler back from the dead. I still miss that character and two or three more.
Wonderful! Tony's back!
WOW!!! Tony's back that's definitely a good thing for this upcoming season.
But I don't get the whole JAck being a lonewolf thing. Is Chloe the only one coming back, no one else, Bill? Karen? Morris?
Guess the people in the 24 camp came to their senses and finally brought back Tony. Great news.
For the first time in 6 years my faith in 24 is shaken. Seriously.
How will they explain this one? I thought the father-son leap was weird but acceptable.But Tony not dead is just plain weird...But with Almeida back, I think S07 will be a good one!
They relieved how Cool Tony is and how dumb it was to kill him off.
this could be the best news ever or it could be the biggest jump the shark in tv history! it all depends on how its explained. i still have a hard time believing its true but i loved tony so i kinda hope its for real.
Unbelievable. I hope there's a logical explanation for it.
After last season, this is (hopefully) a sign of good things to come...
Awesome news! Let's hope this will be the start of a 24 resurgence.
Thank you! This just... Im lost for words! Fox is making up for all those times theyve done stupid things like pretend to kill him :D :D
Tony's alive??? This should make things interesting.
Yay, Tony's back :)
Wow. I will mark my calendars for the 13th.