The TV series 24 premiered on Fox in 2001, with its first episode airing on November 6.
Created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, the American action drama follows counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland. Its defining storytelling device is real time: each season generally covers a single 24-hour period, using split screens, digital clocks, and simultaneous plotlines to convey urgency.
The premiere was initially planned for October 30, 2001, but Fox delayed it after the September 11 attacks. The first season was initially ordered for 13 episodes; after the opening episodes performed well, the network commissioned the remainder of the season. The show ultimately ran for nine seasons and 204 episodes, with its original run concluding in 2010 before a limited return in 2014.
The series is sometimes confused with the later revival 24: Live Another Day, but that was a 2014 event series rather than the original 2001 premiere. A television film, 24: Redemption, aired between seasons six and seven.