Season 6

*"Jack Bauer's country needs him. Dead."*
— Season 6 promotion
**Season 6** of *24* premiered in the United States on January 14, 2007 at 8pm on Fox. The premiere was a 2-night, 4-hour event (January 14 and 15 from 8-10pm). Season 6 debuted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, January 21, 2007 on Sky One.

The Region 4 Season 6 DVD set was released on September 19, 2007. The *24: Season Six DVD Collection* was released in the UK on October 1, 2007 *24: Season Six* was released on DVD in the U.S. and Canada on December 4, 2007.

## Season overview

Twenty months have passed since Day 5. After being captured by the Chinese for his involvement in the events of Day 4, Jack Bauer is returned to the United States government a broken, yet honorable, man. To stop a series of devastating attacks on the US, CTU has agreed to hand Jack over to a terrorist mastermind, Abu Fayed, who is bent on revenge. Jack survives and, after a nuclear attack on American soil, vows to retrieve the remainder of the nuclear weapons used in the day's attacks. The White House, meanwhile, suffers from an internal power struggle between President Wayne Palmer and his Vice President Noah Daniels, forcing Palmer's staff to choose sides, which in turn affects CTU and its employees. After eliminating the day's threats, Jack is forced into a personal crusade to save Audrey Raines from those he fears most, and discovers that his family is more involved with the day's events than he ever imagined.

## Timeline

Day 6 begins at 6:00am PST (9:00am EST), taking place 20 months after Day 5 and roughly 9 years, 2 months after Day 1. Wayne mentions that he was inaugurated three months before Day 6, which would place the day somewhere in late April or early May. A scene in Day 7 shows that it takes place on "the second day of November". That sets Inauguration Day in 24: Redemption on August 29. If Wayne Palmer was inaugurated on August 29, this would set Day 6 in late November or early December. In "Chloe's Arrest", Chloe's son's birthday is stated as July 8, supporting a November date for Day 6, where she discovers her pregnancy.

## Format

Similar to the first three seasons, Day 6 can be split into two acts:

1. After nearly two years in a Chinese prison, Jack Bauer works to bring down the terrorist masterminds that threaten to detonate suitcase nukes in Los Angeles, discovering links to his own family in the process. The main antagonists in this act are Abu Fayed, Dmitri Gredenko, Graem Bauer and Phillip Bauer. (6:00am–11:00pm)
2. After the nuclear suitcases are recovered, Jack is contacted by an old enemy who demands Jack hand over an extremely sensitive component of the nukes in exchange for a hostage's life. Jack's decision to steal the component begins to ignite an international incident with Russia. The main antagonists in this act are Phillip Bauer and Cheng Zhi. (11:00pm–6:00am)

### Major subplots

* The principal subplot of the season revolves around a conspiracy in the White House. It initially revolves around internal conflict between the passage of a law that would curtail civil liberties, then revolves around an assassination attempt against Wayne Palmer, the overtaking of Palmer's position by VP Noah Daniels, and the diplomatic incident regarding Jack's theft of the FB subcircuit board. Major characters in this subplot include Palmer, Daniels, Tom Lennox and Karen Hayes. The main antagonists of Wayne's assassination plot are Bruce Carson and Reed Pollock.
	+ There is also revealed to be a spy in Washington's midst.
* Jack struggles to readjust to his old life following his imprisonment.
* Many characters are confronted by discrimination against Americans of Middle Eastern origin. Nadia Yassir's work is slowed down to how government employees of Middle Eastern backgrounds are faced by heightened levels of scrutiny.
* Jack discovers his family's involvement in not only the brokering of the suitcase nukes, but the murders of his friends David Palmer, Tony Almeida, and Michelle Dessler during Day 5.
* A mysterious newcomer to CTU, Mike Doyle, faces criticism for his past and present actions, yet sometimes appears more informed and compassionate than expected.
* Jack must go against everything and everybody he knows in order to save one of the people who means the most to him.
* The day's stress on major characters' relationships—in particular Karen Hayes and Bill Buchanan, Chloe O'Brian and Morris O'Brian, and Nadia Yassir, Milo Pressman and Mike Doyle.
* The Bauer family is put to the ultimate test as an endgame is put into play involving Jack's nephew Josh, his father Phillip and the Chinese government.
* An attack on CTU, leading to the impeding of the investigation and the killing of several CTU agents.
* The events of the day lead to a brewing international incident with Russia, as President Yuri Suvarov threatens a military response if the U.S. cannot avert the incident.
* Wayne Palmer is injured after a plot to assassinate him, and his ability to run as President is put into question.
* Vice President Noah Daniels rises to the role of President in the middle of the crisis.

### Impacts on future seasons

* Jack is freed from the Chinese prison.
* Jack and Bill Buchanan leaving CTU at the end of the season.
* The deaths of Curtis Manning, Milo Pressman, President Wayne Palmer, Graem Bauer and Phillip Bauer, the latter two of whom were involved in the conspiracy surrounding Day 5.
* Logan being stabbed by Martha Logan.
* The revelation at the end that Chloe is pregnant with Morris's son.
* The arrest of Cheng Zhi.
* Audrey Raines is freed from captivity, though she has become catatonic, and this causes rivalry between her father and Jack.

## Ratings

Season 6's two-night premiere garnered the highest ratings in *24* history, averaging 15.7 million viewers and an overall 33 million viewers over the two nights. Ratings peaked at one point to 16.3 million. Compared to Season 5, however, *24* fell in rank from 24 to 27 (of 142 shows) in the 2006-2007 Nielsen TV season and averaged approximately 13 million viewers per week. In the key age 18-49 demographic, *24* ranked #14 (compared to #15 the previous year) with an average of 5.0/12 (a significant drop from last season's 5.7/13).

Season 6 was nominated for a total of six 2007 Emmy awards, including Kiefer Sutherland for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Jean Smart for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. However, the series was not nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, a first in its history.

## Cast

*Main article: Season 6 cast*
*See also: Recurring characters, Character appearances for Season 6*
### Starring

* Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer (24 episodes)
* Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian (24 episodes)
* DB Woodside as President Wayne Palmer (17 episodes)
* James Morrison as Bill Buchanan (21 episodes)
* Peter MacNicol as Tom Lennox (24 episodes)
* Jayne Atkinson as Karen Hayes (18 episodes)
* Carlo Rota as Morris O'Brian (24 episodes)
* Eric Balfour as Milo Pressman (19 episodes)
* Marisol Nichols as Nadia Yassir (24 episodes)
* and Regina King as Sandra Palmer (9 episodes)

### Special guest stars

* Powers Boothe as Vice President Noah Daniels (14 episodes)
* William Devane as James Heller (2 episodes)
* with Jean Smart as Martha Logan (1 episode)
* and James Cromwell as Phillip Bauer (8 episodes)
* and Kim Raver as Audrey Raines (5 episodes)
* and Gregory Itzin as Charles Logan (4 episodes)

### Guest starring

* Adoni Maropis as Abu Fayed (16 episodes)
* Rena Sofer as Marilyn Bauer (12 episodes)
* Evan Ellingson as Josh Bauer (10 episodes)
* Kari Matchett as Lisa Miller (10 episodes)
* Tzi Ma as Cheng Zhi (9 episodes)
* Chad Lowe as Reed Pollock (8 episodes)
* Rade Šerbedžija as Dmitri Gredenko (8 episodes)
* Alexander Siddig as Hamri Al-Assad (7 episodes)
* Jim Holmes as Dr. Arthur Welton (6 episodes)
* Nick Jameson as Russian President Yuri Suvarov (6 episodes)
* Harry Lennix as Walid Al-Rezani (6 episodes)
* Ryan Cutrona as Admiral John Smith (5 episodes)
* Michael Angarano as Scott Wallace (4 episodes)
* Missy Crider as Rita Brady (4 episodes)
* Roger Cross as Curtis Manning (4 episodes)
* James C. Victor as Hal Turner (4 episodes)
* Megan Gallagher as Jillian Wallace (4 episodes)
* David Hunt as Darren McCarthy (4 episodes)
* Jamison Jones as Secret Service Head Dan (4 episodes)
* Kal Penn as Ahmed Amar (4 episodes)
* Raphael Sbarge as Ray Wallace (4 episodes)
* Scott William Winters as FBI Agent Samuels (4 episodes)
* Bob Gunton as Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin (3 episodes)
* Michael Shanks as Mark Bishop (3 episode)
* Paul McCrane as Graem Bauer (3 episodes)
* John Noble as Anatoly Markov (2 episode)
* Kathleen Gati as Anya Suvarov (1 episode)
* Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce (1 episode)
* and Ricky Schroder as Mike Doyle (12 episodes)

## Airings

Season 6 entered preproduction on June 19, 2006. It premiered in the United States beginning with a four-hour block across two nights on January 14 and January 15, 2007. Subsequent episodes aired Monday nights at 9pm on Fox in the United States (two episodes were aired consecutively on February 12), and the season finale aired 2 straight episodes to finish off the season. The show on Sunday nights at 9pm in the UK. The season did not start screening until October 28 in New Zealand, starting at 10:25 pm for two hours weekly.

## Background information and notes

* This season has the most on-screen kills by Jack Bauer, with a total of 52.
* Of the 4 seasons Charles Logan appeared in (Day 4, Day 5, Day 6 and Day 8), this is the only one where he does not take an antagonistic role.

## See also

* Day 6 antagonists
* Unnamed Day 6 characters
* DVD collections: Region 1, Region 2, Region 4

## External links

* Sky One's 24 homepage - (UK broadcaster of 24)
* 24 on Global - (Canadian broadcaster)

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