Fox announces its midseason lineup

Fox announced its midseason lineup today and it contains a couple of surprises. Dr. House and Jack Bauer will team up on Monday nights, "Fringe" will remain in its challenging Thursday night time slot, and "Glee" will be off the air until April 13, when it returns on a new night following "American Idol" but up against the last episodes of ABC's "Lost."

"American Idol" returns on Jan. 12 and will help launch "Our Little Genius," a new game show by Mark Burnett ("Survivor" and "The Apprentice") the following night. "Our Little Genius" then will shift to Tuesdays paired with "Idol" until April 13, when "Glee" returns for its remaining nine episodes at 9 p.m.

The new drama "Human Target," starring Mark Valley, premieres on Jan. 20 after "Idol."

As previously announced, "24" returns with a two-night premiere on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 and then settles into its regular Monday 9 p.m. slot after "House" on Jan. 25.

"Fringe," which has taken a ratings hit on its new night, will remain on Thursdays but will take a break beginning Feb. 11, when Fox launches the new drama "Past Life."  "Fringe" returns to the schedule on April 1.

As previously announced, "Dollhouse" will end on Jan. 22. "Kitchen Nightmares" will take over its Friday time slot the following week.

The new comedy "Sons of Tuscon," starring Tyler Labine, will premiere March 14 at 8:30 p.m. when "The Cleveland Show" moves to 9:30 p.m. and "American Dad" is off the schedule.

Fox also ordered a complete second season of "Lie To Me."

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer on "24" / Credit: Fox

Related:

Fringe looks for an identity in its second season

Mark Valley stars in "Human Target"

24: First Look of new season

Dollhouse is canceled

‘Family Guy’: Roadhouse!

He finally did it. Seth MacFarlane finally took over the entire Sunday lineup on Fox. If you don’t count the 7 p.m. episode of “Brothers,” and who does? From 7:30 to 10 p.m. straight, you couldn’t escape MacFarlane’s voice, whether it be as Stan, Roger, Peter, Stewie, Brian, Tim the Bear or himself.

For this Evening of Seth, they decided to switch things around -- or flip the script as Federline Jones said.

First up, “American Dad.” Stan tries to push Steve from the youthful world of Slip 'N Slides and the Strawberry Princes into adulthood and the wonders of coffee, life insurance and insulation. When Stan stumbles into the inflatable wonderment that is the “Star Trek” Moonbounce, he realizes all the joys of childhood he missed out on. Meanwhile, Klaus yearns for his pre-fish days, when he could get a haircut, so Hayley gets him a dog wig and offers him a trim.

Breaking: Gregory Itzin returns to '24' as villainous ex-President Charles Logan

When last we saw traitorous President Charles Logan in Season 6, he was flatlining en route to a hospital after being stabbed by his wife, Martha, with a kitchen knife. He hasn't been heard from since.

But it looks like he survived: Fox announced Sunday night that Gregory Itzin will reprise his role as the fallen president in a multiple-episode arc. Season 8 of "24" will premiere in a two-hour event Jan. 17.

How will Logan make his way into the drama this time? Read ahead if you don't mind minor spoilers:

Video: Get your first look at the new season of '24'

Two words for you, "24" fans: Grandpa Jack. And he doesn't work for the government anymore.

But there's a big hit! And innocent lives are at stake! What's Jack Bauer gonna do? Enjoy the clip above and get a sneak peak.

The eighth season of "24" — this time set in the Big Apple and centering on an assassination plot against a visiting foreign leader — includes new cast members Katee Sackhoff, Freddie Prinze Jr., Anil Kapoor, Mykelti Williamson, Jennifer Westfeldt and Chris Diamantopoulos.

— Denise Martin

Related:

Review: '24' -- As Season 7 comes to an end, here are 10 ways we loved the year

Kiefer Sutherland talks Jack Bauer's deathbed and what's next on '24'

The eighth season of '24' is coming together.

Did Kiefer Sutherland just say goodbye to '24'?

Kiefer Sutherland kicked off the Fox upfront presentation with his usual kind words to advertisers. But then he said something that caught our attention -- and made us nervous.

"24" fans know that Jack Bauer is dying -- find out his fate on tonight's season finale -- and Sutherland's contract is up next year. It has been the subject of much speculation in the industry and observers have wondered if the series will end next year.

"I don't know how many more times I'm gonna have the opportunity to say this," the actor said before calling his time on "24" as the "greatest experience I've had so far in my career and in my personal life."

Sutherland also thanked the advertisers for their role in the show's success.

"It sounds trite," he said. "But you've helped me become part of this family."

Was he saying goodbye?

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: Getty Images

Review: '24'

As Season 7 comes to an end, here are 10 ways we loved the year.

I sing to you of "24," Fox's gloriously preposterous television show, which comes crashing to its Season 7 close tonight, proving that love means never having to say you're sorry, even for a life devoted to torture.
Never mind that the whole all-in-a-single-day conceit is old and unnecessary or that the dialogue consistently makes "Scooby-Doo" look like Tennessee Williams. Forget all the ridiculous inconsistencies.

Put aside even the absurd image of a ruthless dictator with a doomsday weapon whose only goal is to take over some crap country called Sangala. (No sacks of gold bullion? No nuclear weapons? No "I'll take all the red states and 10 lifetime passes to DisneyWorld"? My God, man, what kind of tyrant are you?) Put all these niggling matters out of your mind because "24" is terrific television, this was a great season, and here are 10 reasons why.

Read more of the '24' review

-- Mary McNamara

Photo: Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer on "24."

Kiefer Sutherland talks Jack Bauer's deathbed and what's next on '24'

To spoil anything about Monday’s two-hour “24” finale is to be a bad fan.

But rest assured it’s good. Very good. Without giving anything away: Ethan and Olivia face off, Tony pulls another fast one, Kim gets back into action, and Jack, well, he’s got a few moves left before his ticker peters out.

Oh, yes, tears will be shed.

But in spite of Jack’s dire condition, details about next season – Day 8 – have already begun to emerge. When production resumes in two weeks, Cherry Jones will be back as President Allison Taylor, as will Annie Wersching as Renee, whose past will play a part in next year’s crisis. (Look for Renee to come down on a specific side of the torture debate in the finale’s last hour.) Elisha Cuthbert revealed she'd be reprising her role as Kim.

CTU also will be up and running, with Chloe on board, under the aegis of a new leader – R.I.P. Bill -- named Brian Hastings, who is being described as “an MBA type with razor sharp intellect.” Anil Kapoor (“Slumdog Millionaire”) will play a Middle Eastern leader on a peacemaking mission in the U.S.

It’d be difficult to top Jack’s hyper-personal storyline this season, but at a Tuesday screening of the finale at a packed Wadsworth Theater attended by the cast and executive producer Howard Gordon, Kiefer Sutherland promised that next year could possibly be the show’s most grounded yet.

“One of the things that we can talk about in Season 8 is that set-up is probably the most realistic political thing I think we’ve done since the start of the show. We’ve had some seriously questionable circumstances,” he said with a laugh. “And they’ve been a lot of fun to play, but I think the new set-up, in certain aspects, is something I actually hope happens.

“I think a lot of people will feel that way. Very excited about where that could potentially go.”

Jack’s been pretty battered this season, emotionally a wreck after being held accountable for his use of torture as a method of coercion and poisoned by a biochemical weapon of mass destruction. How much could he have left in the tank?

No one’s saying. But Sutherland said having to play a dying Jack for almost half the season was part relief, part challenge.

“For the first time in the history of my experience with ’24,’ I knew where I was going,” he said. (The crowd howled.) “It was kind of reassuring.”

But seriously. “Howard and I talked about what a great opportunity [Jack’s illness] would be. He’d have the come-to-Jesus moment when he’d actually have to confront himself for what he’s done…There are certain things he could absolutely justify and there are things he could not.

“For me, it was the most dramatic [place] we’d ever been able to take the character, and it was not plot driven,” Sutherland said. “It’s one of the things I love about the ending for this season. It’s really about these characters taking a serious look at themselves.”

-- Denise Martin

Photo credit: Associated Press

The eighth season of '24' is coming together

Taking time off has done Jack Bauer some good, it seems. After a creatively shaky sixth season and a writers-strike-disrupted seventh season, the long delayed "24" has come roaring back this year. And with just a few hours left to go, fans and producers are already looking ahead to what's next.

According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, the eighth season will see Jack and company changing coasts with a move to New York City and the restoration of CTU, as well as the return of President Taylor (Cherry Jones).

Also returning will be Jack's potential love interest, FBI Agent Renee Walker (Annie Wersching), whose past will reportedly play a big part in next season's storyline. Jack's chances with her just went up 100% now that Walker's boyfriend, Larry Moss, was -- SPOILER ALERT -- killed by double-double agent Tony Almeida. (Seriously, this guy just needs to pick a side and stick with it.)

-- Patrick Kevin Day

'24': Carlos Bernard talks about Tony Almeida's turn for the worse

Tony Almeida may have come back from the dead, but he's not coming back from this.

We could deal with Resurrected Tony's shaved head, that questionable patch of chin hair, his temporary alliance with the baddies who revived him. But you don't snuff out the good guys and live to tell about it on "24." (When Jack Bauer killed CTU director Ryan Chappelle – his upstanding if insufferable boss – in Season 3, his hand was forced by a terrorist.)

No, in tonight's episode, Tony not only made off with a WMD of his very own, he murdered FBI agent Larry Moss to get it. Larry, who was finally getting behind Jack's effective if unorthodox ways. Larry, whose eyes bugged out in terror as he was choked to death by Tony the Traitor. It was almost as bad as watching Edgar's pitiful demise.

For now, Tony's moves are suspect. Even in Jack's weakened state, we all know he's Tony's match. Jack tazes phones, knives sources who won't give him answers and bulldozes his enemies. Literally, not figuratively. We try to pry more information out of actor Carlos Bernard about Tony's about-face and whether he’ll live to see Day 8. Unfortunately, Bernard is a formidable opponent:

After tonight's episode, Tony is dead to me ... but I still want to know what his deal is.
Um, well, I can’t really tell you what’s ultimately behind his actions.

Still pissed at the government for Michelle's death, I presume? 
I think he’s motivated by still being stuck in a place of anger and resentment. He still feels betrayed by the government.

So this has all been one big setup? The whole time he was just playing poor (now dead) Bill Buchanan?
Yeah, this has been his plan.

That's pretty evil. Did you know Tony would turn out this way when the producers told you they were bringing him back to life?
We knew it was going to go in this direction, yeah. How it was actually going to play out, you never know. It’s such a complex show to write. They’ll map out where they think a character is going to go and see if it actually plays with the story. But it was always in the back of our minds that this is where he was going. It was just a matter of how he was going to get there over the season.

Did that make sense to you? Jack Bauer’s wife was killed too and you don't see him taking it out on America with biochemical weapons.
It felt very organic, oddly enough. (Laughs) As an actor, you can’t judge your character. The only way I have to go about it is to put myself in the situation of the character and the circumstance of what he’s been through and play it. Is he a good guy or bad guy? That’s up to the audience. But for me? If I were to judge? It made perfect sense.

Death takes a familiar '24' figure

Spoiler alert: If Monday's episode of "24" is waiting on your DVR, unwatched, do not read any further. The following contains spoilers regarding the departure of a regular character.

As far as deaths on "24" go, Bill Buchanan's on Monday night was fairly quick and painless.

At least it was for actor James Morrison, who has played Jack Bauer's coolheaded boss for the past four years. But longtime fans of the Fox action drama, starring Kiefer Sutherland, still might have been a little shellshocked. 

Buchanan goes out on his own terms -- he blows himself up alongside a group of terrorists who have overtaken the White House. The character's death ends a three-season run for the actor, who was supposed to be a  one-appearance  guest star who soon became the ongoing source of pushback for Jack.

"The moment you step aboard '24' you're taught to expect that you're going to bite it," Morrison, 54, said in an interview Friday. "In this solar system you have one sun. The rest of us are just planets that are invited to orbit, and sometimes we're just yanked out of the sky."