Kevin's Watch

According to a TV Guide interview with co-executive producer Manny Coto, "In a sense, it's a reboot — in location and personnel. We're going to be introducing a new stable of characters, along with a couple of old ones. Jack starts next season in a very different place than any season so far. [He's] not living under an alias. He's found a place he thinks he belongs and a job he enjoys doing that doesn't involve the government... We're hewing much closer to real life: tighter, more personal, more difficult for Jack. There will not be a ticking clock on a nuclear device [and] the villain is not a terrorist [but] someone with a supremely dark past who's done something horrific and whose ambition is to regain his stature in the world... There may even be a plot thread that doesn't take place on U.S. Soil."[10]
Writer and Executive Producer Michael Loceff has confirmed, "what we are going for, is really taking this to the personal level," unlike this season's focus on nuclear threats, the President getting hurt and possible war. Loceff says "you just can't go much bigger than that, unless you put a spacesuit on Jack Bauer and shoot him into orbit. Which you know, we may get there, but we're not going to be there yet." Next season expect smaller story lines for the characters, including Jack. Loceff adds, "and how he tries to resolve a particularly thorny conflict in the final episode." Loceff tells us Season 7 will focus on smaller and more intense story lines. But the specifics are still a mystery even for Loceff and the writers.[11]
Fox President Peter Liguori said: "We’ve really heard what the loyal audience has said to us. The good news is simply this: It has really fueled the show runners to be more daring with what they're going to do next year."[12]
Executive producer Howard Gordon told iF Magazine that the new season is set three years after the events of the sixth season and will be set entirely in Washington, D.C. or New York and will start at 7 am.[13]
Director Jon Cassar and 24 executive producers Evan Katz, Manny Coto, and David Fury made some revelations at the Comic-Con '07 about Season 7. They stated that the show will now officially take place in D.C., and that CTU no longer exists since it was disbanded by the government. Also, they stated that at the beginning of the season Jack will be appearing before a Senate Committee to answer questions about his actions in the past, some of which they think may have been criminal. Additionally, they confirmed there would be no prequel to bridge the gap between Seasons 6 and 7.
One of the storylines of Season 7 will revolve around the death of the First Son, Roger. His death was classified as a suicide, but his father, Henry, believes it was murder and wants to prove it.[14] Henry thinks that Roger's former girlfriend, Samantha, may have information about his death[15] and also hires a private investigator[16].
In the premiere, Jack will hunt down Gabriel Schecter for information. This upscale man in his early 40s is a supplier of illegal contraband.[17]
Carlos Bernard will return as Tony Almeida in the premiere of season 7. Show-runner Howard Gordon explained that Tony's "uncertain fate" left the door open for his return[18] and cited the lack of a "silent clock" as a deliberate move to keep his death ambiguous.[19] "We didn't give him the silent clock because we always wanted to keep alive the possibility for some kind of (admittedly) miraculous resurrection ... which we will explain," and followed up with "He's definitely NOT the Almeida we once knew."[19].
According to James Morrison's official website, Bill Buchanan will not return until the second or third episode of the season.