'24' Countdown Officially Begins
By Brian Gianelli | Monday, November 3, 2008, 2:38 PM

Season 7 cast of "24"
© FOX
The wait is almost over. Today FOX announced the premiere dates for the upcoming seventh season of "24," which will air a special two-night, four-hour event on Sunday January 11th and Monday January 12th (8-10pm ET).
Jack Bauer and Chloe are back (of course), but one of the big shockers is the return of presumed dead CTU agent Tony Almeida. The series will celebrate its 150th episode during the fourth hour of the epic, four-hour premiere.
Watch the Season 7 Trailer
If you can't quite wait until January, don't worry. Your "24" thirst will be
quenched with the two-hour prequel "24: Redemption" that sets up the
events of Season 7. A new president (new series regular Cherry Jones)
is inaugurated, while at the same time our fearless hero Jack is in
South Africa where he is tasked with stopping a warlord from exploiting
innocent children. "Redemption" airs Sunday November 23rd at 8pm ET on
FOX.
Season 7 looks to be worth the 19-month wait for fresh action and should bring a jolt of new energy to the
series. The season opens with Jack on trial and of course
there's yet another threat to national security on the horizon -- with
new bad guy Jonas Hodge (Jon Voight) waiting in the wings. And CTU has been dismantled and the action is taking place in
Washington, D.C. instead of Los Angeles, where all previous seasons
have been set.
I'm so
ready to see that ticking clock once again. "24" will air Mondays at 9pm ET on FOX.