| Karen Hayes | |
|---|---|
| 24 character | |
 Jayne Atkinson as Karen Hayes | |
| First appearance | Day 5 – Episode 13 (March 13, 2006) |
| Last appearance | Day 6 – Episode 24 |
| Portrayed by | Jayne Atkinson |
| Days | 5, 6 |
| In-universe information | |
| Spouse | Bill Buchanan |
Karen Hayes is a fictional character on the television program 24 portrayed by actress Jayne Atkinson. She appeared as a recurring character in twelve episodes of the fifth season and a main cast member in eighteen episodes of the sixth season.
Actress Laurie Metcalf was originally cast as Karen Hayes before being replaced by Jayne Atkinson. [1] Producer Howard Gordon praised Metcalf's acting abilities, but said "the role was not the right fit for the actress" and they mutually agreed to recast the part. [1]
Before joining the United States Department of Homeland Security, Hayes was an FBI agent. She worked within the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, eventually becoming Senior Agent and later a Special Agent in Charge.
Hayes has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Princeton University. [2] Atkinson says that her character is cautious especially when it comes to "civil liberties and profiling a certain population." [3]
Hayes is the Division Director of the United States Department of Homeland Security's Los Angeles branch at the time of Day 5. Vice President Hal Gardner authorizes her to absorb and essentially replace the workers at CTU - Los Angeles after a major terrorist attack leaves many of CTU's original employees dead. Hayes takes operational control of CTU. She decides to keep the survivors on staff until the crisis is over, against the advice of her assistant Miles Papazian. After the nerve gas is secured, Hayes vouches for CTU, but is ordered by the Vice President to fire them and fully absorb CTU into Homeland.
She gradually grows suspicious of her superiors when President Charles Logan issues an executive order for the detainment and arrest of Jack Bauer [4] and later says that he will use the military to capture him. [5] After one of her people from Homeland indirectly aids Jack Bauer, she learns from Mike Novick that Logan never contacted the military about Bauer and that no member of the executive office has yet seen Logan's "evidence" against Bauer. Based on the President's actions in the preceding hours, Hayes is convinced that Logan is indeed manipulating CTU in order to kill Bauer.
After Jack successfully obtains a confession from Logan, Hayes prepares to leave CTU for the day, under new orders to report to Washington, D.C. to fully report on the day's events. She acknowledges to Buchanan that she will strongly recommend to newly appointed President Gardner that he remain as Special Agent in Charge of CTU. At the end of the day, Buchanan invites Hayes for breakfast, though she asks for a rain check.
Karen returns to Day 6, now married to Bill Buchanan. [3] She had also been appointed as the White House National Security Advisor to President Wayne Palmer, several months previously. [6] She frequently argues with Tom Lennox over plans of creating detention facilities and presidential pardon for Hamri Al-Assad. She briefly resigns after Tom Lennox threatens to expose the files that show that her husband released Fayed who is revealed to be a terrorist. [7] At one point, she reluctantly fires Bill Buchanan to save her career. [8]
However, Karen returns when she learns of a failed assassination plot against Wayne Palmer. She helps Wayne Palmer regain power when Vice President Noah Daniels attempts to launch a nuclear attack on the Middle East and when he invokes the 25th Amendment to become the President.
When Phillip Bauer offers to trade this component in exchange for his grandson Josh Bauer, Karen decides to defend Josh's rights and opposes the deal. When Tom and Daniels go on to do so, she secretly helps Jack Bauer to intervene. Although she is arrested for insubordination, Tom persuades Daniels to grant a pardon to Karen and Bill who will resign in return. [9]
She is neither seen nor mentioned in Season 7, though her husband Bill Buchanan returned. However, in TV Guide, Howard Gordon explained that Bill and Karen were still together in Season 7; there was a scene explaining her whereabouts, but it was ultimately cut from the script.
24 is an American action drama television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox. The series stars Kiefer Sutherland as US counter-terrorist federal agent Jack Bauer. Each season covers 24 consecutive hours in Bauer's life using the real time method of narration. Multiple interrelated plots are featured in each episode, which often include Bauer's contacts in perilous crises. The show premiered on November 6, 2001, and spanned 204 episodes over nine seasons, with the series finale broadcast on July 14, 2014. In addition, the television film 24: Redemption aired between seasons six and seven, on November 23, 2008. 24 is a joint production by Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television.
Jack Bauer is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fox television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a federal agent of the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C. during season 7. Within the 24 storyline, Bauer is a key member of the CTU, its Director in Season 1, and is often portrayed as their most capable agent. Bauer's job usually involves helping prevent major terrorist attacks on the United States, saving both civilian lives and government administrations. On many occasions, Jack does so at great personal expense, as those he thwarts subsequently target him and his loved ones. He is not a crooked agent; however, Bauer's frequent use of torture to gather information has generated much controversy and discussion.
Anthony "Tony" Almeida is a fictional character portrayed by Carlos Bernard on the television series 24. Almeida appeared in a total of 126 episodes, the second highest number of episodes of any character in the series, third being Chloe O'Brian (125) and first being Jack Bauer (192), portrayed by Mary Lynn Rajskub and Kiefer Sutherland, respectively. Despite initially having friction with Jack Bauer, he eventually develops a strong friendship with Jack and becomes one of the few people Jack trusts unconditionally with his life. However, the loss of his wife Michelle Dressler and unborn son at the hands of a government conspiracy drives him into despair and then rage. His descent into darkness and evil to seek revenge against those responsible for destroying his life is widely lamented by fans and showcases a dark contrast to Jack whose life has also been ruined by the government.
Chloe O'Brian is a fictional character played by actress Mary Lynn Rajskub on the US television series 24. An analyst at CTU Los Angeles, she is Jack Bauer's most trusted colleague, often doing unconventional and unauthorized favors for him, even at personal risk to herself. As O'Brian, Rajskub appeared in 137 episodes of 24, more than any other actor except series star Kiefer Sutherland, who appeared in all 204 episodes of the series. UGO.com named her one of the best TV nerds. AOL named her one of the 100 Most Memorable Female TV Characters.
Curtis Manning is a fictional character on the television series 24, portrayed by Roger Cross.
The first season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 1, was first broadcast from November 6, 2001, to May 21, 2002, on Fox. The season's storyline starts at midnight and ends at the following midnight on the day of the California presidential primary.
The second season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 2, was first broadcast from October 29, 2002, to May 20, 2003, on Fox. The season begins and ends at 8:00 a.m. The season premiere originally aired without commercial interruption, and has an extended running time of approximately 51 minutes, as opposed to the standard 43 minutes.
The fourth season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 4, premiered on January 9, 2005, on Fox and aired its season finale on May 23, 2005. The season four storyline starts and ends at 7:00 am.
The fifth season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 5, premiered on January 15, 2006, on Fox and aired its season finale on May 22, 2006. The season five storyline starts and ends at 7:00 a.m. – the same time frame as the previous season.
Martha Logan is a fictional character played by Jean Smart in the television series 24. As a first lady of the United States within the 24 universe, she is the capable yet mercurial wife of President Charles Logan. Critics praised Martha Logan as the breakout character of the show's 2005-2006 season.
The sixth season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 6, premiered in the United States on Fox on January 14, 2007, and concluded on May 21, 2007. The season's storyline begins and ends at 6:00 a.m. It is set 20 months after the events of the previous season.
Charles Logan is a fictional character played by Gregory Itzin in the television series 24. During the show's fourth season, Logan is the Vice President of the United States who is sworn into office as President of the United States when former President John Keeler is critically injured in a terrorist attack. Subsequently, Logan's administration fell into corruption. The show's fifth season sees him engage in a massive conspiracy to solidify United States oil interests. Logan appears in the fifth and eighth seasons as the primary antagonist.
David Palmer is a fictional character, portrayed by Dennis Haysbert in the television series 24. A U.S. Senator and, later in the series, President of the United States, Palmer serves as the show's second-most prominent protagonist, after Jack Bauer, being forced to make hard decisions as president while also facing opposing elements within his own administration. Throughout the series, Palmer's ex-wife Sherry and brother Wayne are both key figures in his administration. He has two children: a son, Keith, and a daughter, Nicole. Palmer is a member of the Democratic Party. He is in the fourth highest number of episodes of any character in the series behind Tony Almeida (115), Chloe O'Brian (125) and main character Jack Bauer (192), portrayed by Carlos Bernard, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Kiefer Sutherland, respectively.
The seventh season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 7, premiered in the United States on Fox on January 11, 2009, and concluded on May 18, 2009. The season was originally scheduled to premiere on January 13, 2008, but was delayed due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. On November 23, 2008, Fox aired 24: Redemption, a two-hour TV movie set between seasons. Unlike all of the other seasons, this season's DVD set was released one day after the season finale. The season's storyline begins and ends at 8:00 a.m.
The Fox Network television series 24 has won numerous Emmy Awards for its technical and artistic merits, and become part of American popular culture. Jack Bauer and David Palmer are seen as iconic television characters. It has also been heavily criticized for justifying the misuse of government authority and the use of torture, and accused of being racially insensitive.
Renee Walker is a fictional character in the TV series 24, portrayed by Annie Wersching. She is an FBI special agent and appeared in both season 7 and season 8.
The eighth season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 8, premiered in the United States on Fox on January 17, 2010. The eighth season was announced as the final season of 24 and its series finale aired on May 24, 2010. However, the series returned with a ninth season as 24: Live Another Day, which aired in 2014. The season's storyline begins and ends at 4:00 p.m.
"12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." is the pilot episode of the Fox television series 24. It was written by series creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran and directed by Stephen Hopkins. It premiered in the United States on Fox at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, 2001.
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