On March 26, 2010, 24 series director and producer Jon Cassar announced on Twitter that the popular, long-running action-adventure show had been canceled. The eighth series of episodes depicting one 24-hour day in the life of protagonist Jack Bauer will be the final one produced.http://twitter.com/joncassar/status/11112400187

Soon after Cassar's tweet, the Los Angeles Times confirmed the story that Fox had indeed decided to cease production of 24. After eight seasons on air, the television network, along with show's executive producer Howard Gordan, agreed to wrap things up "as close to peak form" as possible.http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/03/clock-stops-ticking-for-foxs-24.html

Ratings in this eighth season dipped 34% when compared to the previous year, according to Fox estimates. But though Jack Bauer's TV run will end, the Times speculated that there is a good chance that there will be a movie or series of movies could be made out of the series.http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/03/clock-stops-ticking-for-foxs-24.html

Earlier in March 2010, movie and television blog SlashFilm noted that Fox was in talks with NBC to purchase the series. However, on March 26th, they report that this "last ditch" effort did not come through.

Stories on 24 unfold in a format that simulates real-time. Each hour-long episode depicts one hour in the life of anti-terrorism expert Jack Bauer, with a season of 24 episodes working out to exactly one day. (Time continues to unfold during commercial breaks.) Each "day" depicted in a 24 season tends to involve some severe terrorist threat to the United States, though there are often twists and revelations that change or shift the nature of the pending attack.

The real-time nature of the show had been both criticized and praised.http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/lsquo24rsquo-cancelled/pulling-the-plug/ Initially, the unique take on serialized action storytelling was perceived as innovative, and the show's gritty, realistic depiction of terrorist threats to the US won the show notable celebrity fans such as Rush Limbaugh and author Stephen King.http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20006667,00.html

There have also been critical reactions to 24 and the nature of its narrative, particularly in later seasons as the show's writers revisited certain themes - such as "ticking time bomb" scenarios and presidential assassinations - that had been previously employed. These criticisms culminated during the show's 6th season, during which the audience dipped by about 1/3 and producers vowed to "revitalize" the series.http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/30/entertainment/et-channel30