The actor, who has played Jack Bauer for five seasons, will earn $40 million with his new contract. He is also the executive producer of the series. Sutherland calls his experience on 24 "one of the most creative and rewarding experiences of my career".
The television series, which began in 2001, is considered revolutionary, in that it is presented in "real time". Each episode depicts the events of only one day of the story.