By Bye Bauer?

Now it could just be the bitter old cynic in me harping away here but does anyone else get the feeling that maybe, just maybe, Fox are about to commit the ultimate sin and brace viewers for a world of 24 where a certain God like Jack Bauer ceases to exist?

This week has seen the news that both Mykelti Williamson and Freddie Prinze Jr will be touching down on the eight season of the hit TV show, and whilst this normally wouldn’t get the old alarm bells ringing it’s the roles they are undertaking that has got me breaking out in a rather panic induced sweat. With Williamson, a fine and capable actor don’t get me wrong, undertaking the role of Brian Hastings head of CTU New York. I mean I’m all for a spin off 24 show in the same vain of CSI where we get to see different regions undergoing the spotlight treatment but not at the cost of losing what is essentially the heartbeat of the entire show in Jack Bauer!

Ok, ok so I’m no doubt getting way, way ahead of myself and nobody in there right mind would agree to let Kiefer Sutherland walk away from the show, but I just cant help but get a tiny bit nervous when checking out the character that a certain Mr. Prinze Jr will be undertaking in the new season; a recently returned marine who runs CTU Field Ops and wants to follow in Jack Bauer's footsteps.

Yes that’s right so in short we have ourselves a mini me Bauer turning up for the eighth season, YAY! And to top it all off he arrives in the shape of Freddie Prinze Jr, it just gets better and better doesn’t it!

Ok so I’ll stop with the incessant ramblings for now, and maybe take a long deep breath whilst I’m at it, but what do you make of these new arrivals on the 24 circuit, and what would you make of a 24 series minus Jack Bauer?