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Joel Surnow (born December 18, 1955) is an American television writer and producer. He is the co-creator of the action series La Femme Nikita and 24 . Life and career [ edit ]
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- Wendy Cozen, Colleen Surnow (1989–present)
- Writer, producer
Joel Surnow was born on 29 November 1954 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for 24 (2001), The Equalizer (1985) and Nowhere Man (1995). He has been married to Colleen Surnow since 10 October 1989.
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- Detroit, Michigan, USA
Feb 11, 2007 · The office desk of Joel Surnow—the co-creator and executive producer of “24,” the popular counterterrorism drama on Fox—faces a wall dominated by an American flag in a glass case.
- Jane Mayer
Joel Surnow was born on 29 November 1954 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for 24 (2001), The Equalizer (1985) and Nowhere Man (1995). He has been married to Colleen Surnow since 10 October 1989.
- November 29, 1954
- Originally, 24 Was Supposed to Be About A Wedding.
- 24 Borrowed Several Elements from La Femme Nikita.
- 24's Producers Almost Scrapped The Real-Time Format After Season 1.
- The Real-Time Format Plagued 24's Writers.
- The Clock on 24 Went Silent Whenever A Character died.
- Kiefer Sutherland Got A Tattoo to Make Filming on 24 easier.
- 24's Infamous Cougar Bit Elisha Cuthbert.
- Sarah Clarke Wore The Same Clothes For An Entire Season of 24.
- A Season 4 Episode of 24 Flashed A Real Cell Phone number.
- There's A Nod to Stand by Me in 24.
Joel Surnow's initial concept for 24 was solely about the real-time, ticking-clock format. So when Surnow called co-creator Bob Cochran to pitch the concept, the show was, at that point, about the day leading up to a wedding. That was quickly scrapped in favor of a thriller where someone's daughter was kidnapped, and eventually morphed into an anti...
La Femme Nikita, a TV series adapted by Surnow from the 1990 Luc Besson film of the same name, was a cult staple of 1990s action television. It was also a proving ground for what Surnow would do later with 24, including a hero killing in cold blood, terrorist attacks that don't get stopped, split screen formats, and even the name Bauer.
Fortunately, most of the actors—Sutherland included—lobbied the creators to keep it. Co-writer Virgil Williams told The Guardianthat dropping the real-time format "would be like killing Tony Soprano."
Despite saying that the format was freeing in certain aspects, writer Michael Loceff told Slatethat it could also box them in and caused trouble for one simple reason: They couldn't magically transport people where they needed to be. "You want the character of Curtis to be at CTU, but he’s at the airport, so we can’t have him at CTU right then. And...
The show reminded viewers of its real-time gimmick with virtually every commercial break and credits sequence, ending scenes and episodes with its iconic digital clock beeping down the seconds. To mark the death of a major character or a moment of intense sadness, the clock would appear silently as a tribute. (They probably also did it because blar...
Bauer has a tattoo of the Virgin of Guadalupefrom his time in deep cover with the Salazar Brothers, but instead of spending hours in the make-up chair every time it appeared on screen, Sutherland got it for real. Presumably it was a big time saver—not to mention a lovely keepsake.
Tough guy Sutherland may have hurt himself coming out of his trailer, but Elisha Cuthbert—who played Jack Bauer's daughter, Kim—was bittenby the show's infamous cougar from season 2. The cougar scene in "Day 2: 6:00pm - 7:00pm" is infamous for going over the top of the over-the-top treatment of her character, but she was hospitalized for it when th...
Nina Myers is a massive part of 24, but Sarah Clarkewas cast in the role at the very last minute—literally. The show was getting ready to kick off its first day of shooting when Clarke auditioned and was cast. Since she was shuttled straight from an audition to filming, the wardrobe department didn't have time to create a costume for her, so she en...
While most TV shows and movies use fake phone numbers (see: 555-5555), 24 used a valid cell phone number belonging to a crew member in "Day Four: 11:00am - 12:00pm," which became known as the Fan Phone. The voicemail message alerted callers that they'd called the 24prop phone, but some fans got through to talk to writers, producers, production desi...
Milo Pressman is a character in Stand By Me who owns a junkyard (and a mean junkyard dog). Milo Pressman is also a character in 24. Either that's a major coincidence, or it's a subtle tip of the cap to the movie that helped launch young Sutherland's career.
Joel Surnow was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was raised first in Michigan, and later Los Angeles. Surnow attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years, and eventually graduated from UCLA film school in 1976. Soon after graduation, he began writing for film and television. Surnow and Robert Cochran started working together in ...
24: Legacy. 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, which is emphasized by the display of split screens ...
