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2 • February 5 - 11, 2017 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kyla Brewer TV Media T he Super Bowl may be the most exciting event of the year for football fans, but they aren't the only ones with something to cele- brate. One of the most exciting television series in history is about to reboot, and millions of TV view- ers eagerly await the premiere. Following the big game, "24" fans get their first taste of a brand new edition of the iconic action series that aired from 2001 to 2010, and was revived briefly in 2014. However, the legendary Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland, "Desig- nated Survivor") is not the star of the new edition. Corey Hawkins takes over as the lead in "24: Leg- acy," which premieres Sunday, Feb. 5, and continues Monday, Feb. 6, on Fox. The series again features a real-time format as Sgt. Eric Carter (Hawkins) battles terrorists, but, with 12 episodes instead of 24, there are time jumps incorporated into the season. TV viewers may recognize the Juilliard-trained Hawkins as Heath from AMC's ratings winner "The Walking Dead." However, it was the actor's role as Dr. Dre in the 2015 biopic "Straight Outta Compton" that attracted the at- tention of "24: Legacy" casting di- rector Lisa Miller Katz. Consider- ing the popularity of the original "24," and of Jack Bauer in particu- lar, Hawkins has big shoes to fill. His character, Carter, is a U.S. Army Ranger who led a successful mission to take out terrorist leader Sheik Ibrahim Bin-Khalid. Six months later, it appears that Kha- lid's followers have tracked down Carter and his fellow Rangers, prompting him to go into hiding and enlist the help of Rebecca In- gram (Miranda Otto, "Home- land"), former national director of CTU. Ingram seems to be the Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub, "Mr. Show") to Carter's Jack: a person with skills and resources who can help him from the inside. Ingram stepped down as director of CTU to support her husband, Sen. John Donovan (Jimmy Smits, "NYPD Blue"), during his bid for president of the United States, but she re- turns to CTU because she has faith in Carter's ability to thwart a looming terrorist attack on U.S. soil. "Carter was the youngest squad leader in the history of the Rangers," she explains in the show's trailer. "He doesn't fail, be- cause the battle isn't over until he wins." Hawkins, Otto and Smits make a formidable core cast, but fans of the original"24" are undoubtedly most excited to see a familiar face: Tony Almeida, played by Carlos Bernard ("Scoundrels"). "Carlos Bernard has done an amazing job portraying this dark and conflicted character, and we couldn't be more thrilled with his return to the show," said executive producers Evan Katz and Manny Coto, in a joint statement. One of the show's original char- acters, Almeida appeared in sea- sons 1 through 5, as well as 7 and 9. His character proved so popular, he was featured in "24: Solitary," a short film about his time in pris- on that was included in the DVD/ Blu-ray for 2014's "24: Live Anoth- er Day." Once a top CTU analyst, Almeida went rogue after his be- loved wife, Michelle (Reiko Ayles- worth, "Hawaii Five-0"), was mur- dered. It remains to be seen whether Almeida will be the reboot's big bad, or if the events will offer him the chance to redeem himself. Re- gardless, his return is highly antici- pated all around, but don't expect to see him right away. He shows up later in the season, so fans will have to stay tuned. Tony may be the only original cast member returning, but there is another link to the original. New- comer Coral Peña portrays CTU computer analyst Mariana Stiles, cousin of the late, great Edgar Stiles (Louis Lombardi, "The Sopranos"). Other cast members of note include Anna Diop ("The Messengers") as Carter's wife, Nicole; Ashley Thom- as ("The Night Of") as Carter's brother, Isaac; Dan Bucatinsky ("Scandal") as CTU communica- tions analyst Andy Shalowitz; Char- lie Hofheimer ("Mad Men") as for- mer soldier Ben Grimes; and Ra- phael Acloque ("The Danish Girl," 2015) as Jadalla bin-Khalid. Hopefully, fans of the original will be satisfied with Tony's return and role in the new series, but Bauer fanatics can take even more comfort in the fact that Sutherland is still leading the show, this time in the role of executive producer. And, although Sutherland initially rejected the idea of appearing in the new series, he's waffled in his resolve, giving Bauer fans hope. "I've learned enough over the last few years to not say never," admitted the actor during an inter- view on "Live With Kelly and Mi- chael" in February of last year. As the clock resets in this re- boot, Hawkins must work hard to win over diehard "24" fans, many of whom can't imagine the series without Bauer. Critics have been mostly kind to the spinoff, though, especially to Hawkins — in a January article, Chuck Barney of The Mercury News even went so far as to claim that Hawkins would make viewers forget about Jack Bauer. Find out if he lives up to the hype as he races to stop terrorists in the pre- miere of "24: Legacy," air- ing Sunday, Feb. 5, on Fox. 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