As reported by Entertainment Weekly, star Kiefer Sutherland will return to the small screen on March 26th with Paramount+'s thriller Rabbit Hole. Still, during his recent chat with EW, the Designated Survivor actor spoke about another television thriller, his hit series 24. The Fox drama (which earned Sutherland an Emmy as well as six other nominations for his portrayal of Jack Bauer) ran for nine seasons from 2001 to 2010 and even saw the actor reprise his role in the 2014 limited series 24: Live Another Day.

Sutherland said, "I mean, it was the best time of my life. I was in my early 30s, so I was physically capable. I was not in my 20s, so I was a little smarter — not a whole lot, but a little smarter. And I got to do it for 10 years, which is, I guarantee you, the most stable opportunity that an actor will ever be given."

He continued, "So for all of those reasons, and just the fantastic people that I got to make it with — and by the way, it's so nice to do something that people like. [Laughs] Because I've had the other side, where I've done a few things where people are like, 'Yeah, that sucks.' I guarantee you the other version is nicer. It was incredibly special for me and I would like to see it continue on."

Though it's been almost ten years since Sutherland last portrayed Jack, the star has since publicly stated that he believes his popular character has more stories to tell. Likewise, according to Sutherland, he's still in contact with the series showrunner Howard Gordon.

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Kiefer Sutherland Said He Still Talks With 24 Showrunner Howard Gordon About Potentially Bringing Back Jack Bauer

Freddie Prinze Jr and Kiefer Sutherland
20th Century Fox

Sutherland said, "Howard and I talk all the time and invariably it comes up. The idea of him being brought back — I'm just spitballing — I think that's an interesting idea. You introduce a new cast of people in their effort to get him out, and it lives on from that point. There's a lot of ways to go about it."

Sutherland noted that another 24 would also include variations of the series that don't involve Jack, similar to 2017's 24: Legacy, which starred Corey Hawkins and featured Sutherland as an executive producer. Sutherland said, "I also think it's such a great idea to take a 24-hour moment in somebody's life that is desperate — and that could be a fireman; that could be so many different circumstances."

He added, "It boggles my mind that someone hasn't come along and said, 'Well, we need to do this with it.' So whether it involves me or not, I just think that to do something in real time is so clever — difficult, but clever — that I find it kind of shocking that it hasn't manifested itself into something else and/or bigger."

According to Sutherland, it doesn't matter whether or not another 24 features his character. He said, "I'm not more interested in one idea versus another. Joel [Surnow] and Bob [Cochran, creators of 24] came up with something really clever in this idea of telling something in real time over a 24-hour period, and I would just hate to think that it only got one swing at the bat."

Sutherland wrapped up talking about 24 by saying, "I was grateful to have had the opportunity. If I get to do something else with it, I would certainly jump at that. But if it were to simply grow into something else, I would be its champion there as well, because I think the story is such a good idea. What was it, 20 years after the initial Star Trek that they finally started morphing into something different? I certainly see that for something like 24, because I believe it is a franchise-worthy idea. So, yeah — time will tell."