Writer of Pop Culture

1990: Fire Destroys Part of Universal Studios

It was on this day in 1990 that a fire broke out in Universal Studios backlot and destroyed some of the studios’ most iconic stage sets as well as some tourist attractions. Destroyed sets included those used for Back to the Future, a King Kong exhibit and a streetscape. It was the second fire at the studio within 20 years. (Main Image: Wikimedia)

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2001: ‘24’ Hour-Long TV Series

It was on this day that Joel Surnow’s and Robert Cochran’s unique action-adventure show, 24 debuted on FOX. Kiefer Sutherland starred as Jack Bauer, a family man and counter-terrorist agent in, where else, Los Angeles.

The gimmick of each episode was that the events would play out in “real time” essentially giving viewers an insight into each Jack’s busy workday one hour at a time. Each season, at first anyway, would last 24 episodes or one day. But we didn’t get to see just Jack’s day, but also his wife’s, his kids’ and co-workers while also trying to save the world from evil terrorists.

24 was a huge success for the network in terms of ratings as well as critical reception. The show won many awards during its run including a Golden Globe for Best Drama Series in 2004 and an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 2006. The series aired from November 6, 2001 – May 21, 2007, and again from January 11, 2009 – May 24, 2010.

In between seasons six and seven, FOX aired a 2-hour film, 24: Redemption. In 2014, the series was rebooted with 12 Live Another Day episodes and a spin-off series, 24: Legacy which starred Corey Hawkins, also aired 12 episodes in 2017.

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