Ready to command

The executive producer of Fox’s thrill ride of a series, “24,” knew exactly who he wanted to play the stalwart and no-nonsense U.S. secretary of Defense -- veteran character actor William Devane.

“He is almost an American archetype,” said Joel Surnow. “The serious, tough, silver fox guy that you can see really in charge and in command.”

Devane’s performances in two seminal TV movies of the 1970s -- “The Missiles of October” and “Fear on Trial,” in just those sorts of roles -- earned him Emmy nominations. But he’s probably best known to TV audiences most recently as the deliciously vile Greg Sumner on the CBS prime-time soap “Knots Landing.”

What Surnow didn’t know was that the actor had never seen “24,” the espionage- and conspiracy-driven saga of a war against terrorism being waged on U.S. soil. In fact, Devane doesn’t watch much TV at all.

“I like to watch real people on television,” said the fit 64-year-old grandfather of two. “I watch C-SPAN and ‘Booknotes.’ I find that stuff really interesting.”

He chuckled when he recalled what Surnow told him after learning of his unfamiliarity with the series. “He said, ‘Let me tell you. I make just as much if you are watching or not,’ ” Devane said.

With the fourth season of “24,” which began Sunday evening with a special two-hour premiere, the series moves to Mondays at 9 p.m. from Tuesdays at 9 p.m., opposite heavy competition from CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Two and a Half Men” as well as NBC’s “Las Vegas” and ABC’s “The Bachelorette.”

Although “24” saw a dip in the ratings last year, it placed No. 43 among all prime-time viewers and No. 31 in the important 18-49 demographic, the most coveted by advertisers. Changes in the show -- from the addition of new faces and a new set -- have been designed with an eye to expanding that audience. (The next two episodes of the series air tonight, beginning at 8.)

Devane enters the cast as Secretary of Defense James Heller, who is about to return to Washington from Los Angeles but decides to take a side trip on the way to the airport to visit his estranged son. From there, he and his daughter and aide, Audrey (Kim Raver), are kidnapped by Middle Eastern terrorists.

It’s 18 months since agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) saved the world from a deadly virus unleashed by terrorists. President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) decided not to run for reelection after the death of his Lady Macbeth of a wife. Also absent from this season -- at least so far -- is Bauer’s daughter, Kim, who had been placed in one hair-raising predicament after another.

Bauer, booted out of the Counter Terrorist Unit after the end of last season, has kicked his heroin habit and is working for Heller. Bauer also happens to be having a secret affair with Audrey.

Some of the more compelling moments in the early episodes this season are the emotional scenes between Heller and Audrey after their kidnapping. Devane said he and Raver immediately felt an on-screen connection as father and daughter.

“It is like we have been dancing together all of our lives,” Devane said.

Raver agreed.

“Our first day [on set], we were bound and gagged and thrown in the back of a van together, so it was like ‘nice meeting you’ and then you were rolling around in the back of the van blindfolded. ... We bonded [immediately].”

Despite critical acclaim in its first season, “24” struggled on the network and was greeted with a bit of a surprise when it was renewed. Many wondered how the series’ concept -- the entire season of “24” is set in a single day, with each hourlong episode covering a 60-minute period of time -- would work in its sophomore year.

Not only have the producers and writers come up with an edge-of-your-seat plotline with each subsequent season, but the show has also become the network’s most popular hourlong dramatic series.

Fox Home Entertainment has released all three seasons on DVD. There’s also a “24Inside” web cast similar in format to a talk show that features interviews with cast and crew as well as discussions in front of a studio audience.

The series has set a standard in its taut scripts and flashy, fast-paced editing -- “24” has won an Emmy for its editing for the last three years -- and sophisticated use of the split screen, allowing viewers to witness several scenes simultaneously, a device that helps build the suspense.

The jump-cutting and use of split screens recall the visual style of Norman Jewison’s 1968 romantic caper film, “The Thomas Crown Affair.”

“We felt we could take a ‘60s idea [of the split screen] and make it new so it wasn’t ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ ” said Surnow. “They used a lot of split screen in the ‘60s, and it was for effect. But for us, we are trying to sell an idea that there are a lot of things happening, and the split screens work beautifully.”

During its first three seasons, the series was preempted for special episodes of “American Idol,” plus specials and even tryouts for limited series. This season, however, “24” will air without any preemptions.

Viewers often complain that it’s difficult to catch up with a continuing drama if they miss an episode, but Surnow doesn’t believe that’s an issue with “24.”

Still, the writers are aware of the need to keep the show accessible to viewers, particularly those who may not have seen it. Surnow said the episodes are often “retrofitted” even after they have been shot and edited, usually to add material that foreshadows a plot point in an upcoming installment.

“We pretty much have an accurate sense of how much we can stuff into a show and handle the last act ...,” he said. “It has to be very finely crafted.”

Although Devane ended his run with “Knots Landing” in 1993, he has continued to work in both movies and television, appearing in such films as “Space Cowboys” and “Hollow Man” and as a regular on two short-lived series: the NBC sitcom “The Michael Richards Show” and the ABC drama “The Monroes.”

Devane also is a playwright and director -- he just directed a new play for the Actors Studio at Sunset Millennium.

Returning to a weekly dramatic series has been anything but a grind for Devane.

“I only work a day or two a week. It’s very similar to ‘Knots Landing,’ ” said Devane, who lives on a horse ranch in Thermal, a community east of Palm Springs. His son manages a local restaurant that he owns.

Devane said strangers still come up to talk to him about “Knots Landing.” “People just loved that show. I get a lot of ‘I used to watch it with my mother,’ ” he said over lunch in Hollywood.

He’s happy that networks have realized audiences want to see hourlong dramas like “24” and this season’s two new blockbusters, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost.”

Now that he’s a costar on the show, Devane said he’s eager to watch “24” but sheepishly admits that he can’t get Fox at his ranch.

“I don’t get cable,” he said with a flash of his blue eyes. “I am on DirecTV, and you have to apply to get the network package.”

Devane continued with a mock sigh: “DirecTV has to get permission from the local affiliates to allow you to do so. That’s one of the things I have to do this week -- go to the Fox affiliate down there and introduce myself and say, ‘I am on your most famous show. Do you think you can allow me to see it?’ ”