24 Time Warp

LEAPS FOUR YEARS AHEAD, JACK IS NOW (GULP) 52!

By DON KAPLAN

June 20, 2008 --

JACK Bauer will be turning 52 when the popular Fox drama returns next year.

At least, he should be.

When "24" comes back next January, four years will have passed on the series, Fox officials confirmed yesterday.

To emphasize the passage of time, Jack's sidekick, Chloe (Mary-Lynn Rajskub), who was revealed to be pregnant in last year's season finale, will suddenly have a 4-year-old kid to deal with.

For those keeping score at home, that means that 17 TV years have passed since Season 1, when Bauer first took on the Eastern European bad guys bent on revenge and destruction - and he was said to be 35 years old.

In chronological terms, next year will be the seventh season of the addictive suspense series and - in real life - Bauer doesn't look a day over 41 (Kiefer Sutherland's real age).

But in the world of "24," the year will be 2017, although chances are the show's writers and producers will never mention that. Nor will Bauer be artificially aged to more closely resemble his character's AARP-eligible status.

"We've always built in significant passages of time between seasons of '24' for dramatic purposes," said a spokesman from Fox, the studio that produces the show. "Luckily, like all great iconic characters, Jack Bauer is ageless."

While it's far from unheard of for TV dramas to time travel - "Desperate Housewives" will do the very same thing next fall - "24" is something of a special case for a variety of reasons. Not the least is that each season spans just one very hectic day.

It also may be a bit easier for viewers to digest when "24" finally returns after a year-long absence - the show was yanked this season when the Writers Guild strike made production impossible.

Adding to the illusion is a "24" TV movie next fall on Fox, that is being billed as a "prequel" to the new season.