This link doesn't exactly contain spoilers, but it does information on the cast for 24 next year, so it'll be highlight-to-read from here on out. It's really pretty innocuous stuff, basically just a cast list.

"Everyone has been shown the door, aside from Kiefer." That means no Palmer, no Tony, no Michelle, no Chloe, no Chase, and no Kim. Okay, so the last two cast changes are a plus. But completely revamping the show for what you consider to be its final season is a completely bullshit move that will NOT go over well. Jack won't even be working for CTU Los Angeles anymore. He'll be in Washington, working for DoD.

Now, maybe this is misdirection, and as the show goes on it'll bring some of these old characters back into the plot. If that's the case--if Tony et all are in episodes 5 and up or something--all is forgiven. But if they're dumping Tony (and to a lesser extent, if they're dumping Palmer), it's completely unacceptable. They've been there since the beginning.

You can't start over four years in, guys. They should drop this stupid plan, keep CTU, and keep our beloved cast of backup characters (minus Kim, including Tony and a retired President Palmer). Blaming the cast for a show's troubles, which I assume is what's happened here, is the sign of hack writers. The big problem with last year's arc wasn't that you had to fit in plots for all these secondary characters, it was that you just made the story up as you went along, just like always. PLAN THE PLOT OUT IN ADVANCE.

Usually it takes them at least twelve episodes to completely screw up. This year it's happened before Episode 1.

PS: 24 direct-to-DVD? Am I missing something here? How long's it gonna be?