It's been 19 long months since Jack Bauer's most recent (but not last – a movie is on the way!) mission on "24."
However, fans of Kiefer Sutherland will be getting a taste of his new Fox series, "Touch" (from the creator of "Heroes") on Wednesday. But instead of playing an extraordinary CTU agent, he has an extraordinary son.
"In the beginning of the story, we discover [Sutherland's character] Martin, who has a son named Jake, who in the course of our story we realize has been misdiagnosed with severe autism and in fact is actually just a truly, truly evolved human being that is years and years beyond where my character is and our society is at," the actor explained to reporters on Monday.
Jake, who has never spoken a single word, is somehow able to predict future events (though it's not always clear what he's predicting at first), something which brings him closer to his father.
"I’ve always felt that this was a drama," said Sutherland. "We’re embarking on the journey of a father trying to connect with his son and trying to have as normal a relationship as he can under the circumstances."
After the first episode, Sutherland explained, "This really does have a great deal of energy, so there’s an aspect of it that I would categorize as a thriller or suspense and certainly [there is a] science fiction component as well."
Sutherland said that he was interested in the show, so soon after "24," after reading the script. He felt that this is a show he had to work on.
Sutherland is also very interested in making this a family affair: “I think one of the things that’s so attractive about this piece is really [creator] Tim Kring’s writing and character development,” he said. “They give people an opportunity to show some stuff that they might not normally get, and I would be honored to be able to do something like this with my dad [actor Donald Sutherland].”
Unfortunately, viewers will have to wait until March to see the next episode of "Touch," but Sutherland and Fox hope that – just like with "Glee's" second episode – they'll be back for more.
