Big Interview:  "24" Producer Howard Gordon
ANDERSON: Well, just two months after the September 11th attacks, the world was introduced to Jack Bauer. Now, just weeks after we mark the anniversary of 9/11, the producers of "24" are launching a new counter- terrorism drama that taps into the fear and distrust that remains ten years on. In tonight's Big Interview, Max Foster speaks to the creator of the series, Howard Gordon.</s>MARY LYNN RAJSKUB AS CHLOE O'BRIAN, "24": Jack, what are you doing? Let's get out of here!</s>KIEFER SUTHERLAND AS JACK BAUER, "24": Chloe, take Derek and walk away.</s>MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unorthodox, but unstoppable, the character Jack Bauer was embraced by a public reeling from the realities of terrorism after 9/11.</s>DENNIS HAYSBERT AS PRESIDENT DAVID PALMER, "24": People are afraid to come outside. They're afraid to leave their homes, Jack. I mean, they're actually starting to turn against each other out there.</s>FOSTER: "24" was a race against time to prevent terror attacks. Fueled by anxiety, its creators Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa believe is still pervasive ten years after 9/11.</s>MANDY PATINKIN AS SAUL BERENSON, "HOMELAND": What were his exact words, please?</s>CLAIRE DANES AS CARRIE ANDERSON, "HOMELAND": An American prisoner of war has been turned.</s>FOSTER: Their new series, "Homeland," starring Claire Danes also tackles counter-terrorism, but the suspect is an American war hero believed to be an al Qaeda sympathizer.</s>DANES AS C. ANDERSON: Your picture was on our MIA wall. I saw it every day for five years. Good to meet you in person.</s>DAMIAN LEWIS AS SERGEANT NICHOLAS BRODY, "HOMELAND": Thank you, ma'am.</s>DANES AS C. ANDERSON: I'm sorry we were unable to find you sooner.</s>LEWIS AS BRODY: I appreciate that.</s>HOWARD GORDON, PRODUCER, "HOMELAND": We both really started this series by asking ourselves what -- do we have to fear -- should we be fearing the same things that we feared in the aftermath of 9/11? And that gave rise to a whole bunch of other questions. Who's the terrorist? Who's the villain? Why are we fighting? What do we hope to accomplish by fighting? How are we treating our veterans, those who fight on our behalf. And all those questions really begat the series and hopefully it's an engaging thriller at the core of it, it's not a polemic, but those are the questions that absolutely inform the story as it's being told.</s>DANES AS C. ANDERSON: Sergeant Brody stopped being a source of actionable intelligence fairly quickly, and yet, he was kept alive for almost eight more years. I'd like to ask him if he knows why.</s>LEWIS AS BRODY: I often wondered that myself.</s>FOSTER (on camera): This sort of storyline wouldn't have come to mind -- it would have been impossible before 9/11, would it? And it's about ten years since you brought "24" to the screen, so you're perhaps a good judge to work out what's changed in terms of this type of TV and the way Americans look at this type of subject since 9/11. How would you encapsulate it?</s>GORDON: Well, I would encapsulate it by saying that the world has become a far more complex place and we've become far less naive and, presumably, as television viewers since 9/11. And I think we understand that there has been a price for the so-called war on terror that we've engaged in. I mean, obviously, we are in two conflicts right now and continue to be in two conflicts even though we're drawing down in Iraq in Afghanistan, but nevertheless, the cost of those conflicts has been profound to this country. Our rights, our constitutionally guaranteed rights to privacy have been challenged in the name of national security, and sometimes effectively and sometimes necessarily, but again, at a price. Our conduct in the way we -- we conduct war, in terms of drones and such and mechanized warfare has changed the way we exercise our power abroad. And the price that that has, however effectively as a military strategy, the price it has to our image as Americans has also been challenged. Obviously, Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib are things that continue to affect our prosecution of the war on terror. So, as a country, we're very, very -- we have been sobered by the realities of this new complex world that we find ourselves in. Still have things to be afraid of, but our awareness of that fear and our -- the way we're going to challenge that fear, I think, has grown up quite a bit.</s>DANES AS C. ANDERSON: Ziardi (ph)?</s>LEWIS AS BRODY: That's what he told me his name was anyway.</s>DANES AS C. ANDERSON: Was this him?</s>LEWIS AS BRODY: No.</s>DANES AS C. ANDERSON: But you know who this man is.</s>LEWIS AS BRODY: Of course. Every marine in the country was briefed on high-value targets.</s>FOSTER: You're pushing things, though, aren't you? You're really challenging Americans, because you've got an American hero who could possibly be a sympathizer, and al Qaeda sympathizer. People are unsure about things in America, and you're going to challenge them. So, you're going to offend a few people, aren't you? Not least in the Pentagon, I'm sure.</s>GORDON: Well, I think that if we haven't offended some people, we haven't done our job. I think that's really the job of an artist. I like to think that that's our -- not our obligation, but I think that's really what makes something worth watching, which is it makes us think, it makes us ask those questions. And hopefully, if it provides ready answers to those very complicated questions, then it's propaganda, and it's -- or it's a polemic. I think it's our great privilege as Americans who have the freedom to tell these stories, and I think any -- those of us in the creative community in Hollywood get to ask those questions, and it's a tremendous privilege. But yes, we are pushing people. We are making them think, hopefully. And it's not something you can fold the laundry -- this is not a show you can fold the laundry and do e-mails with.</s>ANDERSON: All right. So, it was -- this is our Parting Shots for you this evening. It was actually a remark about 9/11 that kicked off your Parting Shots tonight. The big speech of the day at the United Nations General Assembly, President Ahmadinejad of Iran. The Americans weren't impressed. Straight out of the door when he claims 9/11 had been a mysterious event. Well, the other delegations, they stuck it out a little bit longer. Comments about the holocaust sent the French flying. Then, the dash for the exits started. Germany, Ireland, Britain, and others all heading for the exits. I'm Becky Anderson. That is your world connected. Thank you for watching. The world news headlines and "BackStory" will follow this short break here on CNN. Don't go away.