Fox's ''24'' may not pull in the numbers of a ''Survivor'' finale, but producers of the real-time show are still taking great pains to make the season ender a surprise for its fans. Creators-executive producers Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow have shot three radically different endings to keep everyone guessing; even star Kiefer Sutherland won't know his fate until the finale airs May 21, Cochran claims. ''I don't want to give anything away, but I do think the ending is consistent with what is presented in the previous 23 episodes,'' he says. Gee, thanks for that.

But it's no secret that Cochran feels ''24'' should come back for another year, and he'd like the format to stay as is, despite reports that Fox may want to kill the serialized aspect and use shorter story arcs. ''Serialization is the hallmark of the show, but I recognize there are a lot of considerations,'' says Cochran. ''You can't have the daughter run away and be kidnapped every day. We have to come up with ways of doing a family story without it getting so ridiculous that it seems silly.''

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