Real time
From Wiki 24
Real time is a style of visual storytelling where events depicted in the story occur over the exact same amount of time required to view it. Each episode of 24 unfolds in real time and is accompanied by multiple showings of a digital clock, either at the bottom of the screen, without sound, or roughly in the middle, at the start of an ad-break. After an ad-break, the clock re-appears, with split screen boxes placed around it, accompanied by a sound.
In order to keep the show moving when characters are simply waiting for something to happen (for instance, driving from one place to another), the series juggles several plotlines, cutting from one to another to maximize suspense and drama. Over the course of a season, the writers typically show events from the point of view of Counter Terrorist Unit, the White House, the terrorists, and one or more civilian families connected to the day's events. Unlike traditional dramas, which use one set of characters for an "A plot" and another for a "B plot," 24 usually updates all its running plotlines in each episode.
Since American broadcast series are interrupted by commercials, 24 shows a ticking clock noting the time, and a split screen showing what a handful of characters are doing, at the beginning of every break. Although there is technically nothing going on during the commercial breaks, credits, and previouslies, the viewer is meant to assume that the characters have been going about their lives.
To date, 24 has purportedly taken place exclusively in real-time, with one minor exception. During the closing minutes of Day 1 11:00pm-12:00am, scenes from Day 1 12:00am-1:00am were shown in a splitscreen window alongside the continuing real-time events of the episode. Also during the closing split-screen of Day 5 6:00pm-7:00pm, footage that was shown earlier of a female CTU worker dying is mistakenly shown again.
Spin-off materials such as 24: The Game, 24: Conspiracy, 24: Countdown, The Rookie: CTU and Day Zero do not run in real-time, although The Game and Conspiracy still covers a 24 hour period.
