Time's Up for Jack Bauer, 24

Ask not for whom the digital clock beeps, Jack Bauer, it beeps for thee—Fox will cancel 24 after this season, sources tell The Wrap. Though it's not official yet, the network has hinted it might drop the expensive thriller in August, with one executive saying, “It’s going to come down to a business decision.” Unfortunately for fans, ratings have merely been OK this year.

It’s not just a ratings issue. Fox’s current primetime slate is so solid that it needs to clear some space to develop new hits. There’s an outside chance it will approach other networks about picking up the show, but the pricey production would probably be a nonstarter for Fox's competitors—with the possible exception of a desperate NBC. (More Jack Bauer stories.)