Karen Hayes
Encyclopedia
Karen Hayes is a fictional character
on the television
program 24
portrayed by actress Jayne Atkinson
. She appeared as a recurring character in twelve episodes of the fifth season and was a main cast member in eighteen episodes of the sixth season.
was originally cast as Karen Hayes before being replaced by Jayne Atkinson
. Producer Howard Gordon
praised Metcalf's acting abilities, but said "the role was not the right fit for the actress" and they mutually agreed to recast the part.
, Hayes was an FBI agent. She worked within the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, eventually becoming Senior Agent and later a Special Agent
in Charge.
Hayes has a Bachelor of Arts
in Sociology
from Princeton University
. Atkinson says that her character is cautious especially when it comes to "civil liberties and profiling a certain population."
's Los Angeles branch at the time of Day 5
. Vice President
Hal Gardner authorizes her to absorb and essentially replace the workers at CTU - Los Angeles
after a major terrorist attack leaves many of CTU's original employees dead. Hayes takes operational control of CTU. She decides to keep the survivors on staff until the crisis is over, against the advice of her assistant Miles Papazian. After the nerve gas is secured, Hayes vouches for CTU, but is ordered by the Vice President to fire them and fully absorb CTU into Homeland.
She gradually grows suspicious of her superiors when President
Charles Logan
issues an executive order for the detainment and arrest of Jack Bauer
and later says that he will use the military to capture him. After one of her people from Homeland indirectly aids Jack Bauer
, she learns from Mike Novick
that Logan never contacted the military about Bauer and that no member of the executive office has yet seen Logan's "evidence" against Bauer. Based on the President's actions in the preceding hours, Hayes is convinced that Logan is indeed manipulating CTU in order to kill Bauer.
After Jack successfully obtains a confession from Logan, Hayes prepares to leave CTU for the day, under new orders to report to Washington, D.C. to fully report on the days events. She acknowledges to Buchanan that she will strongly recommend to newly appointed President Gardner that he remain as Special Agent in Charge of CTU. At the end of the day, Buchanan asks to have breakfast with Hayes, though she asks for a raincheck.
. She had also been appointed as the White House National Security Advisor
to President Wayne Palmer
, several months previously. She frequently argues with Tom Lennox over plans of creating detention facilities and presidential pardon for Hamri Al-Assad. She briefly resigns after Tom Lennox
threatens to expose the files that show that her husband released Fayed who is revealed to be a terrorist. At one point, she reluctantly fires Bill Buchanan to save her career.
However, Karen returns when she learns of a failed assassination plot against Wayne Palmer. She helps Wayne Palmer
regain power when Vice President Noah Daniels attempts to launch a nuclear attack on the Middle East
and when he invokes the 25th Amendment to become the President.
When Phillip Bauer offers to trade this component in exchange for his grandson Josh Bauer, Karen decides to defend Josh's rights and opposes the deal. When Tom and Daniels go on to do so, she secretly helps Jack Bauer to intervene. Although she is arrested for insubordination, Tom persuades Daniels to grant a pardon to Karen and Bill who will resign in return. She is neither seen nor mentioned in Season 7, though her husband Bill Buchanan returned.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
portrayed by actress Jayne Atkinson
Jayne Atkinson
Jayne Atkinson is an English-born American film, theatre and television actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Karen Hayes on 24 as well as her Tony Award-nominated roles in The Rainmaker and Enchanted April...
. She appeared as a recurring character in twelve episodes of the fifth season and was a main cast member in eighteen episodes of the sixth season.
Concept and creation
Actress Laurie MetcalfLaurie Metcalf
Lauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf is an American actress. She is widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story film series and as Debbie Salt in Scream 2...
was originally cast as Karen Hayes before being replaced by Jayne Atkinson
Jayne Atkinson
Jayne Atkinson is an English-born American film, theatre and television actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Karen Hayes on 24 as well as her Tony Award-nominated roles in The Rainmaker and Enchanted April...
. Producer Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.-Life and career:Gordon was born in Queens, New York, New York. After graduating from Princeton in 1984, Gordon came to Los Angeles with fellow filmmaker Alex Gansa to pursue a career in writing for television. Both broke into the industry...
praised Metcalf's acting abilities, but said "the role was not the right fit for the actress" and they mutually agreed to recast the part.
Characterization
Before joining the United States Department of Homeland SecurityUnited States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
, Hayes was an FBI agent. She worked within the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, eventually becoming Senior Agent and later a Special Agent
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
in Charge.
Hayes has a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Atkinson says that her character is cautious especially when it comes to "civil liberties and profiling a certain population."
24: Season 5
Hayes is the Division Director of the United States Department of Homeland SecurityUnited States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
's Los Angeles branch at the time of Day 5
24 (season 5)
Season Five, also known as Day 5 of the television series 24 premiered on January 15, 2006 and aired its season finale on May 22, 2006.The Season Five storyline starts and ends at 7:00 a.m. It is the same time frame as the previous season....
. Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Hal Gardner authorizes her to absorb and essentially replace the workers at CTU - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
after a major terrorist attack leaves many of CTU's original employees dead. Hayes takes operational control of CTU. She decides to keep the survivors on staff until the crisis is over, against the advice of her assistant Miles Papazian. After the nerve gas is secured, Hayes vouches for CTU, but is ordered by the Vice President to fire them and fully absorb CTU into Homeland.
She gradually grows suspicious of her superiors when President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Charles Logan
Charles Logan (24 character)
Charles Logan is a fictional character played by Gregory Itzin in the television series 24. During the show's fourth season, Logan is the Vice President of the United States who is sworn into office as President of the United States when former President John Keeler is critically injured in a...
issues an executive order for the detainment and arrest of Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C...
and later says that he will use the military to capture him. After one of her people from Homeland indirectly aids Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C...
, she learns from Mike Novick
Mike Novick
Mike Novick is a fictional character played by Jude Ciccolella as part of the television series, 24. He has appeared more than any other recurring character, having appeared in 58 episodes over 4 seasons, and has been given a promotional photo with the same background as the starring cast members,...
that Logan never contacted the military about Bauer and that no member of the executive office has yet seen Logan's "evidence" against Bauer. Based on the President's actions in the preceding hours, Hayes is convinced that Logan is indeed manipulating CTU in order to kill Bauer.
After Jack successfully obtains a confession from Logan, Hayes prepares to leave CTU for the day, under new orders to report to Washington, D.C. to fully report on the days events. She acknowledges to Buchanan that she will strongly recommend to newly appointed President Gardner that he remain as Special Agent in Charge of CTU. At the end of the day, Buchanan asks to have breakfast with Hayes, though she asks for a raincheck.
24: Season 6
Karen returns to Day 6, now married to Bill BuchananBill Buchanan
Bill Buchanan was an American songwriter.-Career:His most famous composition took place in 1956, when he and Dickie Goodman created the sound collage "The Flying Saucer." After Buchanan and Goodman severed their partnership in 1959, Buchanan later wrote the song "Please Don't Ask About Barbara"...
. She had also been appointed as the White House National Security Advisor
National Security Advisor (United States)
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
to President Wayne Palmer
Wayne Palmer
Wayne Palmer is a fictional President of the United States on the television series 24. He is played by D. B. Woodside.-Characterization:...
, several months previously. She frequently argues with Tom Lennox over plans of creating detention facilities and presidential pardon for Hamri Al-Assad. She briefly resigns after Tom Lennox
Tom Lennox
Thomas "Tom" Lennox, Ph.D., is a fictional character from the television series 24, played by Peter MacNicol.-Characterization:He first appeared in the first episode of 24's 6th season, where he plays the White House Chief of Staff of President Wayne Palmer. It was he who convinced Palmer to run...
threatens to expose the files that show that her husband released Fayed who is revealed to be a terrorist. At one point, she reluctantly fires Bill Buchanan to save her career.
However, Karen returns when she learns of a failed assassination plot against Wayne Palmer. She helps Wayne Palmer
Wayne Palmer
Wayne Palmer is a fictional President of the United States on the television series 24. He is played by D. B. Woodside.-Characterization:...
regain power when Vice President Noah Daniels attempts to launch a nuclear attack on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and when he invokes the 25th Amendment to become the President.
When Phillip Bauer offers to trade this component in exchange for his grandson Josh Bauer, Karen decides to defend Josh's rights and opposes the deal. When Tom and Daniels go on to do so, she secretly helps Jack Bauer to intervene. Although she is arrested for insubordination, Tom persuades Daniels to grant a pardon to Karen and Bill who will resign in return. She is neither seen nor mentioned in Season 7, though her husband Bill Buchanan returned.