'24' Season 8 Preview and Predictions (VIDEO)

Hang onto your hats because '24' season 8 premieres this Sunday! The new season begins with a two-night, four-hour premiere on January 17, and star Kiefer Sutherland told TV Guide that it will be "absolutely mind-blowing."

"Jack Bauer is going to have a bad day," said Sutherland. "He's going to face impossible odds and moral dilemmas. And in the end, he's going to triumph." Of that, we have no doubt!

If you'd rather not be spoiled for the new season, we suggest you stop reading here. Those of you who want to know about all the upcoming terrorists, explosions, gunfights, and torture scenes, follow us after the jump.Hang onto your hats because '24' season 8 premieres this Sunday! The new season begins with a two-night, four-hour premiere on Jan. 17, and star Kiefer Sutherland told TV Guide that it will be "absolutely mind-blowing."

"Jack Bauer is going to have a bad day," said Sutherland. "He's going to face impossible odds and moral dilemmas. And in the end, he's going to triumph." Of that, we have no doubt!

If you'd rather not be spoiled for the new season, we suggest you stop reading here. Those of you who want to know about all the upcoming terrorists, explosions, gunfights, and torture scenes, read on.

We last left our hero at the end of season 7 in a desperately ill state, with his daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) pondering whether to tell Jack about his granddaughter. Here's what we know about season 8.

Jack Bauer is happy. At the beginning anyway. Season 8 opens with Jack in New York City spending time with Kim and his granddaughter. He has a new lease on life and is enjoying his retirement from terrorists and saving the world. Of course, that doesn't last long.

It's set in New York City. After previous seasons in Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and elsewhere, the ticking clock is coming to the Big Apple. We're excited for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the 24/7 energy of the city that never sleeps and the endless possibilities for Jack. We imagine he'll make good use of all the public transportation available and hit several hot spots.

Jack is called back into action. Well, of course! Less than 20 minutes into the first episode, Jack is called upon to help President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) with a peacekeeping mission. The president is negotiating with a Middle Eastern president, Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor 'Slumdog Millionaire'), who's targeted by factions in his homeland who oppose the talks. Look for Jack to speak fluent German when he encounters a German arms dealer later in the season.

CTU has new digs. Beneath Manhattan's Roosevelt Island, to be exact, with an underground passageway running two blocks under the East River, connecting CTU to the United Nations. The subterranean fortress also features screens with live feeds of the action on NYC streets; a biometric scanning device (palm reader) that opens a hidden elevator; orange and black colors in the agents' work area; computer screens positioned under glass desks to allow for maximum efficiency; and sterile cylinders with blinding white light for interrogation areas.

Agent Renee Walker gets to be a badass. Walker (Annie Wersching) has come a long way from her by-the-book approach at the beginning of last season. Turns out she has a history with the villains this season, and she is not pausing to take names.

There will be romance. Specifically, between Jack and Renee. It's about time he moved on from Audrey Raines (Kim Raver), isn't it? That ship has sailed, and the shared history between Jack and Renee last season allows for believable sparks, of which there are many, during the current 24 hours.

There's plenty of fresh blood (some of which will no doubt be spilled). Katee Sackhoff ('Battlestar Galactica') and Freddie Prinze Jr. ('I Know What You Did Last Summer') play Dana Walsh and Cole Ortiz, hot CTU agents who not only share an adrenaline rush but also a bed now and then. And Chloe O'Brien (Mary Lynn Rasjkub), back at CTU after maternity leave, is not happy about answering to Walsh.

Need more? Watch the season 8 trailer and behind-the-scenes clip: