Dennis Haysbert told the Philadelphia Daily News that not only did he regret filming the assassination scene in last season's 24, but he's also not keen on this season's installment of the counter-terrorism thriller.

Haysbert -- who played President David Palmer on 24 but now stars in CBS' The Unit -- came back to 24 to film Palmer's assassination, something he says he now wishes he hadn't done. "It was a device that I didn't think was necessary," he said.

Haysbert also criticized his former show, saying he thinks that the program may have lost its way. "I started to watch it this season, and, you know, I'm just a little disappointed in its direction," he told the Daily News, adding that, although he's still a fan, "the politics has been skewed in a very, very right-wing way."

Or drilling into someone's shoulder.

Or even inserting a knife into a guy's knee.

An executive producer for 24 told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the show will be scaling back its torture scenes, but not because human rights groups have objected to them. Instead, producer Howard Gordon said such scenes season have almost become cliche.

"What was once an extraordinary or exceptional moment is starting to feel a little trite," Gordon told the newspaper. "The idea of physical coercion or torture is no longer a novelty or surprise."

[Via Topix.net.]