"Touch," a supernatural drama starring Kiefer Sutherland, celebrates human interconnectivity, and explores the notion that everyone on Earth is somehow connected.
It's that premise that convinced Sutherland to return to primetime television after eight seasons on "24." "One of the things that I've loved about the show is that we spend a lot of time on the things that divide us and separate us. But this show is all about the things that transcend culture, that transcend ideology and religion and language," Sutherland told HuffPost TV. "I've not heard of or seen a society on this planet that does not value children, that doesn't honor family and their history. Those are common threads throughout different cultures, and we focus on those."
In its premiere episode, which aired as a preview on Fox in February, viewers were introduced to Jacob Bohm (David Mazouz), an 11-year old boy diagnosed with autism. But it looks like the situation is even more complex, which is to be expected from a series created by Tim Kring ("Heroes"). Kiefer Sutherland plays Jake's bewildered father, who's been struggling to take care of and connect with his son since his wife's death in the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Numbers play a crucial part in the series, as Jake uses them to communicate with his father. In the pilot episode, the number 318 was especially important. However, Kring teases that every episode will feature a different number, leading up to something bigger, both numerically and thematically.
"In the end, you'll see that these number, together, form a sequence that will shape where the story is headed," Kring told HuffPost TV at the New York premiere of the series. "There will also be different characters in each episode. In essence, it has all the elements of an anthology show as well, where [the viewer] will meet new characters, get to know them and drop into their lives for these very small stories that connect up to the bigger story."
When asked whether some of the satellite characters will return for other episodes, Kring told HuffPost TV that they will indeed pop up in different ways from time-to-time. Viewers can expect two characters from the pilot to reappear in the second episode, for example.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw rounds out the core cast as the social worker brought in to assess Jacob after his third trip atop a radio tower. She finds herself pulled into the mythology when she starts to see that Jacob is using numbers to communicate, seeing patterns in the numbers that connect the world and everyone in it. Danny Glover provides support as an expert on children with an affinity for numbers.
Since the series sets to explore human interconnectivity, it should come as no surprise that the new Fox series will simultaneously air in 100 countries. Viewers in the U.S. will be able to interact and communicate with viewers from across the world.
In honor of the "Touch" global premiere, HuffPost TV has rounded up some of the series' most important numbers as revealed during the "Touch" global Q&A that took place on Sun., March 18.
13: The number of episodes in Season 1. Kring told HuffPost TV that they were currently in production with Episode 10.
6: The number of days Kiefer Sutherland spent in Europe on the "Touch" global tour, which included stops in London, Madrid, Berlin and Moscow.
35: While in London, Sutherland's birthplace, the actor revealed that a teacher from Canada -- and a fan of "24" -- had asked him if he could take a photo with his 35 students, who were on a school trip in London. Sutherland called the experience "surreal" because he was born in London, but raised in Canada. "It was like my two worlds collided," he said.
40: The number of children that read for the part of Jake. David Mazouz was coincidentally the first child that tested with Sutherland for the role.
4: After four days of auditioning 39 other children for the part of Jake, Sutherland told Kring to "just hire David" because he felt the strongest connection with him.
0: The number of lines Mazouz has in his scripts. Jake doesn't talk, but he does provide an introduction to every episode, which means Mazouz does have to do some voice work. Mazouz said he loves going in to record his lines.
32: Sutherland said that he knew he wanted to be a part of "Touch" by page 32 of the pilot script. There were still 40 pages to go.
20: Kring recalled that he and Sutherland were scheduled to have a 20 minute phone call to discuss the role, but 20 minutes eventually turned into two hours.
9: The number of years Sutherland played agent Jack Bauer on Fox's "24." "I can remember starting '24' when my daughter was David's age," Sutherland said. "And when we wrapped '24,' she was graduating from New York University."
8: Sutherland has been promising fans that a "24" movie is in the works since its eight seasons came to an end. But with the script completed, he just needs to find the time to shoot the film -- and time is one thing Sutherland doesn't have at the moment. "I have a very finite window because of 'Touch' and other commitments that I have [to film the movie], as do a lot of the other actors and directors, and so we're still trying to get it in this very small window. And if that doesn't happen, then we'll wait eight months, and we'll do it properly," Sutherland told HuffPost TV. "What's most important is that we make the best film possible. The fans definitely deserve that."
3 to 5: The number of interconnected storylines taking place in each episode, according to Kring.
1: Kring admits that he can't handle all of these numbers on his own, so "Touch" has one math expert on set.
2: The number of guitars on set. Sutherland brings his guitar to play during his down time, but he also recently bought Mazouz a guitar for his birthday. "I felt bad," he said. "David kept missing his guitar lessons because he was on set shooting with us, so I bought his a guitar for his birthday, and now we can jam on set."
4: In episode 4, Martin and Jake will have a significant breakthrough in their relationship and their communication, said Sutherland as he explained why the fourth episode was his favorite. "After playing scene after scene the same way, we finally see this slight change, and I found myself having this moment really over take me as an actor," said Sutherland.
5: In episode 5, viewers will learn more about Clea. "It was the most emotionally challenging episode for me to date," said Mbatha-Raw. "We discover more about Clea's personal motivations and her family, including her mother. Jake will ultimately bring them together again. It's a really touching moment."
1: The number of identifiable props on set. For loyal viewers of the show, you may notice that there seems to be a lot of orange soda on the set. According to Kring, they wanted to find a way to connect the characters and storylines on a surface level, so by placing the orange soda -- from the fictional brand Citrus O -- throughout different scenes, it becomes a recognizable prop for the viewers.
322: "Touch" premieres on Thurs., March 22 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.