Kiefer Sutherland On '24' and 'Touch'

When "24" came to an end two years ago, Kiefer Sutherland found himself out of work for the first time since 2001. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long to follow up on Jack Bauer.

"I hadn't planned on doing another show as quickly as I did," Sutherland told The Hollywood Reporter at an Emmys roundtable discussion of landing the title role in "Touch." "'24' was the first time I had a real job. It was the first time in my life where every three months I wasn't panicked to death about how I was going to feed my kids."

On Fox's "Touch," Sutherland plays the father of an 11-year-old mute who has the power to see the "pain of the universe." The show has seen solid ratings since its debut in January.

While fans may miss the days of "24," Sutherland is thrilled to have moved on to the project.

"One of the things that's exciting about the show is the global nature," he told Good Day L.A. "It centers around a relationship between me and my son, but what seems to be innocuous to us is the ripple effect that it has around the globe. It doesn't focus on the divisive things that separate human beings, but actually the common bonds that can bring us together ... Things like family, and there isn't a society on our planet that doesn't value children, that doesn't understand that it's important for us to respect our elders and understand our history."

For more on Sutherland's transition from "24" to "Touch," head over to THR.