Jack Bauer saved the world, but in the end, he couldn't save himself from cancellation. Fox has announced that it is ending '24' after the drama completes its eighth and final season. The two-hour series finale will air May 24 at 8PM.

"While the end of the series is bittersweet, we always wanted '24' to finish on a high note, so the decision to make the eighth season our last was one we all agreed upon," said '24' star Kiefer Sutherland in a press statement. "This feels like the culmination of all our efforts."

'24' premiered on Fox in November 2001 and immediately became a critical and cultural hit in the country's post-Sept. 11 landscape. The series -- which revolved around counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer (Sutherland) -- cleverly formatted the show over the course of one day, with one hour per episode, employing sleek split-screen edits and providing a career resurgence for Sutherland (both he and the series won Emmys in 2006).