You wouldnt have been shocked had you read my spoiler earlier in the thread.
I dont think he's going to be around in any more episodes (hes not listed on IMDB under guests), and my guess is they want to get away as quickly as possible from things that have to do with Palmer's assassination even if it was a key point in the show.
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Ratings news:
At 8pm FOX held the lead, averaging 11.9/17 with the final minutes of football and the start of "24." CBS was second in households with "Cold Case," 9.2/13, although a second hour of "EM: Home Edition" (9.0/13) had more total viewers. NBC held steady with "The West Wing," and The WB's "Charmed" posted a 2.2/3.
At 9 PM "Desperate Housewives," 13.9/20, moved ABC into the top spot. Hour two of "24" came in at 9.0/13 for FOX. CBS drew an 8.5/12 with the movie "Jesse Stone: Night Passage," while NBC improved to 6.9/10 with "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." The WB aired a "Supernatural" repeat.
Neither of these are really going to be indicative of what the ratings for its regular monday slot will be, and tonight might not be either with the Golden Globe Awards on as well ..Go Kiefer!
Best Drama Actor:
Hugh Laurie, "House"
Patrick Dempsey, "Grey's Anatomy"
Matthew Fox, "Lost"
Kiefer Sutherland, "24"
Wentworth Miller, "Prison Break"