The sixth hour of Fox’s “24” saw increased friction at the White House as aide Thomas Lennox made his move against rival Karen Hayes. Showrunner and executive producer Howard Gordon defends the choices made in the storytelling, saying it strengthened the scene and left the door open for more drama.

“It just felt inevitable, and it felt necessary and a way to sort of heat things up at the White House,” Mr. Gordon said in an interview with TelevisionWeek Publisher Chuck Ross.

For the full interview, including the scoop from the writer’s room on why season five’s Graem was selected to return as Jack Bauers’s brother, go to TVWeek.com’s Backlot Talk for a podcast and a full transcript.

(Editor: Baumann)