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By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
POSTED: 03:24 p.m. EST, Jan 27, 2009
Kidron, Ohio, is facing a deadly leak from its chemical plant, one that might kill as many as 18,000 people out of the community's 30,000.
At least, that's how the Fox TV series 24 described the potential result of a terrorist plot launched at the end of Monday's episode.
It's odd that a network show would decide to make a target of Kidron, a small, unincorporated community that is part of Sugar Creek Township in Wayne County.
The mention is courtesy of Brannon Braga, a former Canton resident who is now a co-executive producer and writer on 24. Back in September 2007, before the writers strike stalled production of television series, he co-wrote Monday's episode with Manny Coto, another writer-producer on the show and a regular collaborator with Braga. (The two also teamed on the Enterprise TV series.)
In a telephone interview, Braga said, ‘‘I thought a nod to Ohio would be fun.’’
He considered using Canton but thought it was too well-known for the situation, and thought about just making up the name of a town before settling instead on Kidron.
‘‘I've never been to Kidron,’’ he admitted. ‘‘We're not picking on it. Obviously, it's a fictionalized Kidron [on 24].’’ If he ever visits the real place, he said, ‘‘Hopefully, I will be welcome.’’
Monday's episode, titled 1:00 PM-2:00 PM (since each episode of 24 covers an hour in a day), certainly caught folks by surprise.
Scott Wiggam, a Wayne County commissioner, said he does not usually watch 24. On Monday night, he said, ‘‘I flipped it on and caught the last fight scene and then I heard them mention Kidron, and I had to concentrate on what they were saying.’’
Wiggam took another look at the episode ` which is available online at http://www.fox.com ` and came away amused at the TV Kidron.
Like others in the area who were talking about the episode on Tuesday, he was struck by how little the Kidron of 24 resembled the real community.
There is no chemical plant in Kidron, said Wiggam, who checked with local emergency management to be sure.
The real Kidron, Wiggam said, is ‘‘a quaint community.’’ It is in Amish country and known for places like Lehman's, the hardware company that calls itself ‘‘the world's largest purveyor of historical technology.’’
Like Wiggam, over at the Wayne Economic Development Council, the staff noted that the real Kidron is much smaller than TV's.
Indeed, 24 imagined a major baby boom in the area. The entirety of Sugar Creek, which includes Kidron, is about 6,500 people ` not the 30,000 the show gave Kidron alone.
As for what awaits Kidron on TV, here's the background: The fiendish Col. Dubaku is trying to force President Allison Taylor to withdraw U.S. troops from the fictional African nation of Sangala. The troops aim to depose Sangala's despotic leader, Gen. Juma, who is also Dubaku's boss.
Dubaku has gained access to the U.S.'s technological infrastructure, enabling him to cause the collision of two aircraft. With the president still unwilling to stop her Sangala action, Dubaku has ordered a remote-control infiltration of that chemical plant.
The next episode will find the good guys racing against time to prevent a disaster.
‘‘Next week will be a scary time in [the TV] Kidron,’’ Braga said. ‘‘The threat . . . escalates.’’
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Kidron, Ohio, is facing a deadly leak from its chemical plant, one that might kill as many as 18,000 people out of the community's 30,000.
At least, that's how the Fox TV series 24 described the potential result of a terrorist plot launched at the end of Monday's episode.
It's odd that a network show would decide to make a target of Kidron, a small, unincorporated community that is part of Sugar Creek Township in Wayne County.
The mention is courtesy of Brannon Braga, a former Canton resident who is now a co-executive producer and writer on 24. Back in September 2007, before the writers strike stalled production of television series, he co-wrote Monday's episode with Manny Coto, another writer-producer on the show and a regular collaborator with Braga. (The two also teamed on the Enterprise TV series.)
In a telephone interview, Braga said, ‘‘I thought a nod to Ohio would be fun.’’
He considered using Canton but thought it was too well-known for the situation, and thought about just making up the name of a town before settling instead on Kidron.
‘‘I've never been to Kidron,’’ he admitted. ‘‘We're not picking on it. Obviously, it's a fictionalized Kidron [on 24].’’ If he ever visits the real place, he said, ‘‘Hopefully, I will be welcome.’’
Monday's episode, titled 1:00 PM-2:00 PM (since each episode of 24 covers an hour in a day), certainly caught folks by surprise.
Scott Wiggam, a Wayne County commissioner, said he does not usually watch 24. On Monday night, he said, ‘‘I flipped it on and caught the last fight scene and then I heard them mention Kidron, and I had to concentrate on what they were saying.’’
Wiggam took another look at the episode ` which is available online at http://www.fox.com ` and came away amused at the TV Kidron.
Like others in the area who were talking about the episode on Tuesday, he was struck by how little the Kidron of 24 resembled the real community.
There is no chemical plant in Kidron, said Wiggam, who checked with local emergency management to be sure.
The real Kidron, Wiggam said, is ‘‘a quaint community.’’ It is in Amish country and known for places like Lehman's, the hardware company that calls itself ‘‘the world's largest purveyor of historical technology.’’
Like Wiggam, over at the Wayne Economic Development Council, the staff noted that the real Kidron is much smaller than TV's.
Indeed, 24 imagined a major baby boom in the area. The entirety of Sugar Creek, which includes Kidron, is about 6,500 people ` not the 30,000 the show gave Kidron alone.
As for what awaits Kidron on TV, here's the background: The fiendish Col. Dubaku is trying to force President Allison Taylor to withdraw U.S. troops from the fictional African nation of Sangala. The troops aim to depose Sangala's despotic leader, Gen. Juma, who is also Dubaku's boss.
Dubaku has gained access to the U.S.'s technological infrastructure, enabling him to cause the collision of two aircraft. With the president still unwilling to stop her Sangala action, Dubaku has ordered a remote-control infiltration of that chemical plant.
The next episode will find the good guys racing against time to prevent a disaster.
‘‘Next week will be a scary time in [the TV] Kidron,’’ Braga said. ‘‘The threat . . . escalates.’’
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Posted 06:12 PM, 01/27/2009
Come on you yutz, could you PLEASE write about something RELEVANT??
EVERY one of your stories is on par with a 5th graders assessment of the topic you are discussing.
You must have something on someone at your job cause you would have been fired MONTHS ago for all this boring drivel you call journalism!
Posted 09:22 PM, 01/27/2009
Uh, WHAT, "CaptE"? I don't understand your venomous reaction to an article like this. A TV show mentions a local town as part of a fictional plot, and the parallels (or lack of them) between the TV town and its real counterpart are NOT something worth writing about? That seems pretty much like a "human interest" story, which is par for the course in your typical newspaper.
Posted 01:46 AM, 01/28/2009
i actually saw that kidron would be depicted in the next episode and did a google news search to find articles on it. Thanks for giving me some more info on it Mr. Heldenfels.
And don't be such a negative nancy CaptE. You must have went to kent or something.
Posted 07:44 AM, 01/28/2009
Many show have those 'yea right' moments...24 is a series of one after another.
akron, OH
Posted 08:41 AM, 01/28/2009
kidron?????
Posted 09:14 AM, 01/28/2009
CaptE, I have heard a lot of buzz about the upcoming episode since Kidron was mentioned in the preview for next week's show.
"Kentsucks," even though I agree with you, for once, make sure you can actually graduate from Akron before running your mouth so ridiculously. Also, I knew Akron students had no clue how to spell from their "We don't thow stuff" sign last March, and the Scorcher's menu that read "Home of the AK Rodies," but that doesn't mean you can't learn to capitalize letters.
First grade English, my friend.
Posted 03:39 PM, 01/28/2009
I don't see what the big deal is.
Did they FILM in the city? Did any LOCAL people get on camera? Just because they use the cities name means NOTHING. Outside of you hill-jacks who live there, NO ONE will care ANYTHING about the town name.
Posted 03:40 PM, 01/28/2009
Richard,
if you think this fluff is a human interest story, I sure feel sorry for your boring life!
Posted 10:32 AM, 01/29/2009
Don't any of you wonder if maybe this was an assignment by an editor. Newspaper columnists don't always get to pick their topics. Surprise!
