24 has elected its first female president.

Supporting a rumor I had heard last week (which FOX, via the Hollywood Reporter, still refused to confirm), season seven of beleaguered drama 24 will feature its first female president and has cast Cherry Jones.

Producers on the series had been weighing creating a female president for the series, which returns for its seventh season in January, after a season that many -- both viewers and critics (myself included) -- felt was creatively lacking.

No word yet on whether the early rumors indicating that the female president would be living at the White House with a husband and child are still true or if these characters have been removed.

The Tony Award-winning Jones, best known for her work as an acclaimed stage actor, has also been featured in films such as Ocean's Twelve, Signs, Cradle Will Rock, and The Village.

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Jace is an LA-based television development and acquisitions exec who watches way too much television for his own good and would love a TiVo for every room in the house. (He’s halfway there.) His blog, Televisionary, can be found at televisionaryblog.com.