The co-creator and executive producer of hit TV series 24 has quit the show. Joel Surnow's contract with 20th Century Fox TV, the program's production company, was due to expire on April 30 but it was announced on Wednesday the studio had granted his request for an early release to pursue new projects. He says, "I did some soul-searching. I took it as an opportunity to write on my own and do other things. After doing 24, I don't know if I want to do a mainstream show again. I like what's going on in cable; there is an opportunity to stretch dramatically there, which is something I'm trying to do."