Designated Survivor (TV series)

Did You Know?

• A South Korean remake titled Designated Survivor: 60 Days premiered on tvN and Netflix worldwide on July 1, 2019, with Ji Jin-hee in the lead role.
• Kal Penn, who plays Seth Wright, served as associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2009 to 2011 and worked as a consultant for the series.
• The series skipped the pilot stage and was ordered straight to series on December 14, 2015.

Cast and characters

Kiefer Sutherland portrays Thomas Adam "Tom" Kirkman, who becomes President of the United States after an attack on the Capitol Building kills the entire government. He was formerly Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and is later elected to a second term. Natascha McElhone plays Alexandra Jane "Alex" Kirkman, the First Lady and a former immigration attorney, who is killed in a motorcade crash in season two. Adan Canto appears as Aaron Shore, who serves as Kirkman's first Chief of Staff, resigns after interrogation about the attack, later becomes senior aide to the Speaker of the House, then National Security Advisor, and finally Vice President-elect. Italia Ricci plays Emily Rhodes, Kirkman's chief of staff during his HUD days, later Special Advisor and then Chief of Staff, who resigns to live in Florida before returning as Special Advisor. Tanner Buchanan portrays Leo Kirkman, Tom and Alex's son, who supports his sister Penny and later leaves for Stanford. LaMonica Garrett plays Mike Ritter, a Secret Service agent assigned to the president's protection detail, whose character is written off after season two without explanation. Kal Penn plays Seth Wright, initially a doubter of Kirkman who becomes Press Secretary and later Communications Director.

Production

Designated Survivor went straight to series at ABC in December 2015, with a 13-episode order confirmed in May 2016. The show premiered on September 21, 2016, and ABC picked it up for a full season just eight days later. David Guggenheim created the series, with executive producers including Simon Kinberg, Kiefer Sutherland, Suzan Bymel, Aditya Sood, and Nick Pepper. Paul McGuigan directed the pilot. The show saw frequent changes in leadership: Amy B. Harris left as showrunner before the premiere due to creative differences, replaced by Jon Harmon Feldman, then Jeff Melvoin for the second half of season one, Keith Eisner for season two, and Neal Baer for season three. ABC canceled the series after two seasons in May 2018, citing high showrunner turnover and falling ratings. Shortly after, Entertainment One (eOne) pursued a revival, and Netflix picked it up for a third season of 10 episodes, released on June 7, 2019. The first two seasons were produced by ABC Studios, The Mark Gordon Company, and eOne, filmed in Toronto. For season three, eOne was the sole production company. Netflix canceled the series in July 2019, stating the third season provided a satisfying conclusion, though all three seasons remain on the platform.

Release

Designated Survivor began airing on September 21, 2016, on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada. Netflix aired the series outside the US and Canada, adding episodes weekly. For the third season, the series was released globally on Netflix. An agreement with Hulu, which held streaming rights to the first two seasons in the US, allowed those seasons to move to Netflix in the US and Canada in October 2018. ABC aired the series with a TV-14 rating, while Netflix applied a TV-MA rating to the third season. A teaser trailer was released on May 6, 2016, and a full trailer on May 17. The first season was released on DVD in Region 1 on August 29, 2017; the complete series was released on DVD in Region 1 on October 12, 2021.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gave season one an approval rating of 87% based on 62 reviews, with an average rating of 7.07/10, and a critical consensus calling it a fast-paced, engrossing political action fantasy. Metacritic reported a score of 71 out of 100 based on 35 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. Terri Schwartz of IGN rated the first episode 8.0/10, saying it fits well alongside other ABC political dramas. Variety noted the episode efficiently checks the boxes for an unwilling American hero-president. Chuck Barney of Mercury News called the first episode suspenseful. Matt Roush of TV Insider described the show as having West Wing idealism, Homeland suspense, and House of Cards intrigue. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club praised Sutherland's performance and commented on his glasses as a symbol of a different kind of hero. TV Guide placed Designated Survivor first among the top ten most anticipated new shows of the 2016–17 season, with Alexander Zalben calling it a rare show that delivers on the hype and surpasses it, citing a magnetic cast and a crack script.