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Designated Survivor (TV series)

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This article is about the TV series. For the term designated survivor, see Designated survivor.
Designated Survivor
File:Designated Survivor (TV Series).jpg
GenrePolitical thriller
Created byDavid Guggenheim
Starring
Theme music composerSean Callery
ComposerRobert Lydecker[1]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes1
Production
Executive producers
ProducersRichard Klein
Ann Kindberg
Production locationToronto, Ontario
CinematographyM. David Mullen
EditorMonty DeGraff
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time42 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 21, 2016 (2016-09-21) –
present

Designated Survivor is an American political drama television series created by David Guggenheim, and starring Kiefer Sutherland, airing on ABC. The project skipped the pilot stage and was ordered straight to series on December 14, 2015,[4] followed by a formal announcement and teaser trailer on May 6, 2016.[5] The first season premiered on September 21, 2016.[6]

Plot

On the night of the State of the Union address, an explosion claims the lives of the President and all members of the Cabinet except for U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman, who has been named the designated survivor. Kirkman is immediately sworn in as President, unaware that the attack is just the beginning of what is to come.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Kiefer Sutherland as President Thomas "Tom" Kirkman: the former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the designated survivor who is suddenly appointed President following an unprecedented attack.[4]
  • Natascha McElhone as First Lady Alex Kirkman: Tom's devoted wife and an attorney employed at the EEOC who finds herself thrust into a role she is not prepared for.[7]
  • Adan Canto as Aaron Shore: the White House Deputy Chief of Staff who advises Tom following the attack.[8]
  • Italia Ricci as Emily Rhodes: Tom's former Chief of Staff and a close friend of the Kirkman family.[7]
  • LaMonica Garrett as Mike Ritter: Tom's Secret Service agent who is tasked with ensuring the Kirkmans' safety following the attack.[9]
  • Tanner Buchanan as Leo Kirkman: Tom and Alex's rebellious teenage son whose self-absorbed nature is matched only by his need to support his younger sister.[10]
  • Kal Penn as Seth Wright: a speechwriter who initially harbors strong doubts about Tom's abilities to lead the country but quickly becomes one of his closest advisors.[7]
  • Maggie Q as Hannah Wells: an FBI agent assigned to investigate the attack who suspects that the perpetrators are not yet finished.[7]

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Paul McGuiganDavid GuggenheimSeptember 21, 2016 (2016-09-21)10110.04[15]
When an explosion destroys the Capitol Building on the night of the State of the Union, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman ascends to the Presidency. While adjusting to his sudden new role as the President, Kirkman struggles with people's doubts about his ability to lead the country, at the same time as his family adjust to the situation. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Hannah Wells investigates the bombing of the Capitol and begins to suspect that there may be further attacks.
2"The First Day"[16]Brad TurnerJon Harmon Feldman & David GuggenheimSeptember 28, 2016 (2016-09-28)TBAN/A
3"The Confession"[17]Sergio Mimica-GezzanJennifer Johnson & Paul RedfordOctober 5, 2016 (2016-10-05)TBAN/A
4"The Enemy"[18]UnknownUnknownOctober 12, 2016 (2016-10-12)TBAN/A

Production

Development

Kiefer Sutherland plays the lead role as Tom Kirkman.

Designated Survivor was ordered straight to series on December 14, 2015,[4] with a formal announcement of 13 episodes, alongside a teaser trailer, on May 6, 2016.[5][19] A full-length trailer was released on May 17, 2016.[20]

Created by David Guggenheim, with Kiefer Sutherland attached to star, the series is executive produced by Simon Kinberg, Sutherland, Suzan Bymel, Aditya Sood, and Nick Pepper. Paul McGuigan directed the pilot episode. Amy B. Harris was set to be the showrunner in February 2016, but after the series' official pick-up in May, it was announced she would be stepping down due to creative differences, and that Jon Harmon Feldman was in talks to replace her.[21] In July 2016, Feldman was confirmed as showrunner/executive producer.[12] Kal Penn, formerly associate director in the White House's Office of Public Engagement, will serve as a consultant for the series.[22]

The show is produced by ABC Studios and The Mark Gordon Company, and is filmed in Toronto, Canada.[23]

The first season premiered on September 21, 2016.[6]

Writing

The first episode was written by series creator David Guggenheim.[24] Producers Jon Harmon Feldman and Guggenheim described the show as a show with several genres, drawing inspiration from other thriller-dramas. Guggenheim explained how:

There are a few tones at play in the show. There is a West Wing component of a man governing and his team governing our nation at this critical time. It's also the Homeland aspect of investigating the conspiracy. It also has a House of Cards component, which is the characters and the business of government through the eyes of these characters.[25]

Casting

File:Designated Survivor cast.jpg
Cast members, from left to right: Adan Canto, Maggie Q, Kal Penn, Italia Ricci, Kiefer Sutherland, Natascha McElhone, LaMonica Garrett and Tanner Buchanan.

After the series was sold to ABC, Deadline announced that Kiefer Sutherland had been cast as the lead-role in Designated Survivor and would be playing Tom Kirkman, a lower level United States Cabinet member who is suddenly appointed President.[24] Sutherland had previously no intention of doing television again, but changed his mind after reading the first script of the series.[26] On February 5, 2016, it was announced that Kal Penn, Maggie Q, Natascha McElhone and Italia Ricci had been cast for the show. Penn will play Kirkman’s speech writer, Ricci will play Tom’s no-nonsense Chief of Staff Emily, Maggie Q will play Hannah, the lead FBI agent on the bombing of the Capitol, and McElhone plays Tom’s wife, an EEOC attorney.[7]

A few days later, Deadline reported that Adan Canto had joined the show as Aaron Shore, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff.[8] On March 1, 2016, it was announced that Sons of Anarchy alum LaMonica Garrett had joined the cast as Mike Ritter, Tom's Secret Service agent.[9] TheWrap reported on March 2, 2016, that Tanner Buchanan and Mckenna Grace had been cast as Sutherland's character's children.[10] Malik Yoba was announced on July 21, 2016, to have been cast as a recurring role as Jason Atwood, the seasoned Deputy Director of the FBI. He will appear in seven episodes.[12] TVLine reported on July 26, 2016, that Virginia Madsen had been cast for the show as Kimble Hookstraten, a conservative Congresswoman and the designated survivor for the rival political party.[27]

On August 5, 2016, Manhattan alum Ashley Zukerman was reported to have joined the show in a recurring role as Peter MacLeish, an Afghan War veteran and popular third-term Congressman.[13] Casting of 24 alum Mykelti Williamson was made known on September 13, 2016. It was reported that Williamson would be playing Admiral Chernow, a career military man and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[14]

Promotion

ABC announced in May 2016 that Designated Survivor was scheduled to premiere on September 21, 2016.[28] A teaser trailer was released on May 6, 2016.[5] ABC released a full-length trailer for the series on May 17, 2016, showing footage from the first episode.[29] Producers and some of the cast-members promoted the show at Comic Con in July. The producers showed a special preview screening with co-stars Maggie Q and Kal Penn in attendance.[30] During ABC's TCA Press Tour, the producers revealed tidbits about the show, with exec producer Jon Harmon Feldman calling Designated Survivor a mix of The West Wing, Homeland and House of Cards.[26] Sutherland said in an interview that he “had no intention of doing a television show” but changed his mind after reading the script for the first episode, as he said "I remember getting to the end of the script and thinking I was potentially holding the next 10 years of my life in my hands."[26]

Reception

Critical reception

Designated Survivor received a positive response from early reviews. The show holds a rating of 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes based on 40 reviews.[31] Terri Schwartz from IGN gave the first episode a rating of 8.0/10, as she said "Designated Survivor is a strong debut for a show that will fit well alongside Quantico and Scandal in ABC's government-set political drama lineup."[32] Variety called the pilot "annoyingly good" and said that the episode "does everything it needs to, checking off the necessary boxes for the unwilling American hero-president in efficient, compelling scenes."[33] Chuck Barney from Mercury News called the pilot "suspenseful".[34] Writing for TV Insider, Matt Roush compared Designated Survivor with other shows as he said "fall's niftiest new drama has West Wing idealism, Homeland suspense and House of Cards political intrigue in its robust and compelling DNA."[35] Zack Handlen from The A.V. Club wrote positively about the show and the premiere, praising Sutherland's performance and commented on the symbol of Sutherland's glasses as he said "The glasses he's wearing serve as a way to tell us this is a different kind of hero, but they're also a form of camouflage, making it easier for us to understand why so many people would underestimate this man."[36]

The editors of TV Guide have placed Designated Survivor first among the top ten picks for the most anticipated new shows of the 2016–17 season. In writer Alexander Zalben's overall review, he pointed out the keys to one of the strongest pilots he has seen so far: "Designated Survivor is the rare show that delivers on the hype, and surpasses it," and later stating "It's shocking that a show can balance all of these elements, but credit a magnetic cast that hits the ground running, a crack script that makes the first hour feel like 10 minutes and, of course, Sutherland as the anchor that keeps it all grounded." Zalben's review concluded with this recommendation: "There's a reason Designated Survivor wasn't just the top pick across all of our Editors' lists, but also on the list compiled from TVGuide.com viewers' Watchlist adds: this is a show that delivers on its premise, feels timely, and most importantly, is a ton of fun."[37]

Ratings

Live + SD ratings

No. in
series 		Episode Air date Time slot (EST) Rating/Share (18–49) Viewers (m) 18–49 Rank Viewership rank Drama rank
1 "Pilot" September 21, 2016 (2016-09-21) Wednesdays
10:00 p.m. 		2.2/8[15] 10.04[15] — — —
2 "The First Day" September 28, 2016 (2016-09-28) — — — — —
3 "The Confession" October 5, 2016 (2016-10-05) — — — — —
4 "The Enemy" October 12, 2016 (2016-10-12) — — — — —

Live + 7 Day (DVR) ratings

No. in
series 		Episode Air date Time slot (EST) 18–49 rating increase Viewers
(millions) increase 		Total 18–49 Total viewers
(millions) 		Ref
1 "Pilot" September 21, 2016 (2016-09-21) Wednesday
10:00 p.m. 		— — — — —
2 "The First Day" September 28, 2016 (2016-09-28) — — — — —
3 "The Confession" October 5, 2016 (2016-10-05) — — — — —
4 "The Enemy" October 12, 2016 (2016-10-12) — — — — —

Broadcast

Designated Survivor airs on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time following Black-ish. ABC announced on May 17, 2016, that the show would premiere on September 21, 2016.[28] The series airs on CTV in Canada, commencing on September 21, 2016.[38] Netflix shows the series outside the US and Canada.[39]

References

  1. ^ "Sean Callery to Score ABC's 'Designated Survivor'". Film Music Reporter. April 13, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  2. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 14, 2015). "Kiefer Sutherland in 'Designated Survivor' on ABC, Plays President". TVLine. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "LA Screenings 2016: the buyers guide".
  4. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (December 14, 2015). "Kiefer Sutherland To Star In 'Designated Survivor' Series On ABC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Ausiello, Michael (May 6, 2016). "Kiefer Sutherland's POTUS Drama Designated Survivor Ordered to Series at ABC — Watch a Teaser". TVLine. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Gennis, Sadie (June 28, 2016). "ABC Announces Fall Premiere Dates". TV Guide. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e Andreeva, Nellie (February 5, 2016). "Designated Survivor Casts Kal Penn, Maggie Q & More". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (February 8, 2016). "Designated Survivor: Adan Canto Joins Kiefer Sutherland ABC Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Petski, Denise (March 1, 2016). "ABC's Designated Survivor Casts LaMonica Garrett; Jahmil French Joins A&E's The Infamous". Deadline. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c Ge, Linda (March 2, 2016). "ABC's Designated Survivor Casts Girl Meets World{'}s Tanner Buchanan (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  11. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 26, 2016). "'Designated Survivor': Virginia Madsen Joins New ABC Series In Key Role". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c Petski, Denise (July 21, 2016). "'Designated Survivor': Malik Yoba Joins ABC Drama Series Starring Kiefer Sutherland". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Petski, Denise (August 5, 2016). "'Designated Survivor' Casts Ashley Zukerman; Amanda Brooks Joins 'Outsiders'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 5, 2016. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  14. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (September 13, 2016). "'Designated Survivor': Mykelti Williamson Cast In New Kiefer Sutherland Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 13, 2016. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  15. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (September 22, 2016). "Wednesday final ratings: 'Empire' adjusts up, 'Designated Survivor' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  16. ^ "(#102) "The First Day"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  17. ^ ""The Confession"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  18. ^ "Shows A-Z, designated survivor on abc". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  19. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 6, 2016). "Kiefer Sutherland's 'Designated Survivor' to Premiere This Fall on ABC — Watch First Teaser". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  20. ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (May 17, 2016). "ABC's Designated Survivor Trailer Debuts — Plus: Watch Previews for Conviction, Notorious and More". TVLine. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 6, 2016). "Kiefer Sutherland ABC Drama 'Designated Survivor' Gets Formal Series Pickup, First Trailer; Eyes Jon Feldman As Showrunner". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  22. ^ Mitovich, Matt (February 5, 2016). "ABC's Kiefer Sutherland Drama Casts Maggie Q, Kal Penn – 'Designated Survivor'". TVLine. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  23. ^ "Kiefer Sutherland stars in one of two ABC shows being filmed in Toronto". Toronto Sun. Toronto. July 18, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  24. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (December 14, 2015). "ABC Orders 'Designated Survivor' Series Starring Kiefer Sutherland From David Guggenheim, Mark Gordon, Simon Kinberg". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  25. ^ Vick, Megan (August 4, 2016). "Designated Survivor: 5 Things We Learned About Kiefer Sutherland's Explosive New Drama". TV Guide. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  26. ^ a b c Ausielo, Michael (August 4, 2016). "Kiefer Sutherland's New ABC Serial Thriller Designated Survivor Blends 'West Wing, House of Cards, Homeland'". TVLine. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  27. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 26, 2016). "Designated Survivor: Virginia Madsen Joins ABC's Kiefer Sutherland Drama". TVLine. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  28. ^ a b Ausiello, Michael (May 17, 2016). "ABC Fall Schedule: Scandal Delayed, Kiefer Replaces Nashville, Middle and S.H.I.E.L.D. on the Move". TVLine. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  29. ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (May 17, 2016). "ABC's Designated Survivor Trailer Debuts — Plus: Watch Previews for Conviction, Notorious and More". TVLine. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  30. ^ Patten, Dominic (July 20, 2016). "Comic-Con: 'Walking Dead,' 'Dr. Strange,' Conan & 'Designated Survivor' Loom Large". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  31. ^ "Designated Survivor: Season 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  32. ^ Schwartz, Terri (July 24, 2016). "Comic-Con 2016: Designated Survivor - "Pilot" Review". IGN. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  33. ^ Sarayia, Sonia (September 13, 2016). "TV Review: 'Designated Survivor'". Variety. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  34. ^ Barney, Chuck (September 6, 2016). "Fall TV 2016: 10 must-see new shows". Mercury News. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  35. ^ Roush, Matt (September 14, 2016). "Roush Review: In a Fall Full of Remakes, A Few New Shows Shine". TV Insider. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  36. ^ Handlen, Zack (September 21, 2016). "Designated Survivor finds a likely hero in an unlikely place". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  37. ^ "Our 10 Most Anticipated New TV Shows of Fall 2016" from TV Guide (September 16, 2016)
  38. ^ "Canadians Unveil New U.S. Shows After Bidding Against Netflix at L.A. Screenings". The Hollywood Reporter. May 30, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  39. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (September 22, 2016). "Netflix Boards 'Designated Survivor' Outside North America". Deadline.com.
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