Designated Survivor (2016-19) TV show
By Winterishere
@thedevilinme (4298)
Northampton, England
April 24, 2025 2:44pm CST
So, have some time to kill so a month of Netflix it is. I decided to have one season of this Kiefer Sutherland show on Netflix. The designated survivor scenario is real in America. Its a person who takes over the US presidency if the whole line of command from sitting president to the next in line are killed in a terror attack or natural disaster.. This person is often is a member of the presidents cabinet and often kept away from the president in case of a mas casualty event during things like the state of the Union speech when everyone is together. As that is a real thing I thought it would set up a decent TV show concept. We all like Kiefer Sutherland's soft reassuring voice so the right guy to be that designated survivor.
As expected the show begins with a huge terror attack where everyone is wiped out in the Capitol Building. Secret Service arrive three miles away to whisk the designated survivor and his family to a safe place. The Secretary of Housing & Development, Thomas Kirkman, is soon to be sworn in as the President.
As the panic subsides and the terror attack ends the government has to be reconstructed as the funerals begin. The number one suspect is quickly an Algerian Cleric, who President Kirkman is persuaded to blame and so attack and kill as he builds a trusted team around him to get America back on its feet and steer them to anew election. But it probably wasn't him.
Obviously this quickly becomes a conspiracy thriller as various plot lines develop and the show starts to drag on a bit as we work out who attacked America. The writers begin to create sub plots to fill the rather excessive and ambitious 21 episodes in the first season run. It really does begin to drag as these are 50 minute episodes and the plot twists seem a little silly at times.
Although this show was was dropped after 43 episodes and two seasons on ABC, Netflix decided to give it a reboot and eventually did 10 more episodes in 2019. Obviously they couldn't have three different designated survivors from three different attacks in the show so its basically 53 episodes of Kiefer Sutherland's painfully righteous president preaching platitudes on how great America is and it all gets a bit dull. I have no clue how it ends and who did the crime as I have given up on it. I was kinda hoping he was the terrorist plotter .lol.
3 people like this
3 responses
@celticeagle (173501)
• Boise, Idaho
24 Apr
I think a show is only as good as the writers. If they aren't imaginative enough the show is lost from the get go.
@RasmaSandra (84225)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
24 Apr
I do not subscribe to Netflix but that series does sound interesting,
