Netflix Nook: Designated Survivor

Designated Survivor takes place in a modern day America that has just been struck with a devastating attack; the capitol building has been bombed on the night of the State of the Union address. Everyone, including the president, all of the cabinet members, and congress, died. The appointed designated survivor (a person of the president's choosing to sit out during events where all people of our government are in the same space so in the case of national emergency where everyone is killed, there is still someone able to step in the president's place), Tom Kirkman, was the president's secretary of housing and urban development and was not at all prepared for the west wing. The three seasons follow Kirkman stumble into his presidency and the important decisions he is faced with on a daily basis.

Designated Survivor originally aired on ABC and stayed on the network for two seasons. After being canceled like the many other shows on ABC, Designated Survivor was picked up by Netflix for one final season. Despite ending the third season on somewhat of a cliffhanger/open-ended ending, Netflix has confirmed that Designated Survivor will not be returning for a fourth season. Starring actor, Kiefer Sutherland, mentioned in an interview with Scala Radio that he did not believe the show was going to return for a few different reasons, “We had an amazing experience with Netflix and a kind of freedom that was wonderful. But the reality is because the contracts were so complicated and different from network television to Netflix, they didn't book a lot of the actors who were on the show and they took other jobs. I don't blame them for a second for that.” Kiefer compared his role as the president to his role as a FBI agent in his previous hit television show, 24.

I find that with shows following a “good guys catch the bad guys” theme, the episodes get very repetitive and almost follow the same general plot from episode to episode. This was not the case with Designated Survivor. I really enjoyed the layers of issues and problems that Kirkman and the rest of his administration faced in each episode and how they often

wouldn’t resolve an issue for multiple episodes. Along that note, this show also delved into more current issues that real life Americans face and, funny enough, gave some good examples of how our country could begin to tackle these problems.

Designated Survivor was recommended to me by our very own Mr. Venhuizen. Mr.V said it was an exciting show with a strong political theme. I have to admit I was not expecting much out of the show, but I was sucked in by the complex characters and complicated tasks they are faced with. I found myself trying to come up with solutions to the predicaments Kirkman and his administration were facing.