SummarySecretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) is left as the Commander in Chief after an explosion during the State of the Union address kills the President and those in line of succession.
SummarySecretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) is left as the Commander in Chief after an explosion during the State of the Union address kills the President and those in line of succession.
As equal parts action and drama, and giving Kiefer Sutherland one of the best roles of his career, Designated Survivor is the season’s first sure thing. Make that “Designated” sure thing.
As a standalone episode of television, Survivor’s pilot is nothing to cartwheel over, but as it lays out the show’s premise, it becomes obvious why network executives would snap it up. It’s destined to become one of fall’s biggest network hits, and all because Sutherland accepted his role as the elder statesman of the small screen action thriller.
Baldwin couldn't do it, Ford was ok, Affleck couldn't do it, Pine couldn't do it ... not until Sutherland do we finally get the Jack Ryan we deserve, and it's not even Jack Ryan. DS feels like the reimagining of Debt of Honor and Executive Orders, and I for one am loving it. Different strokes for different folks, but I just can't agree with the bad reviews ... I like the story, the execution, the cast, and especially Kiefer.
Maybe the negative reviewers are Spacey fans? Dunno, but I would absolutely recommend this show.
Great show! A mix of West Wing, with a dash of 24 and House of Cards! With our current political climate, really makes us want to feel some normalcy how a POTUS tries to do a decent job on a daily basis. I look forward to this every week even if it's just a a fantastical show . Kiefer Sutherland is just one of those amazing actors that could carry a show like this. Hope they renew it for a second season next year.
Designated Survivor pilot has its share of gaps in logic but it’s engrossing, if not entirely believable, and features the best opening scene of fall’s broadcast drama pilots.
One episode into Designated Survivor may not convince these “24” fans that their beloved Kiefer Sutherland is now a deskbound, rookie POTUS. But once you’re over that hump, the show certainly makes a compelling case for its premise.
Overly familiar story beats and cardboard character cutouts in Wednesday’s opener blunt the return of Jack Bauer 2.0. A hint of genuine promise, however, remains.
The execution of this premise, which takes up not quite the first half of the pilot, is taut, fast-moving and reasonably believable, offering some promise that Designated Survivor could develop into an entertaining hybrid of political thriller and family drama. Once Kirkman arrives at the White House, though, the momentum fades as various tedious-looking subplots are introduced, and disbelief becomes more difficult to suspend.
I love this, I fell that 24 is back... The adrenaline and suspense is what I was looking for a while, I didn't get that since 24. Thank you for making this...
It's a decent show. But every episode tries to wrap in the issues du jour. And it deals with most of them in the most cursory of ways. It's bad writing. Also, at times Keifer Sutherland's voice gets on my nerves.
Downgraded from an 8 rating. Whereas "House of Cards" is entertainment for adults, this is for 10 year olds. ABC/Disney now place diversity as their top priority over good story-telling, and this is the cartoon junk that results. Still, what a great premise! Unfortunately it's been blown coming to the end of the season by regurgitated Left wing headlines substituting for creativity. Weak writers.
The pilot for this series is off the charts great, and the high concept itself is a clear home run. It beats all the similar stupid White House disaster feature films out in recent years. Unfortunately it immediately devolves into a Leftist social agenda by the second episode with the same old cliché wrap up end ballad montage from former rock song formula. Still the writing is good and the story ratchets up the tension constantly with new wrinkles and developments which is what is best in any drama series. So far anyway...
I just started to watch this show on Netflix, loved 24 and saw this as a potential spiritual successor. The first few episodes were great, I was hooked, but then it lost me.
The reason why? PROPAGANDA
The show claims Kirkman to be an Independent able to give either party a fair shake, but that does not prevent the introduction of a sneaky Republican within the first 30 minutes of the show. I thought to myself, whatever, maybe it is just this lady is a B, I can deal with that. NOPE, next few episodes we have another cooky Republican allowing for a police state to beat up on the Muslim community. Perhaps that is just what would happen if the government fell apart, maybe they will tie it together when the dust settles down... NOPE the Democratic agenda pushed throughout the show consistently repeating the same rhetoric as the protagonist clings to every word. Gun laws, immigration, Climate Change, Racism, Sexism, it's all there. Let me save you the trouble of watching the show and seeing it dwindle, Republican bad, Democrat good, Logical Independents are actually Democrats.