When they hear about Kirkman going in for surgery, Beth tells her husband he should make the most of what little time he has as acting president. During their struggle she whispers something in his ear. It’s like Kirkman has been possessed by the ghost of Jack Bauer". And even if he doesn’t, they’ll have a good amount of time in power, so they should make the most of it. Anyway, while all that’s happening, the MacLeishes are walking along the White House portico and recapping their situation. Moylan also wrote that "there’s not enough family tension for it to be a domestic drama, not enough government intrigue to make it a political show, and not enough investigation to make it a procedural. The 2016 new fall show follows his rise to president when all other cabinet members tragically die. [57][58], Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "Kiefer Sutherland To Star In 'Designated Survivor' Series On ABC", "Kiefer Sutherland's POTUS Drama Designated Survivor Ordered to Series at ABC — Watch a Teaser", "Kiefer Sutherland's 'Designated Survivor' to Premiere This Fall on ABC — Watch First Teaser", "Designated Survivor, Speechless Snag Full-Season Pickups at ABC", "Wednesday final ratings: 'Empire' adjusts up, 'Designated Survivor' adjusts down", "Wednesday final ratings: 'Empire,' 'Lethal Weapon,' 'Criminal Minds,' 'SVU' & 'Blindspot' all adjust up", "ABC comedies, 'SVU,' 'Criminal Minds,' 'Shots Fired' all adjust up; 'Beyond Borders' down: Wednesday final ratings", "Kiefer Sutherland ABC Drama 'Designated Survivor' Gets Formal Series Pickup, First Trailer; Eyes Jon Feldman As Showrunner", "ABC's Kiefer Sutherland Drama Casts Maggie Q, Kal Penn – 'Designated Survivor, "Designated Survivor: 5 Things We Learned About Kiefer Sutherland's Explosive New Drama", "Kiefer Sutherland's New ABC Serial Thriller Designated Survivor Blends 'West Wing, House of Cards, Homeland, "ABC Orders 'Designated Survivor' Series Starring Kiefer Sutherland From David Guggenheim, Mark Gordon, Simon Kinberg", "Designated Survivor: Virginia Madsen Joins ABC's Kiefer Sutherland Drama", "Comic-Con 2016: Designated Survivor - "Pilot" Review", "Roush Review: In a Fall Full of Remakes, A Few New Shows Shine", "Designated Survivor finds a likely hero in an unlikely place", "Our 10 Most Anticipated New TV Shows of Fall 2016", "Designated Survivor review – Kiefer Sutherland winds up president of cliche", "ABC's 'How to Get Away With Murder' Premiere Sets DVR Playback Record", "6 shows double in week 11 broadcast Live +7 ratings", "6 shows double, led by 'Designated Survivor': Week 30 broadcast Live +7 ratings", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Designated_Survivor_(season_1)&oldid=970727133, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Back in the FBI interrogation room, Wells still won’t talk and as Mike starts to leave she attacks him, jumping on him. After saying a word Wells gave Mike, Chuck believes him and tries to quickly bring him up to speed. SIGN IN Recaps for TV shows View TV episodes as 50 thumbnails Designated Survivor. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. She tells him she’s not at liberty to discuss it. At any rate, after the briefing, Hookstraten barges into the Oval Office to dress MacLeish down. [48], Terri Schwartz from IGN gave the first episode a rating of 8.0/10, saying, "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. More. Back at the White House, MacLeish gets his briefing and decides to let the markets play out the crisis even though everyone is advising him to order the SEC to shut down the markets to avoid panic. This leads to some good news and some bad news. Also, um, due process and stuff. Status. Why? If you thought that was enough excitement for one episode, you’re very mistaken. "[55] TVLine's Dave Nemetz drew references between Kirkman and Jack Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland's role in drama thriller 24, writing that "Sutherland does a good job portraying Kirkman’s deep ambivalence about the situation he’s been handed. Maybe he’s still some sort of bad guy, but he’s simply working in a different bad-guy group from MacLeish? On the night of the State of the Union, an explosion claims the lives of the President and everyone in the line of succession except for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Thomas Kirkman, who had been named the designated survivor. The next morning, the stock market begins to sink as expected. Natascha McElhone, Italia Ricci, Adan Canto, Kal Penn, and Maggie Q also star. 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. Aaron Shore is aghast — kill him? In fact, the whole SitRoom is in agreement. “How the hell does this happen?” he asks aloud, with a twinge of panic in his eyes. Someone explicity notes that if the American markets tank, consumers stand to lose billions from their accounts. Kirkman gets some upsetting news from his doctor. “Make sure he’s working in the country’s best interests,” Kirkman says. Peter frets: Will he be okay? By Ray Rahman Designated Survivor (2016–2019) Episode List. In the situation room, MacLeish gives the greenlight to go after the suspect and tells the general to give the order to shoot to kill. It also has a House of Cards component, which is the characters and the business of government through the eyes of these characters. It’s crazy to just immediately murder this guy upon contact. The good: The bullet went through his body without hitting any vital organs or whatever, so he won’t die. Tom asks him if she’s here and Mike answers yes. A press interview leaves many questioning the legitimacy of Kirkman's presidency. Their plan has failed — Kirkman is still alive, which obviously wasn’t part of the plan. "[49] Variety said that the episode "does everything it needs to, checking off the necessary boxes for the unwilling American hero-president in efficient, compelling scenes. Sir.”. [9] In September 2016, Mykelti Williamson was cast as Admiral Chernow, a career military man and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She’s on to him, she announces. Wells walks in and Kirkman says, “I understand you have some things to tell me about the Vice President.” “Yes, sir, I do,” answers Wells. This means he’ll be incapacitated for an extended amount time and will have to invoke the 25th amendment, thus making the newly installed Vice President Peter MacLeish — whom Kirkman and basically everyone with eyeballs suspects is a bad dude — the acting president. He tells Kimble that although they haven’t really agreed on many issues, he thinks she does act in what she believes is the best interest of the country. Agent Wells is provided a secret room in the White House and works with John Forstell to learn more about MacLeish's involvement in the Capitol bombing; Emily keeps Aaron at arm's length; the president tightens his inner circle; Aaron and Kimble meet; Atwood's son's body is discovered; Hannah witnesses MacLeish's wife killing him and then committing suicide. “Am I being investigated?” asks a shocked Aaron, and Emily repeats the same sentence. Are they in trouble? [45] A month later, Ashley Zukerman joined the series in a recurring role as Peter MacLeish, an Afghan War veteran and popular third-term Congressman. This page was last edited on 2 August 2020, at 01:14. They soon learn about Kirkman’s surgery and consider it an omen. In an interrogation room, Wells is being questioned but refuses to answer.