Designated Survivor (TV series)

Designated Survivor
The title card
Genre
Created byDavid Guggenheim
Starring
Theme music composer
Composers
  • Sean Callery
  • Robert Lydecker
  • Paul Leonard-Morgan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes53 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Richard Klein
  • Ann Kindberg
  • Tommy Burns
Production locations
Cinematography
EditorMichael Schweitzer
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time
  • 42 minutes (seasons 1–2)
  • 46–53 minutes (season 3)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 21, 2016 (2016-09-21) –
May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16)
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJune 7, 2019 (2019-06-07)
Related
Designated Survivor: 60 Days
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Designated Survivor is an American political thriller drama television series created by David Guggenheim. It aired for three seasons, beginning on ABC and then exclusively on Netflix for the third and final season. Kiefer Sutherland stars as Thomas Kirkman, an American academic named as the designated survivor for the State of the Union address, who suddenly ascends from the position of U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to President of the United States after an explosion kills everyone ahead of him in the presidential line of succession. Kirkman deals with his inexperience as head of state while looking to uncover the truth behind the attack.

The project skipped the pilot stage. It was ordered straight to series on December 14, 2015, with a formal announcement on May 6, 2016. The first episode premiered on September 21, 2016, to an audience of over 10 million viewers. Eight days later, a full-season order was announced. The series was renewed for a second season on May 11, 2017, which premiered on September 27, 2017. In May 2018, ABC cancelled the series after two seasons. In September 2018, Netflix and Entertainment One announced they had reached a deal to pick up Designated Survivor for a third season of 10 episodes, with the latter being solely responsible for the production of the series. The third season premiered on Netflix on June 7, 2019.[4] In July 2019, the series was cancelled by Netflix due to complications with the actors' contracts.[5]

  1. ^ "Sean Callery to Score ABC's 'Designated Survivor'". Film Music Reporter. April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  2. ^ "Paul Leonard-Morgan to Score 'Designated Survivor' Season 3". Film Music Reporter. November 5, 2018. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 14, 2015). "Kiefer Sutherland in 'Designated Survivor' on ABC, Plays President". TVLine. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Season 3 Premiere Date was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cancellation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).