'Designated Survivor' will be a heavy, hokey hit
“There are times when we make history, and there are times when history makes us.” That's the foreshadowing prologue to Designated Survivor, ABC's new drama about how cabinet member Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) is forced into the presidency after a catastrophic attack.
Designated Survivor has all the makings of an irresistible network drama. The stakes are high, the characters have clear morals (or lackthereof), and it's grounded in all-American ideas like family, freedom and the quest for truth. Don't expect the intensity of Game of Thrones or the nuance of The Leftovers, but Designated Survivor is everything it promises to be.
Here are some things to expect:
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1. Heavy irony
That line about history is only the beginning. Early in the episode, Kirkman says: “At the end of the day I’m not the President of the United States: We should remember that,” because we need to be reminded just how unprecedented his situation is.
As he's thrust into his new post, Kirkman panics and runs to the bathroom, where he throws up in the stall next door to Seth Wright (Kal Penn). Wright tells his unseen neighbor that "Kirkman’s a follower; We need a leader,” only to emerge and balk at the fact that he's just put down the President.
2. Television-y dialogue
Chaos ensues moments after the explosion and surrounds Kirkman and his security detail. There's even an unironic "You don't get to make that call!"
"I’m not the right guy for this," Kirkman admits later, every inch the reluctant hero. But he has to be!
3. The breakdown of the model family
Before the attack, Kirkman’s family is almost cartoonishly nuclear; the adorable daughter, the perfect working wife, the teen who thinks his life is more important than anyone else’s and throws out confusing Generation Z words like “dubstep.”
Teen son Leo (Tanner Buchanon) is the most susceptible to meeting his downfall here. He's literally at a club dealing drugs when the Capitol is hit (the club and its inhabitants party on, oblivious), and if previous television is any indication, Washington is a hotbed of drug activity.
4. Heroes and villains
With Kirkman set up as the righteous leader of the free world, he's going to have to watch out for enemies both external and within his ranks. The latter clear immediately: General Harris Cochrane (Kevin McNally), a caricature of power-hungry authority (think: Vincent D'Onofrio in Jurassic World). WIthin hours of the attack, Cochrane advises a “swift show of force” to the United States' enemies, just to show that the nation hasn't been weakened.
5. A secret cop show
Speaking of crime procedurals, a key aspect of Designated Survivor is the looming whodunnit behind the attack on the Capitol. Maggie Q joins the cast as FBI agent Hannah Wells, who believes the destructive explosion may not be the last we hear from those behind it. Wells is the only agent acting upon her own hunch instead of intelligence and evidence, because no show of this kind would be complete without one.
Designated Survivor airs Wednesdays at 10 P.M. on ABC.
Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.
