On May 14 of this year, Kiefer Sutherland appeared on stage at ABC’s Upfront presentation to reflect on Designated Survivor‘s freshman run and then tease of Season 2 — quite far in advance — a “midseason event that I believe will knock the socks off of our audience.”
Well hold onto your Hanes, because that time arrives on Wednesday at 10/9c.
RELATEDWhen Will Your Favorite Shows Return From the Holidays?
“We have been thinking about this [storyline] for a very long time,” showrunner Keith Eisner tells TVLine with a nod to Sutherland’s seven-month-old promise. Without spoiling the twist, he teases: “It’s...
Well hold onto your Hanes, because that time arrives on Wednesday at 10/9c.
RELATEDWhen Will Your Favorite Shows Return From the Holidays?
“We have been thinking about this [storyline] for a very long time,” showrunner Keith Eisner tells TVLine with a nod to Sutherland’s seven-month-old promise. Without spoiling the twist, he teases: “It’s...
- 12/13/2017
- TVLine.com
Has the onus of cracking a global conspiracy driven Maggie Q’s Hannah Wells to drink?
RelatedDesignated Survivor Season 2 Preview: As the Conspiracy Reaches ‘Thrilling’ Conclusion, New Journeys Begin
In this exclusive sneak peek from the Season 2 premiere of ABC’s Designated Survivor (airing Wednesday at 10/9c), the intrepid FBI agent’s hunt for Patrick Lloyd, the mastermind behind the Capitol bombing that improbably landed Tom Kirkman in the highest office in the land, has brought her to Amsterdam — specifically, to a dive bar where her teetering self has drawn the attention of a tall, dark and handsome “Dutchman...
RelatedDesignated Survivor Season 2 Preview: As the Conspiracy Reaches ‘Thrilling’ Conclusion, New Journeys Begin
In this exclusive sneak peek from the Season 2 premiere of ABC’s Designated Survivor (airing Wednesday at 10/9c), the intrepid FBI agent’s hunt for Patrick Lloyd, the mastermind behind the Capitol bombing that improbably landed Tom Kirkman in the highest office in the land, has brought her to Amsterdam — specifically, to a dive bar where her teetering self has drawn the attention of a tall, dark and handsome “Dutchman...
- 9/26/2017
- TVLine.com
Dirty Sexy Money alum Zoe McLellan is returning to ABC, with a series regular role on Designated Survivor.
Our sister site Deadline reports that McLellan — who most recently costarred on CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans for its first two seasons — is boarding Season 2 as Kendra Daynes, a brilliant attorney who lands her dream job as White House counsel.
RelatedDesignated Survivor: Virginia Madsen Laments That She Won’t Be Back
McLellan’s casting follows the addition of Paulo Costanzo (Royal Pains) and Ben Lawson (The Deep End) as, respectively, the new White House Political Director and an MI6 agent who...
Our sister site Deadline reports that McLellan — who most recently costarred on CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans for its first two seasons — is boarding Season 2 as Kendra Daynes, a brilliant attorney who lands her dream job as White House counsel.
RelatedDesignated Survivor: Virginia Madsen Laments That She Won’t Be Back
McLellan’s casting follows the addition of Paulo Costanzo (Royal Pains) and Ben Lawson (The Deep End) as, respectively, the new White House Political Director and an MI6 agent who...
- 7/18/2017
- TVLine.com
In the nail-biting first season finale of Designated Survivor, Hannah Wells must stop the conspiracy from carrying out a final attack while President Kirkman authorizes a nationwide manhunt for the mastermind behind it all.
Agent Hannah Wells is returned to the FBI building in a truck that has a ticking bomb in it. She is stopped by police who try and arrest her. She drives the van out of the building and into the Potomac River. She escapes just before it detonates.
Agent Hannah Wells is returned to the FBI building in a truck that has a ticking bomb in it. She is stopped by police who try and arrest her. She drives the van out of the building and into the Potomac River. She escapes just before it detonates.
- 5/17/2017
- by editor@buddytv.com
- buddytv.com
President Kirkman's first international summit is derailed when journalist Abe Leonard publishes an explosive article. Meanwhile, Hannah Wells uncovers the conspiracy's next target on Designated Survivor.
Hannah realizes she is being held on a cargo ship and tries to make a break as her captors look for her. She sees even more explosives being loaded onto a cargo ship from the barge where she is being held. The FBI and the President are still attempting to locate Hannah.
Hannah realizes she is being held on a cargo ship and tries to make a break as her captors look for her. She sees even more explosives being loaded onto a cargo ship from the barge where she is being held. The FBI and the President are still attempting to locate Hannah.
- 5/10/2017
- by editor@buddytv.com
- buddytv.com
Designated Survivor heads into unchartered territory with the latest episode titled "The Ninth Seat." As President Kirkman struggles to put together a new Supreme Court, FBI Agent Hannah Wells goes undercover and discovers much more than she ever could have imagined. Meanwhile, Seth Wright has to contend with journalist Abe Leonard, who returns from the Middle East with an explosive story. How will this all end for President and the people of the United States? Let's find out!
- 4/19/2017
- by editor@buddytv.com
- buddytv.com
Did President Kirkman go too far?
Many questioned that on Designated Survivor Season 1 Episode 16 when he formed an unlikely alliance in the hopes of passing his first bill.
Watch Designated Survivor Season 1 Episode 16 Online
Meanwhile, Agent Ritter found out a lot from Hannah Wells about how the terrorist from the Capitol bombing could be in cahoots with a mysterious terror cell.
Did the pair manage to find the truth before it was too late?
View Slideshow: Quotables for Week Ending April 7, 2017
Use the video above to watch Designated Survivor online to get caught up with the latest drama for the characters. ...
Many questioned that on Designated Survivor Season 1 Episode 16 when he formed an unlikely alliance in the hopes of passing his first bill.
Watch Designated Survivor Season 1 Episode 16 Online
Meanwhile, Agent Ritter found out a lot from Hannah Wells about how the terrorist from the Capitol bombing could be in cahoots with a mysterious terror cell.
Did the pair manage to find the truth before it was too late?
View Slideshow: Quotables for Week Ending April 7, 2017
Use the video above to watch Designated Survivor online to get caught up with the latest drama for the characters. ...
- 4/13/2017
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
In the latest episode of Designated Survivor titled "Party Lines," President Kirkman forms an unlikely alliance in the hopes of passing his first bill while Agent Ritter is briefed by FBI Agent Hannah Wells about a new alarming threat to the nation.
Hannah informs the President of the plans the potential bombings of The Golden Gate Bridge, The Hoover Dam and the Statue of Liberty. He puts in place evacuation plans for areas near those areas to protect the American people. The President then tells Hannah to take whatever means necessary to find out who is behind this.
Hannah informs the President of the plans the potential bombings of The Golden Gate Bridge, The Hoover Dam and the Statue of Liberty. He puts in place evacuation plans for areas near those areas to protect the American people. The President then tells Hannah to take whatever means necessary to find out who is behind this.
- 4/12/2017
- by editor@buddytv.com
- buddytv.com
ABC’s Designated Survivor, with its 15th episode, delivered an engaging 42 minutes of drama, punctuated by just the right amount of conspiratorial intrigue. Has the show, now under its third showrunner, struck the right balance?
Related2017 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?
Make no mistake, Hannah Wells, now working directly for President Kirkman (as a sort of Agent X), still had plenty to do this week — especially after she got the idea to have techie pal (and unrequited crushee?) Chuck “lift a fingerprint” from the mysterious dark-haired woman’s wine glass,...
Related2017 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?
Make no mistake, Hannah Wells, now working directly for President Kirkman (as a sort of Agent X), still had plenty to do this week — especially after she got the idea to have techie pal (and unrequited crushee?) Chuck “lift a fingerprint” from the mysterious dark-haired woman’s wine glass,...
- 4/6/2017
- TVLine.com
At long last, Designated Survivor‘s titular President Tom Kirkman met stalwart FBI agent Hannah Wells, to get the 411 on VP MacLeish’s seeming involvement in the Capitol attack and the conspiracy that launched it.
But when all was said and done, was it one step forward, two steps back for the investigation?
Related2017 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?
While MacLeish grabbed more of the spotlight, as his brief stint as the face of the nation came to an end, Kirkman absorbed every detail from Agent Wells’ death-defying snooping — from...
But when all was said and done, was it one step forward, two steps back for the investigation?
Related2017 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?
While MacLeish grabbed more of the spotlight, as his brief stint as the face of the nation came to an end, Kirkman absorbed every detail from Agent Wells’ death-defying snooping — from...
- 3/16/2017
- TVLine.com
It seemed difficult to imagine Designated Survivor pulling a more heart-stopping move than killing off the entire United States government in the season premiere, yet they came close by midseason. After all, what better way to kill an already vulnerable nation than by taking out the one person capable of raising it up again. At least that’s the assumption many of us made when the show broke for midseason with a single sniper shot. Despite everything she hoped, FBI Agent Hannah Wells could not get to the podium before all hell broke loose again. She didn’t have time to warn
Designated Survivor Review: Who Took The Shot?...
Designated Survivor Review: Who Took The Shot?...
- 3/9/2017
- by Araceli Aviles
- TVovermind.com
Spoiler Alert: This story contains details of tonight's Designated Survivor episode “Warriors.” Designated Survivor's fall finale left fans with a major cliffhanger that could alter the fate of the country. Now returning with a new episode after its winter break, many questions are answered, beginning with who got shot. At the end of the December 14 episode, as Peter MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman) was being sworn in as Vice President, FBI Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q)…...
- 3/9/2017
- Deadline TV
Craig Thomas Feb 3, 2017
Kiefer Sutherland stars in the hugely entertaining thriller Designated Survivor. Here's a spoiler-free look at why you should give it a try.
Heard of the show Designated Survivor? It might just quench your thirst (whether you knew you had it or not) for a new thriller to follow.
The basics are this. Straight-talking, politically unambitious, and honest, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkland (played by Kiefer Sutherland), finds himself on the brink of being fired. As such, he is appointed the 'Designated Survivor' for the State of the Union Address. This basically involves being locked in a safe-room far away, whilst the rest of the government convenes on Capitol Hill.
Fortunately for him, this is the best-timed firing in history, and as a result of an attack, he is the only member of the government to survive. Therefore, being next in the line of succession he becomes,...
Kiefer Sutherland stars in the hugely entertaining thriller Designated Survivor. Here's a spoiler-free look at why you should give it a try.
Heard of the show Designated Survivor? It might just quench your thirst (whether you knew you had it or not) for a new thriller to follow.
The basics are this. Straight-talking, politically unambitious, and honest, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkland (played by Kiefer Sutherland), finds himself on the brink of being fired. As such, he is appointed the 'Designated Survivor' for the State of the Union Address. This basically involves being locked in a safe-room far away, whilst the rest of the government convenes on Capitol Hill.
Fortunately for him, this is the best-timed firing in history, and as a result of an attack, he is the only member of the government to survive. Therefore, being next in the line of succession he becomes,...
- 2/3/2017
- Den of Geek
As foretold by Maggie Q, Designated Survivor‘s FBI Agent Hannah Wells entered “full Jack Bauer” mode this Wednesday in the ABC freshman’s fall finale.
RelatedWhen Will Your Favorite Shows Return in 2017? Save These Dates!
For one, Hannah not only survived last week’s purposeful Michael Vaughn-ing, she immediately thereafter fended off the not-so-friendly bystander who came to her aide (by trying to choke her). Slamming the pedal to the metal, she knocked away the assailant, crashed her car anew, and then ushered her blood-gushing self out of the vehicle and down the street into an alleyway, while...
RelatedWhen Will Your Favorite Shows Return in 2017? Save These Dates!
For one, Hannah not only survived last week’s purposeful Michael Vaughn-ing, she immediately thereafter fended off the not-so-friendly bystander who came to her aide (by trying to choke her). Slamming the pedal to the metal, she knocked away the assailant, crashed her car anew, and then ushered her blood-gushing self out of the vehicle and down the street into an alleyway, while...
- 12/15/2016
- TVLine.com
Did you hear about the unlikely Potus who nonetheless found himself occupying the highest office in the land, only to be met by jeers of “Not my president”?
Such was the fate visited upon Designated Survivor‘s Tom Kirkman, upon being thrust by tragedy into the Oval Office. And as the genial politician struggles to rebuild a depleted government (Wednesdays at 10/9c, on ABC), FBI Agent Hannah Wells is bit by bit uncovering the shocking truth about who was — and wasn’t — behind the terror attack that felled the Capitol and almost everyone inside it.
RelatedDesignated Survivor Snags Full-Season...
Such was the fate visited upon Designated Survivor‘s Tom Kirkman, upon being thrust by tragedy into the Oval Office. And as the genial politician struggles to rebuild a depleted government (Wednesdays at 10/9c, on ABC), FBI Agent Hannah Wells is bit by bit uncovering the shocking truth about who was — and wasn’t — behind the terror attack that felled the Capitol and almost everyone inside it.
RelatedDesignated Survivor Snags Full-Season...
- 11/15/2016
- TVLine.com
ABC’s Designated Survivor this week not only invited President Kirkman to weigh in on the kind of interrogation technique that Jack Bauer did on the regular, it also firmly steered its FBI subplot into 24 territory.
RelatedDesignated Survivor, Speechless Snag Full-Season Pickups at ABC
With Al-Sikar chief Majid Nassar in custody, there now is the matter of extracting from him the sort of intel that his life was spared for during the Navy Seal raid. Meeting with the Joint Chiefs, Kirkman is told that they might have better success if Nassar was moved to a black site for (ahem...
RelatedDesignated Survivor, Speechless Snag Full-Season Pickups at ABC
With Al-Sikar chief Majid Nassar in custody, there now is the matter of extracting from him the sort of intel that his life was spared for during the Navy Seal raid. Meeting with the Joint Chiefs, Kirkman is told that they might have better success if Nassar was moved to a black site for (ahem...
- 11/10/2016
- TVLine.com
This week on ABC’s Designated Survivor, President Kirkman sweated out the repercussions of a critical decision, while FBI agent Hannah Wells uncovered another explosive secret.
RelatedDesignated Survivor, Speechless Snag Full-Season Pickups at ABC
In the wake of canning Cochrane and installing Admiral Chernow as his new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — and after being assured of a surgical hit — Tom gave the order to strike the Algerian bunker where Al-Sakar chief Nassar was holed up. Alas, Tom waited just long enough that the strike was called off, because Nassar has been whisked away to the basement of a well-populated hospital.
RelatedDesignated Survivor, Speechless Snag Full-Season Pickups at ABC
In the wake of canning Cochrane and installing Admiral Chernow as his new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — and after being assured of a surgical hit — Tom gave the order to strike the Algerian bunker where Al-Sakar chief Nassar was holed up. Alas, Tom waited just long enough that the strike was called off, because Nassar has been whisked away to the basement of a well-populated hospital.
- 10/27/2016
- TVLine.com
How was your first day on the job you have? Because Tom Kirkman’s first 24 hours as Designated Survivor‘s President of the United States probably could have gone better.
RelatedDVR Ratings: Designated Survivor Sees Premiere Week’s Biggest Gain
And yet that is what we should expect to see from this series on an almost weekly basis, because the situation here is so unheard of, something that no one could possibly fully prepare for, that something resembling mayhem could only possibly ensue.
I want to see this Tom take one step forward while getting knocked two steps back, to...
RelatedDVR Ratings: Designated Survivor Sees Premiere Week’s Biggest Gain
And yet that is what we should expect to see from this series on an almost weekly basis, because the situation here is so unheard of, something that no one could possibly fully prepare for, that something resembling mayhem could only possibly ensue.
I want to see this Tom take one step forward while getting knocked two steps back, to...
- 9/29/2016
- TVLine.com
Tom Kirkman is not prepared to be President.
It's not a job he sought, it's not a job he wanted, but on Designated Survivor Season 1 Episode 1, it's a job he's thrust into after a terrorist attack on the Capitol during the State of the Union address kills everyone inside.
It's an intriguing concept, right? What would happen if most of the federal government got wiped out and we had to start over? No more games, no more deadlock, no more business as usual?
It sounds like a dream, but in Tom Kirkman's world it just became the reality, because he's the "designated survivor," and his life just got turned upside down.
How will this somewhat average-Joe deal not only with the upheaval in his personal life, but also the political pressures of being the leader of the free world?
It's hard not to root for Kirkman. Right off the bat,...
It's not a job he sought, it's not a job he wanted, but on Designated Survivor Season 1 Episode 1, it's a job he's thrust into after a terrorist attack on the Capitol during the State of the Union address kills everyone inside.
It's an intriguing concept, right? What would happen if most of the federal government got wiped out and we had to start over? No more games, no more deadlock, no more business as usual?
It sounds like a dream, but in Tom Kirkman's world it just became the reality, because he's the "designated survivor," and his life just got turned upside down.
How will this somewhat average-Joe deal not only with the upheaval in his personal life, but also the political pressures of being the leader of the free world?
It's hard not to root for Kirkman. Right off the bat,...
- 9/22/2016
- by Lisa Babick
- TVfanatic
In the wake of calamity, “Designated Survivor” Tom Kirkman got sworn in as the unlikely President of the United States this Wednesday night. Does ABC’s new D.C.-set drama get your vote?
RelatedKiefer Sutherland’s New Designated Survivor Blends ‘West Wing, House of Cards, Homeland‘
Dez (as I am choosing to call it around the office) stars 24 alum Kiefer Sutherland as the aforementioned Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who was on the verge of being demoted to the Chairman of the International House of Pancakes (or the like) when the President and his entire Cabinet are...
RelatedKiefer Sutherland’s New Designated Survivor Blends ‘West Wing, House of Cards, Homeland‘
Dez (as I am choosing to call it around the office) stars 24 alum Kiefer Sutherland as the aforementioned Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who was on the verge of being demoted to the Chairman of the International House of Pancakes (or the like) when the President and his entire Cabinet are...
- 9/22/2016
- TVLine.com
One episode was provided prior to broadcast.
Even with American Horror Story and The Exorcist on the docket, there are few things in this fall TV season more eerie than the timing of Designated Survivor, ABC’s bracing political thriller. Appearing in the midst of one of the most politically disheartening, culturally destructive, and socially depressing White House races in modern American history, the David Guggenheim-created series immediately puts its finger on the quickening pulse of the times with a grim what-if scenario: what if a terrorist attack wiped out so many high-level governmental figures that the office of the President wound up bequeathed to a mid-level secretary wholly unprepared for the job?
In few other years could such a premise echo the real world so explosively. And luckily for ABC, the series’ execution (at least its powderkeg of a pilot, the only episode provided for review) remains rooted...
Even with American Horror Story and The Exorcist on the docket, there are few things in this fall TV season more eerie than the timing of Designated Survivor, ABC’s bracing political thriller. Appearing in the midst of one of the most politically disheartening, culturally destructive, and socially depressing White House races in modern American history, the David Guggenheim-created series immediately puts its finger on the quickening pulse of the times with a grim what-if scenario: what if a terrorist attack wiped out so many high-level governmental figures that the office of the President wound up bequeathed to a mid-level secretary wholly unprepared for the job?
In few other years could such a premise echo the real world so explosively. And luckily for ABC, the series’ execution (at least its powderkeg of a pilot, the only episode provided for review) remains rooted...
- 9/21/2016
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
While 24 promised to tell one story in real time each season, the spy thriller's dirty not-so-secret was that each year contained at least two, and sometimes more, different story arcs that were told consecutively and held together with spit, baling wire, and the sheer force of Kiefer Sutherland's performance as Jack Bauer. Sutherland's new series, ABC's Designated Survivor, is being sold as one story, when in fact it's trying to be at least five or six at the same time — some much more interesting than others, and some so frustrating they have me fearing the creative team doesn't think the premise is enough to sustain an ongoing series. That premise provides the best story on the show (it debuts Wednesday night at 10; I've only seen the pilot), and puts Sutherland back in 24-adjacent territory without simply asking him to play Jack Bauer again. Here, he's Hud secretary Tom Kirkman,...
- 9/20/2016
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Kiefer Sutherland’s new ABC drama Designated Survivor boasts the highest of high concepts: What if a low-level government schlub was thrust into the Presidency following a deadly attack? It’s an instantly gripping premise (previously mined by Battlestar Galactica), but a tricky one to pull off, and Designated Survivor (premiering Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 10/9c) stumbles a bit in the execution.
We watched Sutherland crack skulls and foil terrorist plots as tough-guy agent Jack Bauer for nine seasons on Fox’s 24, so it’s almost comical to see him here as a soft-spoken bureaucrat. His character, Cabinet member Tom Kirkman,...
We watched Sutherland crack skulls and foil terrorist plots as tough-guy agent Jack Bauer for nine seasons on Fox’s 24, so it’s almost comical to see him here as a soft-spoken bureaucrat. His character, Cabinet member Tom Kirkman,...
- 9/16/2016
- TVLine.com
Prince William and Princess Kate grabbed their umbrellas for a rainy tour to Isle of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall on Friday. Will and Kate - who wore a chic navy blazer by Smythe, printed skinny ankle pants from Gap and her trusty wedges - began their day with a visit to the Eden Project - an impressive global garden housed in tropical biomes that house plants from diverse climates and environments around the world. • Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. A photo posted by Hannah Simpson (@bashspanner...
- 9/2/2016
- by Erin Hill, @erinhillny
- PEOPLE.com
Empire alum Malik Yoba has booked a heavily recurring role opposite Maggie Q on Designated Survivor, ABC’s upcoming thriller drama series starring Kiefer Sutherland. Yoba will appear in seven episodes as Jason Atwood, the seasoned Deputy Director of the FBI. He’s a mentor, boss and occasional sparring partner for Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) as she conducts her investigation into who blew up the Capitol Building, which claimed nearly the entirety of the U.S. government. In Desi…...
- 7/21/2016
- Deadline TV
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