ABC's "Designated Survivor" (Season 3)

[Samus Aran]

Designated Survivor - Official Trailer - YouTube

A low-level cabinet member is suddenly appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack during the State of the Union kills everyone above him in the Presidential line of succession.

Also starring Natascha McElhone, Maggie Q and Kal Penn.

[tob]

The plot is stupid but i will check it out mostly for Kiefer Sutherland.

[Gizz]

Looks great hope we in the UK get this.

[darkness2918]

Looking forward to checking this out.

[mysticwaterfall]

Looking forward to it, it seems to have a 24 like feel. Plus, I've often wondered about the line of succession and if we really want somebody dumb like the the secretary of agriculture to be president, which is the exact scenario here. (Not sure what he is, but obviously not one of the more important jobs)

[Old Bones]

Originally Posted by tob

The plot is stupid but i will check it out mostly for Kiefer Sutherland.

I'll check it out for Maggie Q

[Jonno2009]

maybe im not current in my US politics but doesn't the Vice President get the gig first? or did i not notice in the trailer that the VP also gets offed?

[Diditagain]

Originally Posted by Jonno2009

maybe im not current in my US politics but doesn't the Vice President get the gig first? or did i not notice in the trailer that the VP also gets offed?

The Vice President attends the State of the Union address (sitting behind the President).

However, you'd think that if the US government was that concerned about an incident like the attack shown in the promo, the VP would be the person in a secure location during the State of the Union address, not a low-level cabinet member.

[djgeneral]

Only new series so far I'm gonna watch since I love sutherland.

[fatediesel]

It is a little surprising that the government puts a fairly low-level cabinet member in the position of designated survivor, but it's fairly realistic. This year at the State of the Union the designated survivor was Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Affairs, who is 18th in line for the presidents. In addition Orrin Hatch, the President Pro Tempore of the US Senate, was also not at the State of the Union, but he was not dubbed the designated survivor by the White House. Hatch is third in line for the presidency so in the event of an emergency he would have been the president rather than Johnson. In 2015 the designated survivor during the State of the Union was Anthony Foxx, the Secretary of the Treasury, who is 14th in line for the presidency. The authorities must believe that their security is tight enough that it would be virtually impossible for something major to happen during an event like the State of the Union by putting such low-level cabinet members in a position where they could become president via a single disaster.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designated_survivor

[ChiefSequatchie]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

It is a little surprising that the government puts a fairly low-level cabinet member in the position of designated survivor, but it's fairly realistic. This year at the State of the Union the designated survivor was Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Affairs, who is 18th in line for the presidents. In addition Orrin Hatch, the President Pro Tempore of the US Senate, was also not at the State of the Union, but he was not dubbed the designated survivor by the White House. Hatch is third in line for the presidency so in the event of an emergency he would have been the president rather than Johnson. In 2015 the designated survivor during the State of the Union was Anthony Foxx, the Secretary of the Treasury, who is 14th in line for the presidency. The authorities must believe that their security is tight enough that it would be virtually impossible for something major to happen during an event like the State of the Union by putting such low-level cabinet members in a position where they could become president via a single disaster.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designated_survivor

Thanks for posting as an amateur historian it saddens me that more didn't pay attention in school. The premise is very realistic.

[mysticwaterfall]

They don't put a more senior person in it because everybody wants to be at the speech for air time, perks, etc. If you're designated survivor you have to hide in a bunker all night, which I imagine is insanely boring. The only time I can remember them actually making a big deal about was post 9/11, when Dick Cheney did it a few times.

[Moviefan2k4]

The show looks very interesting, but I can't see it lasting very long in our current political climate, where everything offends everybody. This show will probably be very limited in the kinds of stories its allowed to tell; just my guess, anyway.

[Tony208]

That looked incredible.

[djariya]

I'm very intrigued by this series. Looks like a very different Kiefer Sutherland compared to the 9 seasons we saw of him as Jack Bauer. Especially with the horned rimmed glasses.

I'm guessing this will be a mix of political drama and conspiracy thriller.

[Tony208]

Season premiere tonight My most anticipated new show this season.

[mysticwaterfall]

I thought the premier was pretty good, KS was fantastic. The upcoming preview at the end was promising. I just hope the conspiracy doesn't turn out to be something dumb.

[TJtheDrummerPro]

I thought the premier was fantastic. The General vs Bauer.... Erh..... I mean, Kirkland is going to be epic.

Can't wait for the rest of the series! It looks terrific!

[whotony]

Originally Posted by tob

The plot is stupid but i will check it out mostly for Kiefer Sutherland.

Wasn't stupid at all. It's very intriguing and interesting.

[blurayfriend]

It was okay. Seems a little too tropey, with the overly obvious manufactured drama beats before every commercial break, but it could be all right.