By JOSH HELLER
Executive Editor
With today’s political climate, it’s no surprise that Americans want to avert their eyes to anything related to Washington. One thing that has been drawing plenty of attention, however, is ABC’s new show “Designated Survivor.”
The premise of the show is that on one of the biggest political nights of the year, the president’s State of the Union address, one cabinet member stays behind, in case tragedy strikes. In this case, the designated survivor is Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland). While staying in a secure location not far from the Capitol, a bomb goes off, killing more than 1,000 people, including the President, Vice President, and all of Congress.
Following the tragedy, Kirkman is driven to the White House, where he is immediately sworn in as President of the United States. Kirkman went from a lowly government member who couldn’t get his main points into the State of the Union address, to new president of the free world.
The big thing surrounding this storyline is that President Robert Richmond (Richard Bekins), actually fired Kirkman before his address. However, Richmond said he would handle this the next morning. Now, with the bombing, Kirkman was still in office, and following the tragedy, was sworn in as President, something he nor his family ever thought would happen.
Just that morning, Kirkman and his wife Alex (Natascha McElhone) had talked about what he would do after leaving office. But as events would unfold, this whole conversation would become moot.
In addition to Tom now being president and Alex hard at work as both a lawyer for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and as the First Lady, they are both raising two kids: a young girl named Penny (Mckenna Grace) and a teenage boy named Leo (Tanner Buchanan). Tom and Alex have a very difficult time with Leo, as Alex finds out that her son is selling drugs.
While learning how to be president on-the-fly, he has to deal with the constant questioning of his capabilities. It started in the White House bathroom on the night of the attack. Kirkman went in a stall to throw up, when all of a sudden a voice emerged from the next stall. It was Seth Wright (Kal Penn), President Richmond’s speech writer. While both were in the stalls, Wright had criticized whether or not Kirkman was fit for leadership, and he even got his last name wrong. When they both emerged from the stall, Wright was very apologetic. After some time, Wright grew to work very close with Kirkman, and Kirkman even looked after Wright to make sure he would get home okay.
Even after that, while in the “control room,” Kirkman was constantly questioned by U.S. Army General Harris Cochrane (Kevin McNally). Cochrane belittled Kirkman’s intelligence of how the military worked, claiming that the American people needed an enemy to target. Kirkman refused to take military action, and eventually, Kirkman’s group of intelligence found the real enemy.
Not only is the show very entertaining, but it also touches on many real-life situations. After the attacks, just like post-9/11, Wright and many other Muslims (like in Michigan) were racially profiled while just walking down the street. But back at the Capitol, no one saw the color of Wright’s skin. They simply asked if he had lost anyone, and they mourned together.
“Designated Survivor” is Sutherland’s first big action since “24” went off the air. Sutherland is also an executive producer for the show, so many actors that were on “24” are also now on “Designated Survivor,” such as Penn and McNally. Sutherland is a fantastic fit for the part, with his quiet leadership, but stern hand, when needed. Penn is also great in his role, as he served in a government office for a little while, and is able to contribute to the realism of the show.
If you’re looking for a new show to add to your fall lineup, I highly recommend “Designated Survivor,” Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
