Designated Survivor in the Media: Breaking News from the White House (Set)

[jhlipton]

1 hour ago, deaja said:

Budget meetings in between the one woman FBI doing investigations, etc.

Budget meetings that Kirkman would always win.. because he's just so awesome!

[Happy Harpy]

It seems, to my surprise, that DS of all shows might be picked-up by Netflix.

http://deadline.com/2018/05/designated-survivor-netflix-eyes-thriller-drama-season-3-abc-cancellation-1202391739/

[Pindrop]

10 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

It seems, to my surprise, that DS of all shows might be picked-up by Netflix.

http://deadline.com/2018/05/designated-survivor-netflix-eyes-thriller-drama-season-3-abc-cancellation-1202391739/

Odd indeed; I can only imagine the initial concept is of some interest and they want to hit the reset button? Why the heck would anyone buy a show about a conceited, holier-than-thou Mary-Sue President gunning down straw-man Rublican caricatures like some latter day Messiah; while a bulletproof one-woman army singlehandedly shoots down all the world’s terrorists? That is an absurd premise for a show!

Edited May 16, 2018 by Pindrop

[Chas411]

Please Netflix of all the great shows you could save please don't save this shitfest.

[Happy Harpy]

2 hours ago, Pindrop said:

Odd indeed; I can only imagine the initial concept is of some interest and they want to hit the reset button? Why the heck would anyone buy a show about a conceited, holier-than-thou Mary-Sue President gunning down straw-man Rublican caricatures like some latter day Messiah; while a bulletproof one-woman army singlehandedly shoots down all the world’s terrorists? That is an absurd premise for a show!

I agree. Of course, if they called back Virginia Madsen and put Adan Canto front and center while they got President Jack Bauer + Nikita spy-thrillering (fuck realism) I'd change my tune immediately.

I do feel, though, that the producers trying to sell the show to Netflix are at the origin of the article. I don't know if Netflix is that receptive.

[cali1981]

Not surprised that DS got the boot.  The first season was good because of the ongoing uncovering of the conspiracy after the bombing of the Capitol Building.  This season has been nothing but "The Perils of President Pauline".  It's one absurd situation after another.  I'm not sure that Netflix could make enough changes in the script writing to change the show's direction. One good thing is that I won't have to watch Michael J. Fox ruin another show.  Whether its this show or The Good Wife , Fox has essentially played the same tiresome character.

Edited May 18, 2018 by cali1981

[paigow]

On 5/16/2018 at 6:51 AM, Happy Harpy said:

I do feel, though, that the producers trying to sell the show to Netflix are at the origin of the article. I don't know if Netflix is that receptive.

[Interior: Netflix HQ]

Exec 1: WTH are we going to do with all these cancelled House Of Cards scripts?

Exec 2: "Designated House Of Cards"

[mwell345]

On 5/16/2018 at 6:51 AM, Happy Harpy said:

I agree. Of course, if they called back Virginia Madsen and put Adan Canto front and center while they got President Jack Bauer + Nikita spy-thrillering (fuck realism) I'd change my tune immediately.

And do away with the whole Hannah storyline - which just distracts from the rest of the show.   Either you're going to do a show about a President and his staff (ala West Wing), or you're going to do a show about Super FBI agent Hannah.    Mixing the two didn't work, and at times I felt like I was watching two different shows in the same hour.    I found myself getting very annoyed when they cut away from the White House/political activity to bring us another Hannah scene. 

[mwell345]

http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/designated-survivor-kiefer-sutherland-abc-drama-canceled-1202807925/

 

A little more information - Keifer's contract apparently stipulated that the show would be moved to LA for season 3 (seasons 1 and 2 were filmed in Toronto.)  According to Variety, this would have added to the production costs of a show that was already on the high-end, cost-wise.

Also

"A source close to the situation said Sutherland was frustrated by the creative twists and turns that the series took — shifts that were no surprise given the number of changes behind the scenes. David Guggenheim created the political drama about a cabinet member who becomes President under duress after a terrorist attack takes out the previous President and the rest of his cabinet. But given the rotating lineup of showrunners, the show zig-zagged from being a political thriller to a more earnest look at the struggles of Sutherland’s Tom Kirkman and his family amid the fishbowl of living in the White House."

“Designated Survivor” earned a straight-to-series order from ABC, in part because of the profile that Sutherland brought to the show. Amy Harris was tapped to serve as showrunner but she was replaced by Jon Harmon Feldman before production began on the first season. Jeff Melvoin took over from Feldman about halfway through season one. Keith Eisner then came on board when the show was renewed for its second season and stayed at the helm throughout, although the search for showrunner No. 5 for the anticipated third season began several months ago."

 

 5 showrunners in two seasons????? No wonder the show never seemed to find its focus!

[TimWil]

 I think the chances of Netflix picking this up are pretty slim. They’re really not a repository for failed network shows. I doubt they’d even pick up Timeless, which has a far more active fanbase.

[Happy Harpy]

Well, color me shocked. It seems that DS might still have some life into it, on another support. 

https://www.spoilertv.com/2018/08/designated-survivor-renewed-for-3rd.html

[PumpkinLumpkin]

Designated Survivor Has Been Revived by Netflix

https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/mo...ew-showrunner/

Quote

 

In an unexpected announcement, Netflix has just resurrected yet another canceled broadcast show.

Months after ABC originally canceled it near the end of its second season, the streaming service has officially renewed “Designated Survivor” for a third season. The Kiefer Sutherland-led series will see Neal Baer replacing Keith Eisner as showrunner for the series’ new 10-episode season. Baer now marks the show’s fifth overall showrunner.

The next season will reportedly follow Sutherland’s President Kirkman as he deals with the issues of today, including the evolving world of political campaigning, smear tactics, fake news, and more. It will be returning as a Netflix Original, with ABC no longer involved as a producer.

 

[marinw]

Netflix loves a challenge!  They will literally try ANYTHING. FWIW, I enjoyed the hell out of the Netflix Dynasty remake.

Does Kiefer even want to act anymore? I thought he was singing country songs or something.

[thewhiteowl]

Is it April 1st? 

You got to be kidding. Welp, it could not suck any harder.  Maybe. 

I'm genuinely shocked. Wish them a megaton of luck.

[AAEBoiler]

This?!? This is the show that gets saved while Timeless has to make do with a movie to wrap things up?!? That is still on the books, right?

[Chas411]

Eugh eugh eugh. 

Unless the reunite Emily with Aaron I could not be less happier with this.

[Sake614]

Well I'm happy about it. At least for now. I'd like to see them wrap up the Emily is a spy story from the series finale, and then see what they can do from there. I always believed the show had potential. It just had awful showrunners.

[Happy Harpy]

1 hour ago, Chas411 said:

Unless the reunite Emily with Aaron I could not be less happier with this.

If they reunite Emily with Aaron, I'll probably watch again.

19 minutes ago, Sake614 said:

I always believed the show had potential. It just had awful showrunners.

I agree, and I'm very happy for the cast because they deserved so much better than the writing they got.

Hopefully, the show will finally choose to be a political thriller with a real tight plot and drop The Vanilla Wing.

[shapeshifter]

On 9/5/2018 at 7:26 PM, PumpkinLumpkin said:

Designated Survivor Has Been Revived by Netflix

https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/mo...ew-showrunner/

So, I guess you can beat a dead horse.
2 things.

1. "The Kiefer Sutherland-led series will see Neal Baer . . . as showrunner . . ."
   So, Mr. Baer also completed medical school (don't get me started on being born with a silver spoon in the mouth), but, more to the point, he executive produced Under the frickin' Dome.
   I can't help speculating if he financed UTD so it would last as long as it did
   --but that is just me being poor and bitter after having put 3 kids through college as a single mother
   --no facts or research involved.
    
2. "The next season will reportedly follow Sutherland’s President Kirkman as he deals with the issues of today, including the evolving world of political campaigning, smear tactics, fake news, and more."
   Okay. I get it. Socially relevant.
   More to the point: Social Media relevant.
   But.
   This show has long since forgotten about the loss of life, physical structures, etc. from the original premise of the bombing of the capital.
   Note to Designated Survivor powers that be: 
   In the first new episode, have Keifer wake up from a nightmare of the bombing to find out that yes, he is the Designated Survivor, and yes, he is now the POTUS, 
   but:
   No bombing happened. 
   Maybe the POTUS, VPOTUS, the Speaker of the House, and maybe a few more on the list of succession were all assassinated (seems possible to me) or maybe it was "just" Legionnaires disease, so Keifer is now POTUS.
   They could rewrite his whole family backstory while they're at it.
   Then we carry on with the 21st century version of The West Wing that the show so desperately wants to be.

Will I still watch, either way? IDK.

[Sake614]

On 9/7/2018 at 2:39 PM, forumfish said:

According to this article, Kiefer said:

I'm thinking it will be a little too "adult" for my household. Oh, well … good for the actors getting more work!

If ‘too adult’ means nekkid Kiefer, I say bring it lol!

[aemom]

I don't get Netflix, so I guess I won't be seeing what happens next.

[Happy Harpy]

22 hours ago, Sake614 said:

If ‘too adult’ means nekkid Kiefer, I say bring it lol!

Shirtless Aaron would be fine with me.

[jhlipton]

Shirtless (and braless) Emily for me!

[paigow]

Designated Full Monty

[Happy Harpy]

There was a question about Designated Survivor on the recent Ask Ausiello at TV Line, and he gave info about new characters for S3.

[Darkeyes]

On 9/19/2018 at 10:15 PM, Happy Harpy said:

There was a question about Designated Survivor on the recent Ask Ausiello at TV Line, and he gave info about new characters for S3.

I saw that too. LaMonica Garrett (Mike) posted that he won’t be back, and said others were given the boot as well.

 

At this point, the confirmed returning cast consists of:

Kiefer (duh)

Adan Canto

Italia Ricci

Kal Pen 

The last I heard, they were still negotiating with Maggie Q.

 

—-

Re: nakedness. They should do an Emily/Aaron sex scene, and then we can all be happy! :D But considering the garbage they showed in S2, they’ll probably put Emily and Seth back together. #thecouplenobodyeveraskedfor

Edited September 22, 2018 by Darkeyes

[paigow]

45 minutes ago, Darkeyes said:

I saw that too. LaMonica Garrett (Mike) posted that he won’t be back, and said others were given the boot as well.

Maybe the kids have moved away with their uncle.....

[Happy Harpy]

1 hour ago, Darkeyes said:

The last I heard, they were still negotiating with Maggie Q.

Re: nakedness. They should do an Emily/Aaron sex scene, and then we can all be happy! :D But considering the garbage they showed in S2, they’ll probably put Emily and Seth back together. #thecouplenobodyeveraskedfor

It seems they're planning characters related to Hannah's storyline, so they must be confident that Maggie Q is coming back. I'm disappointed that they didn't call back Virginia Madsen, her character and Aaron were imo the only ones truly able to put some life into President Carebear.

Too bad about Mike, I liked him. I hope they don't drop him to keep the Brainy Smurf they hired for S2 instead.

I still can't compute Emily and Seth or HTF the writers came up with it (my guess? spin the bottle, but with a crackpipe).

[marinw]

2 hours ago, Darkeyes said:

Re: nakedness. They should do an Emily/Aaron sex scene, and then we can all be happy!

I wouldn't object to Naked Kiefer. *Shallow*

[Chas411]

I know it won't happen but I'd rather they didn't bring back Maggie Q - I hated her storyline. It's so separate from the rest of the show and imo one of the biggest issues with the show in general.

[Sake614]

Yeah I’m not sure what they were going for with Hannah. Maybe they thought she could be the female jack Bauer but if that’s the case it was an epic fail. She was the worst FBI agent and became a laughingstock in short order. I’d be very happy if she doesn’t come back for S3.

sorry about Mike. I really liked him. Sometimes he was the only adult in the room.

and I echo the idea of bringing back Virginia Madsen. I really REALLY liked her character.

[jhlipton]

On 9/22/2018 at 7:01 AM, Darkeyes said:

The last I heard, they were still negotiating with Maggie Q.

On 9/23/2018 at 4:36 AM, Chas411 said:

I know it won't happen but I'd rather they didn't bring back Maggie Q - I hated her storyline. It's so separate from the rest of the show and imo one of the biggest issues with the show in general.

Count me among those who hopes she doesn't come back.  She's not a great actress and the spy stuff was silly and didn't mesh with the West-ish Wing.

[KLovestoShop]

The reason Netflix bit on the show is because International viewership is quite good.  The owners of Netflix said they were quite surprised by the numbers in Europe and therefore they thought it would be worth the investment. 

[Happy Harpy]

Anthony Edwards joins Designated Survivor S3, Maggie Q returning

Julie White also joins the show. Description of two new recurring characters, and their functions within the show, are in the article.

Spoiler

It seems that part of the plot will revolve around the campaign and election.

[shapeshifter]

Season 3 in the can?

[shapeshifter]

3 releases on NetFlix June 7.

[marinw]

Trust Kiefer to make this show sound better than it is!

I didn't realize how much I missed Kiefer putting on and taking off his glasses.

My expectation are low, but I will watch season 3, since I have Netflix anyway.

[Happy Harpy]

The trailer is out, and... it actually doesn't look bad. Was that some kind of, like, energy that President Carebear exuded? Was it the Jack Bauer Sweater of Badassery he was wearing?

To watch of not to watch? "You need to be ruthless" = an immediate "pro". Seth's preachy speech = an immediate "con". STFU, Seth.

https://tvline.com/2019/05/03/designated-survivor-season-3-trailer-kirkman-reelection-campaign/

[Chas411]

Are they still going to be pushing the ridulousness that is Seth/Emily?

[marinw]

1 hour ago, Happy Harpy said:

Was it the Jack Bauer Sweater of Badassery he was wearing?

I miss that sweater. Carebear's caridigans were awful.

Who is the actrees playing his running mate?

I'm always up for a bio weapon attack (Oh no, not Toronto!) so I'll watch.

Edited May 3, 2019 by marinw

[Princess Lucky]

This... looks good? Do I dare start watching again? I miss you guys and this forum (and Kiefer!) so... maybe? And I do think Neal Baer is a good choice, plus Anthony Edwards, and it looks like Maggie Q is still going to be in her own random side-show that's cooler than the regular show? And Aaron is still hot? Sign me up, to be honest.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

The trailer is out, and... it actually doesn't look bad.

The facelifts don't look bad either.

And, who know? If anyone who is not a politician but just plays one on TV can inspire real life politicians to be better, it's probably Keifer.

Edited May 4, 2019 by shapeshifter

[marinw]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

If anyone who is not a politician but just plays one on TV can inspire real life politicians to be better, it's probably Keifer.

And Téa Leoni, who's show is almost as earnest as DS.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kiefer Sutherland discusses S3 of Designated Survivor

[marinw]

Good interview! Kiefer is always thoughtful and articulate.

[Darkeyes]

On 5/3/2019 at 9:20 PM, Chas411 said:

Are they still going to be pushing the ridulousness that is Seth/Emily?

Impossible to tell based on the trailer, but if they are, I can just picture the writers being told that most people don’t like the storyline and them sticking their fingers in their ears while yelling “Yada yada yada, I can’t hear you!” while writing an Emily/Seth sex scene for S3.  😂 (Aaand now I’ve managed to gross myself out)

[Happy Harpy]

The trailer made me want to check out S3, this article turned me off.

https://tvline.com/2019/06/03/designated-survivor-season-3-preview-neal-baer-kirkman-election-campaign/

The biggest problem with this show was, imo, how it tried to be too many things at once and had too many characters revolving too fast, which resulted in a narrative mess and no one being properly written for. Well, considering the cocktail-like description the showrunner makes of the concept in S3 and the insane number of new characters (at least one will have their own "romantic entanglements") for merely ten episodes, I don't think this problem will be solved in any way.

[dwmarch]

On 6/4/2019 at 4:40 AM, Happy Harpy said:

The trailer made me want to check out S3, this article turned me off.

https://tvline.com/2019/06/03/designated-survivor-season-3-preview-neal-baer-kirkman-election-campaign/

The biggest problem with this show was, imo, how it tried to be too many things at once and had too many characters revolving too fast, which resulted in a narrative mess and no one being properly written for. Well, considering the cocktail-like description the showrunner makes of the concept in S3 and the insane number of new characters (at least one will have their own "romantic entanglements") for merely ten episodes, I don't think this problem will be solved in any way.

The only basis for comparison I have is Lucifer. That show had an uneven season three on Fox followed by a solid season four on Netflix. Some of the storylines mentioned in that article seem questionable (and I see from one of the pictures that Hannah has abandoned her sensible wardrobe for some action-girl leather pants) but I will hope for the best.

[marinw]

Netflix just dropped all ten episodes! 

[Chas411]

Any good? If it’s still a out Seth/Emily at least I’ll know to avoid.