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

[blackwing]

Terrible decision.  She was the best part of this mess.  If this is the direction the new showrunner wants to take... I am likely out.   Will see who they decide to add, because they definitely need good characters.  I'm completely bored by the White House political crew.  I like Kiefer Sutherland, but I hate the Mary Sueness of his character.

The only one left that I really like is the formidable Maggie Q, but she can't carry the show alone for me.

[snarkylady]

I'm surprised and certainly not pleased.  She was one of the few bright lights on the show.  Was she too good?  Too expensive for the budget?  A problem of some sort for Natasha McElhone?  I fear for the direction of the show.  At this rate --- Season 2, Episode 1: the Kirkmans visit the Smithsonian -- Alex imparts wisdom to the children;  Episode 2:  Tom Kirkman cooks dinner for the family while Alex meets with members of congress to sway their votes to her way of thinking.  Episode 3:  Tom and Leo form a band.  Episode 4:  On a very special episode Alex talks to Penny about sex.

Can you tell I'm not happy about this new development?  Not sure I'll last another season with this. 

[lbklover]

Unhappy & totally disgusted by this news!  Both the character - and the actress who played her - were essential to DS.  They killed Malik Yoba off - and that unnerved me - but this news is even worse (if possible).  They need to get rid of some of the "dead wood" on this show - that starts with the kids and - on the White House side - Emily as Chief of Staff (who is weak, weak, WEAK!).  Kal Penn's character needs to be up front and center (not just walking down hallways) and Aaron needs to be given more to do.  And I have NO idea what they're doing with Maggie Q's character (or are they going to write her out too?!?).  

Yes, I think that Kimble - as written AND acted - was perhaps TOO strong - and the new showrunner  (and writers) thought the other women were threatened and want the show to be all about  Tom/Kiefer.  Of course, they didn't see the forest for the trees because Kiefer and Virginia worked so well together.  In fact, the chemistry between them was FAR better than that between Tom and Alex!!

I'm thinking one of two things will/can happen:  

(a)  At some point, Kiefer is going to have his newest girlfriend ("actress and musician" Cindy Vega) added to the cast (she may as well be, because she continually posts pictures from the set on her Instagram account) and she'll be given the "female character" role; and/or

(b) Kiefer - who is not only the star, but one of the (MANY!) executive producers - will call it quits and basically "ride out" the series until it's ultimately canceled.  He seems to get "distracted" (his last series, "Touch," was canceled after the second season because the writing went off the track  - some of the SAME writers who are now on DS!! - and Kiefer did the "24" reboot).  This time it's his country music "career" - which I see lasting for about another year or so.  Actually, it looks like he's MORE committed to the music (and putting out a second album!) than he is to DS.   AND - even earlier past history shows this .... KS stopped doing movies and went out on the "rodeo circuit" for several years - then eventually came back and did a lot of B-movies (until his career was saved by "24").

All of which is VERY sad for us DS fans.  Probably will watch the first few episodes next season, and then go back to watching "Chicago P.D." 

[jhlipton]

4 hours ago, Princess Lucky said:

It's like they want me to lose interest. I just hope they bring in a few interesting actors of Madsen's caliber, and then maybe I can get excited again.

This seems to be the trend this year: Taken, Once Upon a Time, Quantico as well as DS, are shedding major portions of their casts.

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

The only one left that I really like is the formidable Maggie Q, but she can't carry the show alone for me.

Hannah thinks she can...  LOL

Edited June 22, 2017 by jhlipton

[orza]

Virginia Madsen and Malik Yoba were recurring guest stars, not regular cast members. While it's a shame they are gone, I wouldn't expect them to be carried over to a new season. I think the show needs to dump Maggie Q. Her character is useless and this show doesn't need an action star who is only a passable actor. It needs to focus on being a political drama with bite and get rid of the half-assed action story line.

[blackwing]

23 minutes ago, orza said:

Virginia Madsen and Malik Yoba were recurring guest stars, not regular cast members. While it's a shame they are gone, I wouldn't expect them to be carried over to a new season. I think the show needs to dump Maggie Q. Her character is useless and this show doesn't need an action star who is only a passable actor. It needs to focus on being a political drama with bite and get rid of the half-assed action story line.

And therein lies the problem.  This show can't decide if it's a political show or a spy show.  From the comments of viewers here on PTV, it seems most viewers wanted a spy show.  The premise of the show was pitched as Kiefer Sutherland accidentally becoming President when he is the designated survivor of an attack that took out the entire government.  Then the rest of the season would presumably be about finding out who carried out the attack and why.

A smaller minority seemed to really want this show to be a political show.  And the show delivered, a good portion of each episode was devoted to whatever political issue the producers wanted to tackle.

The blend didn't work for me.  The political stuff bored me to tears.  Most of my issue with the political stuff was that it appeared very partisan and one sided... they didn't do a good enough job of presenting both sides.  The action stuff was decent, but often unbelievable, and too little time was devoted to fleshing it out because of the time spent on the political crap.

If this show turns into a pure political show, I'm guaranteed out.  

[Happy Harpy]

5 hours ago, Princess Lucky said:

Wow. I still have the last 3(?) episodes on my DVR but I haven't felt the urge to watch them. Losing Malik Yoba was bad enough, but now she's gone, too? A great actress, and arguably the best character? It's like they want me to lose interest. I just hope they bring in a few interesting actors of Madsen's caliber, and then maybe I can get excited again.

I'll check out the season premiere for sure if Adan Canto and Maggie Q are still there, but after that it will depend on the direction the show takes. They should first use the good characters they have, imo, but it seems they're bringing in three new ones. Hmm.

Edited June 22, 2017 by Happy Harpy

[Princess Lucky]

1 hour ago, orza said:

Virginia Madsen and Malik Yoba were recurring guest stars, not regular cast members. While it's a shame they are gone, I wouldn't expect them to be carried over to a new season. I think the show needs to dump Maggie Q. Her character is useless and this show doesn't need an action star who is only a passable actor. It needs to focus on being a political drama with bite and get rid of the half-assed action story line.

I was resigned to losing Malik Yoba, but I was hoping they might upgrade Madsen to a regular, like it often happens when a character pops like she did.

And, to me, this show failed on almost all counts, but it especially failed as a political drama. The action storyline was dumb but fun, at least. The political drama yielded exactly zero excitement from me (other than the MacLeishes, who were awesome while they lasted, but who were also part of the "action" storyline, if you really think about it). I felt that good actors like Kal Penn were wasted, potentially interesting characters like Emily and Aaron were underutilized, and only Virginia Madsen managed to make things spicy. If they are to focus on the White House only, and without Hookstratten to boot, I, too, will be out as a viewer.

That said, I don't think we need to worry about that. I remember reading a TV Line teaser about one of the new characters, described thusly:

Quote

a “ruggedly handsome” MI-6 operative who crosses paths with Hannah

So I think we're good on the action front.

[blackwing]

Here's the full blurb from the TV Line link:

Quote

Any details yet on the new Designated Survivor roles that Kiefer Sutherland hinted at? —Rich

The roles have yet to be cast, but the new characters we will meet in Season 2 include a “fiery” female White House Counsel and a “ruggedly handsome” MI-6 operative who crosses paths with Hannah.

Fiery?  As in "red haired"?  I 100% will watch if Annie Wersching is cast in this role.  The death of Renee Walker was one of the greatest travesties on "24".  As for the MI-6 guy, I highly doubt he would be interested, but I vote for Rupert Penry-Jones.

Edited June 22, 2017 by blackwing

[secnarf]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

Here's the full blurb from the TV Line link:

Fiery?  As in "red haired"?  I 100% will watch if Annie Wersching is cast in this role.  The death of Renee Walker was one of the greatest travesties on "24".  As for the MI-6 guy, I highly doubt he would be interested, but I vote for Rupert Penry-Jones.

I don't think 'fiery' has to have anything to do with her hair colour...

[jhlipton]

4 hours ago, blackwing said:

A smaller minority seemed to really want this show to be a political show.  And the show delivered, a good portion of each episode was devoted to whatever political issue the producers wanted to tackle.

I wouldn't have minded a political show -- I loved The West Wing.  But on that show, the issues were substantive and the opposition characters more than cardboard cut-outs.

I don't want a show to be on "my side" if it's as sloppy about it as this one was.

[orza]

4 hours ago, blackwing said:

And therein lies the problem.  This show can't decide if it's a political show or a spy show.  From the comments of viewers here on PTV, it seems most viewers wanted a spy show.  The premise of the show was pitched as Kiefer Sutherland accidentally becoming President when he is the designated survivor of an attack that took out the entire government.  Then the rest of the season would presumably be about finding out who carried out the attack and why.

A smaller minority seemed to really want this show to be a political show.  And the show delivered, a good portion of each episode was devoted to whatever political issue the producers wanted to tackle.

The blend didn't work for me.  The political stuff bored me to tears.  Most of my issue with the political stuff was that it appeared very partisan and one sided... they didn't do a good enough job of presenting both sides.  The action stuff was decent, but often unbelievable, and too little time was devoted to fleshing it out because of the time spent on the political crap. 

The comments here are probably not represenative of all viewers. The main character is POTUS so it can't really be a spy show because catching conspirators is not something the president would personally be involved in. The show is called Designated Survivor and has a big name actor in the title role. The show needs to be about him. I was expecting a show that focuses on the difficulties of a mild-mannered, idealistic political appointee who is suddenly thrust into the position of being the most powerful man in the world. The conspiracy story line should have been wrapped up in about 5 or 6 episodes. It dragged on for way too long and showed agent Wells to be a bumbling idiot. The loose cannon who has to do everything on her own way, causing a lot of unnecessary problems before finally solving the case, is a tired cliche. If they must continue with the conspiracy story I would rather see Forstell leading a team of agents doing solid investigative work.

The show doesn't need to be balanced and present both sides of issues. I am very much in favor of the show shaming and bashing the current administration whenever it can, but it needs to do it with a lot more finesse. What we have seen so far is clumsy and heavy-handed. They need to smarten it up.

[thewhiteowl]

I was not upset about losing Kimball, once she was pushed out of a powerful position I assumed she was a goner. I wanted a show about how the DS handles all the challenges of being DS. I thought that was a gold mine of opportunity for ideas as well as rebuilding the administration. I was not intrigued by the the spy stuff but it was okay if seemingly incompetent. This show could be good, it has the potential and the cast but they need to define it and yes, be smarter.

[Princess Lucky]

15 hours ago, orza said:

The comments here are probably not represenative of all viewers. The main character is POTUS so it can't really be a spy show because catching conspirators is not something the president would personally be involved in. The show is called Designated Survivor and has a big name actor in the title role. The show needs to be about him. I was expecting a show that focuses on the difficulties of a mild-mannered, idealistic political appointee who is suddenly thrust into the position of being the most powerful man in the world. The conspiracy story line should have been wrapped up in about 5 or 6 episodes. It dragged on for way too long and showed agent Wells to be a bumbling idiot. The loose cannon who has to do everything on her own way, causing a lot of unnecessary problems before finally solving the case, is a tired cliche. If they must continue with the conspiracy story I would rather see Forstell leading a team of agents doing solid investigative work.

The show doesn't need to be balanced and present both sides of issues. I am very much in favor of the show shaming and bashing the current administration whenever it can, but it needs to do it with a lot more finesse. What we have seen so far is clumsy and heavy-handed. They need to smarten it up.

"This show needs less Maggie Q and more Reed Diamond."

Filed under "things I never thought I'd read," lol.

(I do love Reed Diamond, to be honest, but I adore Maggie Q)

I think the problem is that, for an action show to be fun, all it takes is a few shootouts and a few stupid twists and a few kickass action scenes. For a political show to be fun, it requires good writing, and engaging storylines, and meaningful discourse. I feel like the latter is a lot harder to achieve. That's why procedurals and spy shows are a dime a dozen, and then there's, like, only one Madam Secretary.

I love Kiefer too, and I would have totally watched a political drama with him as the star (that's what I thought DS would be, in fact). But, after watching the first season, I was truly underwhelmed by all the political stories. They were poorly written and generic. Boring, frankly. That said, I think the one thing this show has done well is give us an engaging lead. I care about Kirkman. So I could be convinced to watch more of his White House shenanigans. Unfortunately, however, I don't have much faith in the writers to convince me.

Failing that, I'd be more than fine with watching Maggie Q, Reed Diamond (is he even coming back? Wait, don't spoil me, I still haven't watched the last few eps, he might be the mole!), Chuck (omg is he even alive? Don't spoil me!) and a new MI6 hottie doing all sorts of kickass stuff.

[Princess Lucky]

Designated Survivor Enlists Royal Pains' Paulo Costanzo as New Regular

...okay, I guess?

This is strike 1. I hope the other 2 new characters will be played by more exciting actors (Costanzo is fine, but hardly enough to excite me).

[Moose135]

From the linked article:

Sutherland teased...“a midseason event that I believe will knock the socks off our audience.”

Like blowing up the Capitol Building during the State of the Union address and killing almost the entire government? Oh wait, they've already played that card...

[marinw]

I am underwhelmed.

[orza]

Well, it would appear that having the star of the show also in the role of executive producer with script and casting approval is turning out to be not such a great idea. I suppose Costanzo's main qualification for getting the job is that he is Canadian. Hopefully he is better than some of the other local talent they've had on the show.

[jhlipton]

Sounds dreadful.

[marinw]

I never thought I would say this:

This show may have cured me of my decade-long Kiefer obsession. So there’s that.

[Danielg342]

So we go from the supremely talented, "should have her own show by now" Virginia Madsen to the guy who's best known for being one of the combatants in those old "gotta be KD" ads?

I mean, I actually thought Paolo Costanzo did a good job in Criminal Minds (where he was shown to be the mentor for Penelope Garcia when she was a hacker), but something about this hiring leaves me unimpressed.

[Princess Lucky]

Looks like Aaron got a haircut.

Okay, fine, I'll watch Season 2.
 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Princess Lucky said:

Looks like Aaron got a haircut.…

No! *sob*
He just needed to get rid of the goopy hair product.

[scarynikki12]

Agreed but a haircut is a good second option. 

[Danielg342]

...and Kal Penn grew a beard. Maybe that's why Italia Ricci is licking him.

[marinw]

No emmy noms for this show. Not a suprise.

[Chas411]

http://deadline.com/2017/07/designated-survivor-ben-lawson-cast-series-regular-season-2-1202129188/

[marinw]

Does anyone know why Virgina Madsen left? 

[jhlipton]

3 hours ago, Chas411 said:

http://deadline.com/2017/07/designated-survivor-ben-lawson-cast-series-regular-season-2-1202129188/

Quote

Lawson will play Damian Rennett, an MI-6 operative who meets Hannah (Maggie Q) while posing as a Dutchman in Amsterdam. Their relationship begins with mutual wariness, morphs into competitiveness, and is complicated by an irresistible mutual attraction

It's like they want me to quit.  There is not one word in this that doesn't make me barf.

[Danielg342]

If they really wanted this to be a thriller with a political bent, then why couldn't Kimble Hookstraten have been moved to the Director of the FBI or the CIA or the NSA or something? There's more than enough for her to do there.

[Princess Lucky]

15 hours ago, Chas411 said:

http://deadline.com/2017/07/designated-survivor-ben-lawson-cast-series-regular-season-2-1202129188/

Who?????

He's not even that cute. I was really hoping for a name actor to be paired up with Maggie Q, not this nobody. Dammit, this particular casting announcement had me a little excited about that storyline, but the casting itself dashed my hopes. I mean, just pair her up with Reed Diamond, he's a better actor and people actually know who he is (I still haven't watched the finale, by the way, so please don't tell me if he's dead and/or a traitor).

11 hours ago, marinw said:

Does anyone know why Virgina Madsen left? 

Creative decision by the eleventh showrunner, probably. She's been tweeting stuff like "it wasn't my choice" and "I'm sorry to go" and #demotedsurvivor and it's just tragically obvious she was excited about this character (which showed in her performance) and she's disappointed she was let go.

At this point, Aaron's haircut is the one thing that still excites me about season 2. I don't know that it's enough to keep me watching.

Unless, I don't know, maybe Alex and the kids all died in a fiery blaze in the finale? Did that happen? Should I watch and find out? I have managed to stay unspoiled, which means I do still care about this show on some level, and I want to "enjoy" the finale whenever I do watch it. On the other hand, I actually don't feel like watching it, and it aired months ago. I don't know. I'm underwhelmed.

There's one more regular to be cast, right? I'm not getting my hopes up, though. They let go of Malik Yoba, Virginia Madsen and the MacLeishes, all of whom were fantastic actors, and they're replacing them with randoms? I really don't know that I'll stick with this show.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Princess Lucky

[jhlipton]

1 hour ago, Princess Lucky said:

Should I watch and find out? I have managed to stay unspoiled, which means I do still care about this show on some level, and I want to "enjoy" the finale whenever I do watch it.

Be prepared for massive stupidity.  I'm talking about a level that makes the previous dumb-ass episodes seem like Rod Serling/Alfred Hitchcock level writing...

[Princess Lucky]

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

Be prepared for massive stupidity.  I'm talking about a level that makes the previous dumb-ass episodes seem like Rod Serling/Alfred Hitchcock level writing...

Oh God. That actually intrigues me. I'll try to watch it by the end of the week, if only to satisfy my (now increased) curiosity. Thanks for lowering my already totally low expectations, by the way, and I mean that in all sincerity.

This show had so much potential. Much more than your usual network show. It's wild how they lost their way.

[jhlipton]

5 minutes ago, Princess Lucky said:

Thanks for lowering my already totally low expectations, by the way, and I mean that in all sincerity.

You are quite welcome -- and don't say I didn't warn you!

Edited July 17, 2017 by jhlipton

[TimWil]

And with the Aussie Lawson's casting Kiefer continues his misguided bid for a knighthood! Dude absolutely has a preference for Brits, Canadians, Aussies, Kiwis and all other Commonwealth actors for his shows.

[lbklover]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but recently saw an interview with Kiefer where he said that they were "going to show more of the family" in Season 2 - he thought it was "fascinating" that Tom Kirkman becomes President and that we get to witness "how his family handles it."  This means DEATH for this show ... Kiefer's brain is evidently pickled from all those bottles he's consumed!  :-(

Oh, and the tabloids "announced" about the girlfriend (Cindy Vega or Cindy Vela - can't remember which - yes, she's THAT important - not!) and that Kiefer had been "secretly dating" her for three years (it just so happens that this news "broke" right before - tada! - her "starring" role in "It's Gawd!" which is on - dumb roll ... Amazon Prime - and NOT at a theater near you).  A lot of Kiefer's fans on Twitter and Facebook are all slobbery and asking "When will Cindy be cast in Designated Survivor?!"  Say it AIN'T SO!!  Although, since she's not Canadian - she's from Texas - that might not even be considered by her Executive Producer/boyfriend.

Edited July 18, 2017 by lbklover
Forget to add another paragraph!

[jhlipton]

15 minutes ago, lbklover said:

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but recently saw an interview with Kiefer where he said that they were "going to show more of the family" in Season 2

[Insert vomiting emoji here]

[marinw]

Oh Kiefer. I tried. I really did. I don’t care about your personal life. I just want you to be in a show that’s decent.

Maybe in Season 2 President Kirkman will deal with his stress by singing mopey country western songs.

[Princess Lucky]

46 minutes ago, lbklover said:

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but recently saw an interview with Kiefer where he said that they were "going to show more of the family" in Season 2 - he thought it was "fascinating" that Tom Kirkman becomes President and that we get to witness "how his family handles it."  This means DEATH for this show ... Kiefer's brain is evidently pickled from all those bottles he's consumed!  :-(

'Fascinating' is not a word I would use to describe anything ever shown on Designated Survivor. Except maybe Hannah's hair flips, or Aaron's hair but without all the hair gel, or maybe Rob Morrow's hokey yet somehow captivating performance.

30 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

[Insert vomiting emoji here]

Yeah. I just don't understand how someone (*cough*Kiefer*cough*) could ever watch S1 and think, "I know what would improve this show! More Kirkman kids and less Virginia Madsen!"

[jhlipton]

@Princess Lucky -- have you seen the finale yet?

[TimWil]

Another ho-hum casting addition...

 

http://tvline.com/2017/07/18/designated-survivor-season-2-cast-zoe-mclellan/

[Danielg342]

Interesting story- I met DS' travel coordinator (the one who actually gets the actors to the set) at a roadside stop and had her weekend interrupted by Zoe McClellan's agent. The reason? At the last second, McClellan wanted to change her flight because she didn't like what time it was (to be fair, it was for 6AM). My new friend had quite the time trying to book McClellan a new flight, and she didn't get to her destination until 6PM when she would have been there for 2PM.

So I'm going to watch with some interest how McClellan goes. I grant this is one small incident, but the way the travel coordinator described her, she wasn't too fond of her character. The coordinator did have lots of nice things to say about Natascha, so if her role is increasing, I'll be all for it.

[jhlipton]

"Delving into the lives of our characters".  Yeah, that's why I watch a show about the Capitol blowing up and a neophyte trying to take on the mantle of President -- because I'm fascinated by your "personal lives".

Gack.

@Danielg342 -- many years ago, I met a PA for Ally McBeal.  She described her job as "babysitter" (and not for good kids).

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, jhlipton said:

"Delving into the lives of our characters".  Yeah, that's why I watch a show about the Capitol blowing up and a neophyte trying to take on the mantle of President -- because I'm fascinated by your "personal lives".

Gack.…

The Madam Secretary family works for me. I'm wondering if they're trying to replicate that here.

[Danielg342]

8 hours ago, jhlipton said:

@Danielg342 -- many years ago, I met a PA for Ally McBeal.  She described her job as "babysitter" (and not for good kids).

My friend used the same term, and I believe her. She also said that the worst people are not A-listers but D-listers who are "just breaking out", since A-listers tend to have been around the industry for a while and they have more respect for how it functions.

[Princess Lucky]

12 hours ago, TimWil said:

Another ho-hum casting addition...

 

http://tvline.com/2017/07/18/designated-survivor-season-2-cast-zoe-mclellan/

You said it. That's certainly not enough to get me excited, even if I really liked this actress on Dirty Sexy Money. To me, this is 0 for 3 on the new actors. Which is sad.

13 hours ago, jhlipton said:

@Princess Lucky -- have you seen the finale yet?

No, not yet! I'm gonna watch it on Thursday. Tonight I'll be watching Salvation, because I don't love myself.

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

The Madam Secretary family works for me. I'm wondering if they're trying to replicate that here.

In their dreams. That is a great example to follow, but can these writers do that? And it's one thing to combine (compelling) family drama with politics and international crises, but to combine it with rogue agents and bombings and other wild stuff? I suppose the show will continue with that offputting shift between two totally different halves, tonally speaking.

[jhlipton]

4 hours ago, Princess Lucky said:

No, not yet! I'm gonna watch it on Thursday. Tonight I'll be watching Salvation, because I don't love myself.

Dies laughing!!!!

[marinw]

4 hours ago, Princess Lucky said:

Tonight I'll be watching Salvation, because I don't love myself.

DS dealing with an asteriod would be about right.

[jhlipton]

5 minutes ago, marinw said:

DS dealing with an asteriod would be about right.

Oh Gawd, an asteroid just landed on our new-and-unimproved Congress!  But who altered its orbit to make it land there?  Only Leo Kirkman can find the truth!

[marinw]

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

an asteroid just landed on our new-and-unimproved Congress!

Asteroids don't "land" so much as "crash into" things and planets.  But thank you for that image.