ABC’s Designated Survivor: The US government in crisis, onscreen and off
By
Carlos Delgado
20 May 2017
The ABC television drama Designated Survivor is currently wrapping up its first season. The series has garnered mostly favorable comments from critics since its September 2016 debut and has managed to build a fairly sizable weekly viewership. Its depiction of a US government wracked by crisis no doubt resonates with viewers in the current political climate.
The “Pilot” episode begins on the night of the annual State of the Union address. The opening sequence informs us that, “During the State of the Union, one cabinet member is taken to an undisclosed location. In the event of a catastrophic attack on our government, that cabinet member becomes our new President.”
We are introduced to Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland), the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who has been selected as this year’s “designated survivor.” Believing he has been sidelined by the administration, Kirkman watches the address on television, expecting that his days in Washington are numbered.
Suddenly, the camera feed cuts out, and a security detail storms into the room. Kirkman opens the blinds to see a massive explosion rising up over the US Capitol building. In the ensuing chaos it becomes clear that an attack has wiped out nearly the entire US government, including the President and his Cabinet, the Supreme Court, and virtually every member of both houses of Congress. Kirkman is the lone survivor of the previous administration, and he is sworn in as the new President of the United States.
Political crises erupt in rapid succession. The Governor of Michigan imposes a curfew on a Muslim community and declares martial law, claiming…