USA TODAY International Edition

D. C. thriller focuses on big rebuild

‘ Designated Survivor’ pivots to spotlight star

- Jayme Deerwester @ jaymedeerw­ester USA TODAY Contributi­ng: Gary Levin

Donald Trump isn’t the only outsider president learning how to govern on the job.

That’s also the challenge facing Designated Survivor’s Tom Kirkman ( Kiefer Sutherland), a low- level Cabinet secretary who was thrust into the presidency when terrorists attacked the Capitol during the State of the Union address. The attack wiped out most of the government, which he is now tasked with rebuilding.

When the show returns Wednesday ( 10 ET/ PT), viewers will learn who was on the other end of the sniper’s rifle that went off during the swearing- in of Vice President Peter MacLeish ( Ashley Zukerman) in the Dec. 14 winter finale.

But as the conspirato­rs from the Capitol bombing are caught and prosecuted, Sutherland says Survivor “will center more around someone who wasn’t planning or desiring to become president of the United States, how he approaches that incredible responsibi­lity and the effect that has on him, not only as a per- son, but his family.”

The show also has a new executive producer, Jeff Melvoin, who breaks Survivor down this way: “The show was effectivel­y pitched as a bit of a three- ring circus, with the conspiracy- thriller aspect kicking it off, the political education of an inexperien­ced president as the next sphere and the family drama as the third.”

The freshman series averaged 13.5 million viewers last fall, doubling its audience with delayed viewing to make it ABC’s top show. But the network, some fans and critics had reservatio­ns.

“The show has really delivered in terms of plot twists and suspense and a great narrative that keeps you guessing, but we haven’t spent enough time delving into the characters,” says ABC Entertainm­ent chief Channing Dungey. “What we consistent­ly hear from fans is they want to know more about Kirkman, more about his marriage, more about his relationsh­ips with the people in the White House. ... Our expectatio­n was that the balance would be a little bit different.”

What Melvoin and creator Da- vid Guggenheim learned from the show’s early episodes is “that you can’t serve all three rings equally within an episode. … What we’ve got going into the next 10 is a way to keep up all the excitement of the conspiracy but to be able to contain it so the president can broaden his governing.”

For Sutherland, 50, a Canadian who’s a lifelong student of American history, the most fascinatin­g plotlines delve into rebuilding the federal government.

Once the conspiracy plot moves off the front burner, Kirkman will hit the reset button on his presidency — and the show, Melvoin says.

So how long can this concept remain viable?

“David has created the TV equivalent of a great Tom Clancytype situation. Clancy was really great at taking characters that you’re familiar with and watching them grow and evolve over time, giving them energy and providing the same level of excitement and entertainm­ent value. I think this show has that potential.”

 ?? BEN MARK HOLZBERG, ABC ?? Tom Kirkman ( Kiefer Sutherland) must start over.
BEN MARK HOLZBERG, ABC Tom Kirkman ( Kiefer Sutherland) must start over.

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