“Designated Survivor” Tom Kirkman, portrayed by actor Kiefer Sutherland, was sworn into office on Sept. 21 in ABC’s new hit series.
The show’s premiere was very captivating from beginning to end. Its definitely not your normal one trick pony.
Kirkman is the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, when he is designated the title of “designated survivor” during the President’s State of the Union address at the nation’s capitol in Washington D.C.
The concept of the designated survivor is an eye opener because a lot of people aren’t aware that this position even existed in the first place.
The role requires that a select person from the President’s cabinet stay in a secret location during the address in the case something catastrophic would happen to our government.
And that’s exactly how the series began.
The episode opens with Kirkman in total dad-mode, complete with beer and pizza. He is having a simple night, on the phone with his daughter while he and his wife, Alex, are watching the president’s speech on TV.
But suddenly everybody, including the president and his cabinet, are attacked at the Capitol, making Sutherland’s designated survivor the new President of the United States.
This is when multiple questions start to arise.
Is Kirkman fit to become President of the United States? Who ordered the bomb on the capitol? How other countries reacting? Will they stomp on our country while we’re down or will they lend aid?
Most importantly, of the remaining national leaders, who will support the new president and who will try to remove him from office before he can even prove himself?
“We’re in a state of war. Tom Kirkman is not gonna get us through this,” said Harris Cochrane, who plays the General Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Kirkman comes off as a man with mixed emotions who needs to either pull himself together or walk away from the challenge.
Sutherland does an impeccable job in making the audience feel for his character’s situation while also relating to the incredible challenges that face a person can face when they are surprised with such an extreme responsibility.
The new series focuses on today’s world problems, making it watchable and relevant. The threat of terror on home soil is real. The thought of the destruction of our government leaders are a possible and very scary outcome.
Keep up on the latest episodes of “Designated Survivor” as it airs Wednesdays on ABC.
Stay tuned to The Hornet for an exclusive interview with “Designated Survivor” actor Arjay Smith.
