Designated Survivor Rescued by Netflix, Season 3 Confirmed
Designated Survivor Season 3 is happening and heading to Netflix!
Fans will be delighted to hear that Designated Survivor will soon live up to its title, thanks to a bit of real life Deus ex Machina courtesy of a certain series-rescuing streaming giant. While ABC cancelled the Kiefer Sutherland vehicle after two seasons, the studio behind the series, eOne, immediately went into talks with Netflix – who already carried international streaming rights for the series – about picking up Designated Survivor Season 3; talks that ultimately proved successful.
Netflix has officially announced its pickup of Designated Survivor Season 3. Interestingly, Kiefer Sutherland and the cast will return to the series under the purview of a new showrunner in Neal Baer, an executive-producing veteran of shows such as Under the Dome, A Gifted Man, Law & Order: SVU and ER.
With the rescue comes an official plot synopsis for Designated Survivor Season 3:
President Kirkman (Sutherland) will face a political reality… campaigning. What does it take to make a leader? What price will he be willing to pay? This season will explore today’s world of campaigning, smear tactics, debates, campaign finance and “fake news.” Democracy, as we know it, will hang in the balance.
New showrunner Baer will arrive as the fifth boss in the show’s short life; a musical chairs testament to the behind-the-scenes tumult that led to its ABC cancellation. Thus, Netflix’s selection of Baer was designed to put the series in a pair of steady hands in the rescue endeavor. He will follow former showrunners in Amy B. Harris (Wicked City, Sex and the City), John Harmon Feldman (Blood & Oil, No Ordinary Family), Jeff Melvoin (Army Wives, Alias) and Keith Eisner (The Good Wife, Law & Order).
As star Kiefer Sutherland states of the rescue:
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play President Kirkman for season 3 of Designated Survivor with Netflix, eOne and Neal Baer. I believe this format will allow us to continue to delve deeply into storylines and issues concerning the American electorate that were not previously possible.”
Designated Survivor, created by David Guggenheim, was given a straight-to-series order by ABC and premiered in 2016 to strong ratings. While there was a ratings decline in the second season, it wasn’t a giant drop. Season 2 averaged 3.9 million viewers compared to Season 1’s 5.8 million.
We’ll keep you updated on Designated Survivor Season 3 as it makes its Netflix migration.
