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Season 2 – Designated Survivor

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60% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
As a lower-level cabinet member, Tom Kirkman never imagined something would happen that would catapult him to the oval office. When a devastating attack on the night of the State of the Union address claims the lives of the president and most of the Cabinet, the Housing and Urban Development secretary -- who was named the designated survivor in case of such an event -- finds himself promoted to leader of the free world. Suddenly thrust into his new position of power, Kirkman struggles to keep the country from dissolving into chaos and must adjust to his new normal, unaware of what fresh horrors may await the United States.
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Designated Survivor — Season 2

Designated Survivor — Season 2

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Critics Consensus

Kiefer Sutherland remains commanding enough in Designated Survivor to get him re-elected, but this White House series' escalating earnestness may strike viewers as glaringly naive.

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Critics Reviews

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Ed Power Daily Telegraph (UK) It's just the sort of ludicrous, logic-defying twist you crave from a show in which a nostril-flaring Kiefer Sutherland plays the most powerful man on the planet. Rated: 4/5 Jun 14, 2018 Full Review Dalene Rovenstine Entertainment Weekly They're ready to take on the world, which is good since they have an international terrorist on their doorstep. Rated: B Jun 14, 2018 Full Review Allison Shoemaker AV Club Designated Survivor inches just a little bit closer to being good. Rated: B- Sep 28, 2017 Full Review Allison Nichols Tell-Tale TV This has been a rough season with only a handful of good episodes. Rated: 1.5/4 Jun 20, 2018 Full Review Jasmine Blu TV Fanatic It was such a weak storyline. Not only was it weak, but it was redundant as well. Rated: 3.1/5 Jun 15, 2018 Full Review Matt Webb Mitovich TV Line While the conspiracy behind the Capitol bombing had its foibles, it did set this show apart from the pack and surrounded Kiefer Sutherland with a thriller element which his 24 fans found nicely familiar. Rated: C+ Jun 14, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Diann S Just feel like they got rid of several compelling female characters. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/17/24 Full Review John M Plot insults the viewer's intelligence. Incredible Hannah zips all over the planet as an FBI agent, apparently the only one the bureau has. She has numerous near misses with autos, is repeatedly jumped from behind, abducted, has a disastrous affair with a spy, is repeatedly shot at yet turns up in D.C. looking fresh as a daisy. She probably weighs less than 120 yet beats up villains twice her size. She must be a refugee from Marvel Comics. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/04/23 Full Review Francesca R One of the worst TV series ever. Even worse than 24. This season 2 is worse than season 1. At least season 1 had a reasonable start. This one is full of crappy stories. One FBI agent doing all and every job. The President's staff acting as in a nonsense comedy. A President getting nuts after his wife's death. And a President and his staff involved in every US problem as other institutions didn't exist. Come on! Writing is really poor. And it's full of bullshit. OK. It's not a documentary but it did go beyond fiction. This is fantasy genre. Ridiculous 100% Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/13/23 Full Review Jacob P Not as good as the first season, but still wonderful. Lyon and Kendra were amazing additions and although it takes some time to pick up, the latter episodes are just great! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/07/23 Full Review pedro l Although not as good as S1, it is still very good. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Kers t Mild spoilers alert. I watched the first Season and found it promising, thought let's see where they go with this. Although Kiefer Sutherland Must have had some plastic surgery done - I found it very distracting each time he appears. (I hope it's not revealed that he has been in an accident and needed to have reconstitute surgery. I would feel bad if that were the case). I stopped watching half way through the Second Season. The characters are too one dimensional- Tom Kirkman and his wife are SUCH nice people it's nauseating. Nice people are not the problem, but the cliched and relentless manner in which this is done, is hard to watch. And I am a big fan of Natasha McElhone - such a beautiful, talented actress. As the First Lady, she mostly has to utter PC platitudes, be soulful and understanding. Kirkman also lacks nuance. He is a little boring and average - which I suppose was deliberate, and then we are asked to believe that he is growing into his role. However, both script and acting do not show any growth or any reason why his employees frequently express how "honoured they were to serve him". They can't be very bright. I quite liked Sutherland in 24 and other roles. I'm not quite sure why he is so terrible in this. Spoiler alert: Eventually I read in another review that they later kill off Agent Wells and Ritter. They were amongst the more charismatic and interesting supporting characters. I like watching Maggie Q and the actor who plays Ritter. They did amazing things with a silly script. Actually, Ritter barely gets to talk, but he is expressive. Finally, the relentless idealised depiction of the US government. It's too much, it gets tiresome. Back to the beginning: this is just very simplistic, not much humour either, uninspired writing. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/26/22 Full Review Read all reviews
Designated Survivor — Season 2

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Cast & Crew

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Kiefer Sutherland

Tom Kirkman

Natascha McElhone

Alex Kirkman

Paulo Costanzo

Lyor Boone

Adan Canto

Aaron Shore

Italia Ricci

Emily Rhodes

LaMonica Garrett

Mike Ritter

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 27, 2017 One Year In One year into office, President Kirkman is determined to rebuild the Capitol after the catastrophic attack and capture those responsible; a hijacked Russian plane puts Kirkman's diplomatic skills to the test. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 4, 2017 Sting of the Tail FBI agent Hannah Wells finally closes in on Patrick Lloyd; the president decides to take action during the White House Correspondents Association dinner. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 11, 2017 Outbreak President Kirkman is faced with a viral pandemic that threatens to kill countless Americans; Hannah and Damian discover evidence that could change the lives of members of the first family forever. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 18, 2017 Equilibrium Tensions rise between America and Mexico when a Mexican citizen is shot during a border dispute regarding trade imports. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 25, 2017 Suckers Kirkman tries to win back the people's trust after a senator appears on the national news and misrepresents a private conversation he had with the president; MI-6 agent Damian Rennett joins FBI agent Hannah Wells to solve an international murder. Details Episode 6 Aired Nov 1, 2017 Two Ships When a U.S. Navy ship containing secret surveillance becomes stranded in enemy waters, President Kirkman must negotiate the crew and ship's release; Chief of Staff Emily Rhodes reconnects with someone from her childhood. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 15, 2017 Family Ties Turkey's president demands extradition of a Turkish activist, putting Kirkman in a battle that could threaten his future. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 29, 2017 Home While on a secret mission to Afghanistan, President Kirkman meets with two infamous warlords and must determine whom he can trust to hand over territories to the United States; Seth has a run-in with the police. Details Episode 9 Aired Dec 6, 2017 Three-Letter Day The White House staff takes action on letters sent to the president; Hannah and Damian chase down leads to exonerate the first lady. Details Episode 10 Aired Dec 13, 2017 Line of Fire Extremists refuse to evacuate when a forest fire threatens to engulf their cabin; President Kirkman sends Emily and Aaron to diffuse the situation; the first lady gives her testimony to the FBI director. Details Episode 11 Aired Feb 28, 2018 Grief President Kirkman sees a therapist to deal with the loss of his wife; Hannah and Aaron travel to Cuba as part of a trade delegation; Kirkman struggles with a decision that will test his role as commander in chief during his time of grief. Details Episode 12 Aired Mar 7, 2018 The Final Frontier A missile intended to bring water to stranded astronauts in space is hacked; President Kirkman must work with Russia to help save lives and find out who is behind the hack; Hannah finds herself working with Damian again. Details Episode 13 Aired Mar 14, 2018 Original Sin When a video of the president visiting prison leaks to the media, his team works to minimize the fallout; a surprise White House demonstration has deeper ties to the president than anyone realizes. Details Episode 14 Aired Mar 21, 2018 In the Dark When a blackout threatens to shut down the government and causes chaos in the streets of Washington, D.C., President Kirkman joins forces with Mayor Ellenor Darby. Details Episode 15 Aired Mar 28, 2018 Summit President Kirkman travels to Camp David to broker a peace treaty with the leaders of East and West Hanchu; Seth and Emily take a hard look at their relationship and decide how, and if, they will move forward as a couple. Details Episode 16 Aired Apr 4, 2018 Fallout President Kirkman and his staff have credible intelligence that a dirty bomb is on U.S. soil; Emily approaches Chuck to help her with something that has damaging and illegal consequences. Details Episode 17 Aired Apr 11, 2018 Overkill Following a deadly bomb explosion, President Kirkman declares war on Kunami; FBI Agent Hannah Wells learns that the ambassador sent from that country is hiding something that could have deadly consequences. Details Episode 18 Aired Apr 18, 2018 Kirkman Agonistes As more content from President Kirkman's confidential therapy sessions leaks out, Vice President Darby meets secretly with the entire Cabinet. Details Episode 19 Aired Apr 25, 2018 Capacity Attorney Ethan West calls on President Kirkman's closest advisers and staff as he begins his investigation. Details Episode 20 Aired May 2, 2018 Bad Reception President Kirkman negotiates with a foreign government to release an American held overseas; Ethan West continues his investigation. Details Episode 21 Aired May 9, 2018 Target Kendra finds herself in a dangerous situation that puts another staffer's life at risk; Hannah takes an unexpected trip for answers. Details Episode 22 Aired May 16, 2018 Run A natural disaster threatens the lives of two White House staffers; Kirkman's closest allies are surprised when the president makes an announcement no one saw coming. Details

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Designated Survivor — Season 2

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Season Info

Director
Chris Grismer, Timothy Busfield, Leslie Libman, Joe Lazarov
Executive Producer
David Guggenheim, Mark Gordon, Kiefer Sutherland, Simon Kinberg, Nicholas Pepper, Jeff Melvoin, Suzan Bymel, Aditya Sood
Screenwriter
Keith Eisner, Bill Chais, Jessica Grasl, Ashley Gable, Tom Garrigus, Pierluigi Cothran, Patrick Cunnane, Jeff Melvoin
Network
ABC
Rating
TV-14 (S|V)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 27, 2017
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