Home > Designated Survivor > Season 1 « TV Series Page Designated Survivor: Season 1 (2016 - 2017) SEASON: Season 1 Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Want to see Episode List Season 1 Designated Survivor Critics Consensus Kiefer Sutherland skillfully delivers the drama in Designated Survivor, a fast-paced, quickly engrossing escapist political action fantasy. 87% TOMATOMETER Critic Ratings: 62 79% Audience Score User Ratings: 1374 NEW More Info × Close Want to see Super Reviewer Submit Super Reviewer Edit Review Episodes 1 Pilot Air date: Sep 21, 2016 Tom Kirkman, a lower level United States Cabinet member, finds himself suddenly appointed president of the country after a catastrophic attack kills everyone above him in the line of succession in the series premiere of this dramatic thriller. More 2 The First Day Air date: Sep 28, 2016 Hours after the attack on the Capitol, President Kirkman steps into his new role as commander-in-chief. In the midst of the chaos and confusion of the situation that threatens to tear the country apart, he's also faced with dangerous challenges and adversaries, in addition to the shocking news that he wasn't the only designated survivor. More 3 The Confession Air date: Oct 5, 2016 The FBI's investigation into the Capitol bombing continues, with Agent Hannah Wells starting to develop her own theories as to who's responsible. Meanwhile, President Kirkman and his staff deal with a high-level security breach of the White House, which they try to keep secret as Tom prepares for his first TV interview as POTUS. More 4 The Enemy Air date: Oct 12, 2016 After learning who was behind the attack, Kirkman faces the prospect of war. -- (C) ABC More 5 The Mission Air date: Oct 26, 2016 President Kirkman attempts diplomacy with Algeria, but fails, forcing him to make a difficult decision that will define his years in the White House. Meanwhile, more secrets than answers are uncovered as Hannah continues her investigation into the Capitol bombing. More 6 The Interrogation Air date: Nov 9, 2016 Shots are fired at the White House during a Governors Summit; President Kirkman must regroup after his plans for electing a new Congress are thrown into turmoil; Agent Wells makes a shocking discovery while investigating the Capitol bombing. More 7 The Traitor Air date: Nov 16, 2016 President Kirkman negotiates a hostage exchange involving the CIA, the Russian government and an American track-and-field coach. Elsewhere, FBI Deputy Director Atwood worries for the safety of his family after he and Hannah uncover information about the Capitol bombing. More 8 The Results Air date: Nov 30, 2016 A national emergency forces Kirkman to consider canceling the election to vote for a new House of Representatives; at the same time, he also deals with fallout from a leaked report of Majid Nassar's death. More 9 The Blueprint Air date: Dec 7, 2016 President Kirkman deals with classified government documents being leaked online by a group that have taken refuge inside a foreign embassy that's beyond his reach. Meanwhile, Hannah is running out of time to prove MacLeish's involvement in the conspiracy before his confirmation as vice president. More 10 The Oath Air date: Dec 14, 2016 Shocking information related to the Capitol bombing case gives President Kirkman reason to suspect there could be a traitor in the White House, which he asks Emily to quietly investigate. Meanwhile, concerns are raised about Congressman MacLeish. More Show More Episodes Designated Survivor: Season 1 Videos 2:30 Designated Survivor: Season 1 Trailer View All Videos (1) Designated Survivor: Season 1 Photos View All Photos (131) Tv Season Info Season 1 of "Designated Survivor" begins with the lowly Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland), being told he's literally the only guy left to become president when a devastating explosion rips through the Capitol during the State of the Union. In the aftermath, President Kirkman teams up with Congresswoman Kimble Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen), the GOP's chosen designated survivor, to bring stability back to the country. He also makes Congressman Peter MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman), the lone survivor of the catastrophe, his new vice president. Meanwhile, the FBI desperately try to uncover how the attack was even possible, with Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) and Deputy Director Jason Atwood (Malik Yoba) suspecting it was an inside job. Also starring Natascha McElhone and Kal Penn. Genre: Drama Network: Netflix Premiere Date: Sep 21, 2016 Creator: David Guggenheim Exec. Producers: Simon Kinberg, David Guggenheim, Kiefer Sutherland, Suzan Bymel, Amy B Harris, Paul McGuigan, Aditya Sood Cast Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman Natascha McElhone as Jessica Kirkman Adán Canto as Aaron Shore Italia Ricci as Emily Rhodes LaMonica Garrett as Mike Ritter Tanner Buchanan as Leo Kirkman Kal Penn as Seth Wheeler Maggie Q as Hannah Watts Virginia Madsen as Kimble Hookstraten Kevin McNally as Harris Cochrane Rob Morrow as Abe Leonard Mark Deklin as Senator Jack Bowman Malik Yoba as Jason Atwood McKenna Grace as Penny Kirkman Geoffrey Pierson as President Cornelius Moss Elizabeth Vargas as Herself Arjay Smith as Nolan Reed Diamond as John Forstell Alex Quijano as Lawrence Richard Bekins as President Richmond Elias Zarou as Ambassador Ahmed Fayad Peter Outerbridge as Charlie Langdon Rothaford Gray as Acting Defense Secretary Krista Morin as Acting FBI Director Show More Cast News & Interviews for Designated Survivor: Season 1 13 TV Shows You Should Binge-Watch This June 2017 Spring/Summer TV Premiere Dates People’s Choice 2017 Winners Announced View All Designated Survivor: Season 1 News Episodes 1 Pilot Air date: Sep 21, 2016 Tom Kirkman, a lower level United States Cabinet member, finds himself suddenly appointed president of the country after a catastrophic attack kills everyone above him in the line of succession in the series premiere of this dramatic thriller. More 2 The First Day Air date: Sep 28, 2016 Hours after the attack on the Capitol, President Kirkman steps into his new role as commander-in-chief. In the midst of the chaos and confusion of the situation that threatens to tear the country apart, he's also faced with dangerous challenges and adversaries, in addition to the shocking news that he wasn't the only designated survivor. More 3 The Confession Air date: Oct 5, 2016 The FBI's investigation into the Capitol bombing continues, with Agent Hannah Wells starting to develop her own theories as to who's responsible. Meanwhile, President Kirkman and his staff deal with a high-level security breach of the White House, which they try to keep secret as Tom prepares for his first TV interview as POTUS. More 4 The Enemy Air date: Oct 12, 2016 After learning who was behind the attack, Kirkman faces the prospect of war. -- (C) ABC More 5 The Mission Air date: Oct 26, 2016 President Kirkman attempts diplomacy with Algeria, but fails, forcing him to make a difficult decision that will define his years in the White House. Meanwhile, more secrets than answers are uncovered as Hannah continues her investigation into the Capitol bombing. More 6 The Interrogation Air date: Nov 9, 2016 Shots are fired at the White House during a Governors Summit; President Kirkman must regroup after his plans for electing a new Congress are thrown into turmoil; Agent Wells makes a shocking discovery while investigating the Capitol bombing. More 7 The Traitor Air date: Nov 16, 2016 President Kirkman negotiates a hostage exchange involving the CIA, the Russian government and an American track-and-field coach. Elsewhere, FBI Deputy Director Atwood worries for the safety of his family after he and Hannah uncover information about the Capitol bombing. More 8 The Results Air date: Nov 30, 2016 A national emergency forces Kirkman to consider canceling the election to vote for a new House of Representatives; at the same time, he also deals with fallout from a leaked report of Majid Nassar's death. More 9 The Blueprint Air date: Dec 7, 2016 President Kirkman deals with classified government documents being leaked online by a group that have taken refuge inside a foreign embassy that's beyond his reach. Meanwhile, Hannah is running out of time to prove MacLeish's involvement in the conspiracy before his confirmation as vice president. More 10 The Oath Air date: Dec 14, 2016 Shocking information related to the Capitol bombing case gives President Kirkman reason to suspect there could be a traitor in the White House, which he asks Emily to quietly investigate. Meanwhile, concerns are raised about Congressman MacLeish. More Show More Episodes Critic Reviews for Designated Survivor Season 1 All Critics (62) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (8) Designated Survivor has got a dynamite premise, but the premiere episode flounders when it leaves the White House for the ruins of the Capitol... Aug 20, 2019 | Rating: B+ | Full Review… Vicki Hyman Newark Star-Ledger Top Critic Designated Survivor aims to have it all: the weight of "The West Wing," the addictive thrills of "House of Cards," and perhaps even the action of "24" (thanks, mainly, to vengeful Maggie Q). Aug 20, 2019 | Rating: B+ | Full Review… Ben Travers indieWire Top Critic Sure, it's a far-out premise, but the suspenseful pilot gets your adrenaline pumping and it's fun watching Sutherland navigate a role where he can't rely on snapping anyone's neck -- at least not yet. Sep 7, 2016 | Full Review… Chuck Barney San Jose Mercury News Top Critic This is so chilling a premise, it's not something many of us want to think about, especially in these troubling times, and that makes Designated Survivor both disturbing and riveting. Sep 21, 2016 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… Gail Pennington St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top Critic Overly familiar story beats and cardboard character cutouts in Wednesday's opener blunt the return of Jack Bauer 2.0. A hint of genuine promise, however, remains. Sep 21, 2016 | Rating: B- | Full Review… Verne Gay Newsday Top Critic The pilot is terrific, as it moves briskly through the horrific events that lead to Kirkland's ascension, featuring troubling images of the Capitol sending fire into the Washington, D.C., sky. Sep 20, 2016 | Full Review… Matthew Gilbert Boston Globe Top Critic A terrific pilot episode. Aug 20, 2019 | Full Review… Glenn Garvin Reason Online It looks like Sutherland has another winner on his hands. Aug 20, 2019 | Full Review… Rob Lowman Los Angeles Daily News While we'll certainly click on to the next episode... it's got a while to go to prove that it's as good as any number of US dramas relating to the White House. Jul 9, 2019 | Full Review… Conrad Quilty-Harper GQ Magazine [UK] [It] shows a lot of promise in several categories. Jun 27, 2018 | Full Review… Kory Fischer Black Girl Nerds View All Critic Reviews (62) Audience Reviews for Designated Survivor: Season 1 Sep 10, 2019 What a treat. Kiefer Sutherland delivers a seamless performance. Although critics tend to rate Season 3 a little less positively than the first 2 seasons, i believe all Seasons are equally strong and binge watchable. The only negative point would be the excessive ‘patriotic-ness' at times, esp. for non US viewers. Sandra A Sep 05, 2019 Story is not plausible, the characters are great! B C Sep 03, 2019 This show showed so much promise, but it became dumb, very quick. Tiny spoiler...If you believe the USA, immediately after suffering a devastating attack that means rebuilding our entire govt top to bottom in addition to real worries that the perps are still out there ready to strike again, maybe would refrain from an eyeroll that a Congress in total chaos would try and pass a gun bill right out of the gate, before it has even begun the basics of rebuilding even truly began...this stupid story is for you. Of course there are evil Republicans at the ready to destroy the bill only based on politics, with an 'oily' looking Republican political with a Southern twang playing the bad guy that won't pass the bill only because he is power hungry...So....If you love liberal PC messaging that affirms your partisan rhetoric., you'll love this(Sutherland's character is an Indie). Too bad, it had potential but the characters fell flat...became almost drone in their scripts. We wanted to like this but gave it up, it was awful. Tammy M Aug 30, 2019 Good premise for a series with a well written storyline. Lee K Aug 28, 2019 The first couple of seasons are OK but after that the script got more stupid. In Season 3, the story got so bad I stopped watching. Agent Hannah Wells was killed because she got too stupid to deserve life. She walked into a known bio-weapon lab without any personal protect and walked around lab as if she was a tourist strolling around an amusement park with both of her hands in her pocket. So, the villain released the toxic gas and killed her. The writers for Designated Survivor, the director, and the producer must be removed from the entertainment industry because they are too stupid to entertain anyone! Maria S Aug 12, 2019 Fabulous show; fast, smart, suspenseful and very well made. Love the characters, great actors. It's almost impossible to turn it off after each episode. Love it. Tori W Aug 08, 2019 This show makes me believe in America again. Such a breath of fresh air compare to the current Potus. Great political plots, with a side investigation plot, love love love!! plus it's not super addicting like some of the other life/death gruesome shows we have currently. It's just a good story. I can stop watching and go back without issues. Shirene F Jun 30, 2019 Worst show to watch and the last season from Netflix is the worst season and tv show in all Netflix. Juan R Jun 28, 2019 Season 3 is TERRIBLE! Won't be watching any more - sex scenes (don't remember anything like this in prior seasons) and cuss words that have no bearing to the story - it truly is terrible. Won't be watching anymore. Cindy E Jun 27, 2019 Does it get more simple minded? awful! Marco W See all Audience reviews News & Features 150 Erotic Movies Ranked worst to best! 2019's Most Anticipated 63 movies coming up this year 200 Essential Movies Chosen by RT staff! 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