ABC has ordered Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland to series and will premiere this fall.
It is the night of the President’s State of the Union address. Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland), the secretary of HUD, is the only cabinet member watching from another location. He has been chosen to be the Designated Survivor for the night, which ensures continuity of government in the unlikely event that a catastrophic attack on the capital kills everyone above him in the presidential line of succession.
As he watches with his wife Alex (Natascha McElhone), a savvy pro bono attorney, the television signal suddenly cuts out and the Secret Service rush in. The Capitol Building has been blown up, the President and Cabinet members are dead, and Kirkman is about to become the President of the United States.
He and Alex are taken to the White House immediately while Secret Service rush to get his 9 year-old daughter and search for his 16 year-old son, who is not where he said he would be. There is no time to process how their lives are about to change.
FBI Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) is alerted immediately and runs out on a disastrous blind date. When she gets to the Capitol and starts the investigation, she makes the startling revelation that this attack might only be the beginning.
Tom, now President Kirkman, meets with everyone left at top-level security clearance. Deputy Chief of Staff Aaron Shore helps Kirkman gain command over the panicked and chaotic room.
Tensions rise when they receive word that Iran has deployed its Navy into the Strait of Hormuz. Hawkish General Cochrane, convinced that Iran is taking advantage of the attack to cut off America’s source of oil, wants to bomb Iran immediately without substantiated evidence. President Kirkman refuses to head into military action without assessing the situation and meets with the Ambassador of Iran. While many doubt he has the strength and experience to take on these kinds of challenges, he proves himself surprisingly worthy.
Speechwriter Seth Wright (Kal Penn), who Kirkman caught earlier trashing him for being a follower instead of a leader, will now have 45 minutes to write a formidable speech to launch his new presidency.
With the Cabinet in shambles, the military pressing for action, the terrorists still at large, and the entire country searching for answers, Kirkman will struggle to prevent America, and his own family, from falling into chaos as he is thrust into one of the most difficult presidencies in history.