Totally addictive - but a very formulaic script within each episode.
It felt like it was scripted by ex political speech writers - not because of their deep understanding of political intrigue, but because of the compelling story telling and jargon
There were some nice bits - the man stretching to be all that he could, and still maintain his ethics. The family unit staying together despite stress. The agent so dedicated she got beaten up virtually every episode. The music used effectively to raise the tension
But some rubbish bits - 90% of the conversations felt like the were whispered. It was so predictable - every episode was just a set of things getting harder, and then someone not doing what they said they would do. The music used effectively to raise the tension - but gets your nose after 20 episodes...
At the end of it all, none of the episodes was great, and it really felt like it was just a vacuous near miss.
I can't bring myself to watch another series
2022
found this show i dont know what i was looking for
must say i'm big surprised with this first season
every episode had some turnarounds in my idea
the only thing i could i didnt enjoy because it sound to unrealistic is the fact one of the fbi agents is getting always in big problems, alone? I mean... an alone agent its a easy target but well, time to start season 2
PS: interesting all the stuff inside white house and the people trying to recriate the ambient inside
Despite some unrealistic acts I liked this show very much, maybe because I'm a big Jack Bauer fan ^^.
Strong start but incredibly boring and at times painful to watch from the middle to the end of the season. The show does not know what it wants to be: The West Wing or 24. It tries to be both at the same time and is neither one nor the other.
Fresh and exciting, Designated Survivor is a riveting political thriller that delivers an impressive (though a little uneven) first season. When terrorists bomb the Capital during the State of the Union Address, killing the President and Congress, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Thomas Kirkman is thrust into the presidency and must rebuild the government and find those responsible for the attack. Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Natascha McElhone, Kal Penn, and Maggie Q, the show features an incredibly strong cast. And, the writers do a good job at addressing the realities of rebuilding the government and at having an inexperienced politician suddenly assume high office. But unfortunately the show changes directions mid-season, replacing the showrunner due to “creative differences,” and becomes more of a left-leaning political drama. Still, the characters are compelling and there’s a fair amount of intrigue to the terrorist hunt (which is reduced almost to a minor subplot in the final third of the season). While it clearly has problems deciding what direction to take the show in, Season 1 of Designated Survivor is entertaining and full of suspense.
Just finished the first season. I really liked it! Nice mix of action and light politics!
Review by FinFanBlockedParentSpoilers2018-03-02T00:56:50Z
It's entertaining and literally starts with a bang. Interesting idea to make into a TV show. Strong start but becomes a little shallow towards the middle with no clear focus on what this is about - politics or action. While it could be both it is not mixing well. A shorter season would have help the pace and kept a lot of unneeded stuff out. Sutherland plays a good and believable part so does most of the cast. But the whole show is at times over dramatized. The score, the fanfares almost every second scene, it drips patriotism which probably not everyone can relate to. And of course the bad guy gets away in the S1 finale.
So either this show ends with the conspirators caught at the end of the second season, because dragging this on through several more seasons would be boring as hell. It was a good way to get the ball roling but after it was discovered that it was national terrorism and not muslim it basically went nowhere but sideways. Or they turn more towards the politics and show the problems in rebuilding but that too might not be enough for x number of seasons. Either way, right now I don`t see how this show can run for many more seasons.