‘Designated Survivor’ Blew Up the Government — Producers Explain What Happens Next

From the moment of its announcement, ABC’s “Designated Survivor” was easy to get excited about — a political drama about what might happen in a Tom Clancy-esque scenario where a bombing at the State of the Union made a cabinet official (Tom Kirkman, played by Kiefer Sutheland) President of the United States.

But while the exciting premise makes for a great TV pilot, what can we expect from the episodes to come? IndieWire got to ask creator David Guggenheimand executive producer Jon Feldman all about that at the Television Critics Association press tour, as well as what kind of influence both “24” and “The West Wing” might have over subsequent episodes. Also, somehow the question of whether Maggie Q is the show’s Robert De Niro or Al Pacino comes up. (The answer is both.)

To start off — casting, of course, makes a huge difference when you’re doing a show. Who was your conceptual lead when you were first starting this project?

Guggenheim: I definitely didn’t have anyone in mind, because usually when I have someone in mind and we don’t get that person, I’m really bummed. And I sort of like not writing with any sort of preconception. When they floatedKiefer Sutherland as a possibility, I was like “Yeah, sure, go ahead, there’s no way he’s going to do it — it’s not going to happen.” And then, once he did, it was just, “Now I can’t see obviously anyone else doing that role.” It’s so unbelievably huge that he’s doing it, but no, I did not expect Kiefer Sutherland in this role, nor Natascha [McElhone] or Kal [Penn] or Maggie [Q] or anyone else of the phenomenal cast we got. It’s the deepest bench I’ve ever seen.

Feldman: I joined just after the pilot was shot and so these roles were cast and it’s just so gratifying to be able to craft stories for actors of these caliber that we know will, frankly, elevate what we give them. That’s what makes it fun.

At what point do you feel like the title is something where you kind of almost wish it wasn’t there? Because the title is so grounded in the inciting incident. 

Feldman: I think it takes on the need. Right now, he’s a literal survivor, but I think as we tell his journey, perhaps he becomes the political survivor. Perhaps he survives the complications that will befall his family from this transition. I think as the show grows, that title will hopefully take on new meaning.

Guggenheim: I agree. I think the ideas should continually evolve so that you’re not always married to that one concept moving forward, because if you are then you‘re just gonna be writing in circles. We want to keep the show moving and evolving. Like Jon said, taking on new meaning is a great way to put it.

Feldman: I think one of the great things about network is that network TV offers you the possibility to do an event, and I think the pilot is an event. But as you get into the series, hopefully you can find a balancing act between the stakes that the pilot sets up and also the growth of these characters, as they go through different stories every week.

How big an influence is “The West Wing” at this point?

Guggenheim: When you consider White House shows, it’s obviously the best, for me, ever made. It’s… obviously Aaron Sorkin is the pinnacle; he’s the highest of heights. But the good news about our show is that there’s no way that Tom Kirkman could be Josiah Bartlet. He’s someone who didn’t want to be President, who has no experience being President. He’s not a governor, he’s not a Nobel laureate, We hope to have the same quality that they do, I think every show wants the same quality as “The West Wing,” but, in terms of the tone, it’s going to be different. And the characters are so different.

Feldman: “The West Wing” is obviously great and we’re I think lucky when that show is brought up in comparison to ours, but because of the circumstances that kick off our pilot there is an element, a tonally darker element as well, and that speaks to sort of the “Homeland” component of our show and also “House of Cards.” “House of Cards” is a cynical version of “West Wing,” but perhaps, in the day and age in which we live, may be more reflective of a lot of the culture we see coming out of Washington. So I think our goal is to blend those different colors, so that hopefully at the end of the day we come up with our own original take, that also acknowledges that these great shows have existed before us.