‘Designated Survivor’: TV Series Gets Its Fourth Showrunner For A Potential Season 2
Will ABC’s “Designated Survivor” soon become a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth? We recently reported that the TV series was searching for a fourth showrunner for a potential Season 2, and now they’ve found someone to run the show.
Keith Eisner, who has served as an executive producer on CBS show “The Good Wife,” and worked in ABC’s “NYPD Blue” and NBC’s “Law & Order,” has closed a deal to become the showrunner of “Designated Survivor” in Season 2, reports Deadline. Bear in mind that the political thriller, which stars Kiefer Sutherland as mild-mannered President Tom Kirkman, has yet to be official renewed for another season.
However, given that a showrunner has been selected for the second season, it is highly likely that “Designated Survivor” will be renewed. Moreover, the ratings of this ABC show are good.
READ: Kiefer Sutherland didn’t want to return to TV after “24.”
Eisner will take the showrunning duties from Jeff Melvoin who will continue to stay on the drama series as an executive producer. Eisner will be the fourth showrunner on “Designated Survivor.” Previous showrunners include Amy B. Harris and Jon Harmon Feldman.
A writer on “The Carrie Diaries,” Harris was the series’ first showrunner. She was in charge of the pilot. When the show got picked up by ABC in May last year, Harris was replaced by Feldman. Then, Feldman left the political thriller in December after it received a full-season pickup. Melvoin then replaced Feldman.
“Designated Survivor” has seen a lot of changes in terms of its plot, pacing and storytelling since its pilot. While the first few episodes delved into Kirkman’s family issues – such as the question of his son Leo’s (Tanner Buchanan) paternity and his penchant for smuggling drugs in bars – the second half of Season 1 has put them in the background. Kirkman’s family is now enjoying some peace and quiet in Camp David.
Moreover, the show began at a slow pace. After the mid-season finale, “Designated Survivor” picked up the pace by killing Vice President Peter McLeish (Ashley Zukerman) and, in its most recently aired episode, revealing one of the traitors in the White House.
Furthermore, the series is also focusing more on the political aspects of being the president of the United States than it was at the start. Kirkman, with a lot of help from Madam Speaker Kimble Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen), was able to successfully pass a gun control bill in Congress.
Despite the changes in storytelling and pace, “Designated Survivor” continues to be ABC’s most watched scripted show in the Live+7 category. It amasses 11.4 million viewers and is now the third-highest rated series in the 18-49 category. It has a demo rating of 2.9. In the era of peak TV where viewers are bombarded with a plethora of new TV shows, that is a good number.
However, “Designated Survivor” faces a number of challenges behind-the-scenes. Apart from changing showrunners, the thriller is difficult to produce logistically. David Guggenheim, the show’s creator, sits in New York and approves all scrips produced by writers in Los Angeles while shooting takes place in Toronto. That’s three different places.
“Designated Survivor” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC.
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