Kiefer Sutherland in Designated Survivor

ABC’s got a new drama that is on the way, called Designated Survivor, it focuses on the government protocol around a mass slaughter of officials including the President. Kiefer Sutherland will be thrust into the role of the designated survivor of the disaster and will become the un-elected President of the United States.

Sutherland will play Tom Kirkman, the Housing and Urban Development Secretary that is forced out of the State of the Union before he is forced to resign. He is celebrating his coming freedom from the federal government when everything changes. While watching the speech from a D.C. Office the signal cuts out. When he looks out the window all he sees is a huge fireball rising from the Capitol.

The series will put Sutherland outside of his comfort zone. Instead of his usual role of a proactive counterterrorism agent running toward all the trouble, this role will have him obeying orders and fleeing the dangerous situation.

The show has potential and it taps into Kirkman’s intellect and gumption to help overcome obstacles and people in the way. Sutherland uses a type of diplomacy throughout the show and a quirky sense of humor. However, there is no political valence to this character and Kirkman is effectively nonpartisan. This means he is unlike an person in reality.

The masculine name Kiefer is taken from a German surname that means either “barrel maker” or “pine tree”. There are some notable people with this name, from Adolph Kiefer the American Olympic swimmer to Kiefer Ravena the Filipino basketball player.