DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: Meet the Characters

What happens when a man who never wanted to become President suddenly becomes the President? That’s the premise of the new ABC series DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, starring Kiefer Sutherland.
 
Sutherland’s character is just a low-level cabinet member when the show begins, but a terrorist attack leaves him as the next President of the United States. His presidency is fraught with trouble, even in its first few hours, as he struggles to figure out who may have attacked the country, keep his family together in their new roles, and deal with a government that doesn’t think he’s qualified to lead.
 
To help prep you for ABC’s new action political drama, we’ve put together descriptions of the show’s main characters, which you can read by browsing through the photos above.
 
DESIGNATED SURVIVOR premieres on Wednesday, September 21 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC (U.S.) and CTV (Canada). You can also see more from the show in this introductory featurette from ABC.
 

President Tom Kirkman (played by Kiefer Sutherland). Tom begins the show as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. When we first meet this loving family man, he and his Chief of Staff (Emily Rhodes) are upset that his programs aren’t going to be mentioned in the State of the Union that night. But Tom is the kind of guy who likes to play things safe, so he’s not biting on Emily’s suggestions that they go around the administration to get their message out there. The White House cutting him out of the speech isn’t his only bad news for that day, however. When he heads over to the White House to see what can be done, the President’s Chief of Staff tells Tom the President wants to appoint him to another job — one that’s far less prestigeous and further away from Washington.

Despite essentially being fired that morning, Tom was also chosen as the Designated Survivor. So when the Capitol literally goes up in flames during the State of the Union, he goes from Mr. Secretary to Mr. President.  Everyone, from the White House staff to the Kirkman family, are in shock by this turn of events, but Tom is trying to do his best. The terrorist attack has put the government and military on red alert and they don’t know who is responsible. Some of the generals want to have the US show its strength, but Tom is cautious and overwhelmed. Still, he’s the new President and he steps up to the task when some of the generals go too far. Everyone will soon realize not to underestimate Tom when it comes to understanding world politics. After all, he might just be what the country needs as it recovers from this terrible attack.

FBI Agent Hannah Watts (played by Maggie Q). Hannah is in shock when she sees the Capitol building on fire while in a bar in the pilot episode. And we see that she’s worried about the safety of someone when the show begins — perhaps someone who may have been caught in the blast? She gets called in to work, but she’s not a field agent, so when she shows up at the scene the FBI brass want her back at the command center. Hannah, however, insists that she’s an asset and is the type of person who can figure out what’s unusual about the situation in order to really help the FBI. As the episode progresses, we see her start to unravel what may be a very complicated conspiracy.

First Lady Alex Kirkman (played by Natascha McElhone). Alex is a mother and a workaholic, trying to balance the job she loves with the family that she loves. She’s definitely not happy when Tom is offered a new job and tells her husband that she doesn’t want to move so soon after they’ve gotten settled in to Washington. She’s also a bit frustrated that her husband isn’t the type of man who dabbles in political games, which she thinks may have been responsible for his demotion. When he’s suddently thrust into the presidency she’s very concerned about the danger they’re all in after the attack. But she’s also deeply supportive of her husband and will likely be a good partner for him as they embark on this unexpected new chapter in their lives.

Seth Wheeler (played by Kal Penn). Seth is the President’s speech writer and he’s not afraid to speak his mind. When we first meet him, he’s talking back to the President’s Chief of Staff about the upcoming State of the Union speech. After the attack, it’s clear that he doesn’t like Tom and doesn’t believe he’s qualified to be President. A chance encounter in a bathroom has Seth unexpectedly telling his new boss that he’s not the right man for the job, but Tom recognizes Seth’s talents and instructs him to write Tom a speech to introduce himself to the American people. Will Seth end up an ally to Tom once Tom proves his worth?

Emily Rhodes (played by Italia Ricci). Emily is Tom’s Chief of Staff in his Secretary position and she’s not afraid to color outside the lines in order to further a political agenda that she believes in. After the attack she races to the White House to be with her boss, but she quickly discovers that she’s not really part of the new chain of command. When she finally makes it through the door she’s put in her place by Aaron Shore, the old President’s Deputy Chief of Staff, and there’s clearly some animosity and history between the pair.

Aaron Shore (played by Adan Canto). Aaron is the old President’s Depty Chief of Staff when the show begins and he’s the man who takes charge when Tom is raced to the White House to be sworn in. He’s also a solid ally for Tom in the first few hours of his presidency as he helps him take control of a meeting in the White House’s emergency bunker and guides him through the logistics of being President. But by the end of the episode we may be questioning whose side he’s really on….

Leo Kirkman (played by Tanner Buchanan) and Penny Kirman (played by Mckenna Grace). Leo is a typical teenager when DESIGNATED  SURVIVOR begins. He loves his younger sister but would rather go out and see his friends than babysit her. Penny, on the other hand, adores her parents and it’s clear that Tom is a pushover for his baby girl. When Tom becomes President and the Secret Service head out to find the children, Penny is quickly brought to the White House but Leo is missing and this is news that shocks his parents. It will soon become obvious that Leo may be dabbling in something that could become a problem for his suddenly high-profile family.