DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)

Summary

This first in this dramatic thriller series about Tom Kirkman, an unassuming Cabinet member who suddenly finds himself the President of the United States after a catastrophic attack. In this episode, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman relaxes with his wife Alex and watches the State of the Union speech as they chat on the phone with their daughter Penny. Secret Service Agent Mike Ritter then arrives and rushes the couple to safety, and Tom and Alex see that a huge explosion has devastated the Capitol building. Fifteen hours earlier, Tom has an enjoyable morning with Alex, Penny and teenage son Leo, who mentions that he is headed to his friend Caleb's house later on. Tom's Chief of Staff Emily Rhodes complains that all of Tom's talking points have been removed from the State of the Union speech, and matters grow worse when Tom learns that the president has offered him an "ambassadorship" in Montreal – essentially firing him. Alex declares that the decision is unfair and that the family is already settled in D.C., but Tom seems prepared to step down, and then receives a phone call naming him the "designated survivor" for the night, meaning that he will be hidden at a secluded location during the speech.

In the car on the way to the White House, Tom receives confirmation that everyone above him in the Presidential line of succession has been killed in the explosion, thus making him the new leader of the free world. After a hasty swearing-in session, he is taken to a secret emergency operation center, where everyone is in a panic over the attack and its unknown perpetrators. Tom instructs his staff to take a moment for quiet reflection for the dead, and during a moment of panic in the men's room, he encounters young speechwriter Seth Wright, who unknowingly condemns the new leader as inexperienced and unqualified before realizing that he is talking to the President himself. Tom agrees that he may be correct, but instructs him to write his first speech all the same. Elsewhere, FBI agent Hannah Wells arrives at the devastated scene and begs Deputy Director Jason Atwood to let her work in the field, as she has extensive experience with bombings. Tom shares a private moment with Alex, both wondering if he should indeed step aside in order to protect their children, and they are upset to learn that Leo is not at Caleb's house after all.

Tom is then given the "nuclear football" and necessary launch codes, and though most of their foreign enemies have already spoken up to deny culpability, General Harris Cochrane explains that the armed forces are already preparing to strike back in the Middle East. Tom declares that he will not take premature action, however, while elsewhere Mike finds Leo at a nightclub and drags him off "home." Seth advises Tom to find his "Presidential voice" and adopt an authoritative manner, and Emily fights her way back into the White House and pleads with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Aaron Shore to let her continue working with her newly-promoted boss. Tom tells Cochrane that he will try things "his way" only if his meeting with the Iranian ambassador is not successful, and Alex observes as Leo attempts to reassure his confused little sister. Hannah repeatedly calls someone named Scott, afraid for his safety, and everyone springs to action when a second bomb is found at the blast site, though it is soon determined to be a dud. Tom sits down with Ambassador Fayad and calmly requests that he remove his destroyers from the Strait of Hormuz, and when the man denies having any such ships in the location, Tom rises to the occasion and firmly states that he is a "straight shooter" who would prefer to avoid a fight, but will do what is necessary to protect his country. Hannah's colleagues theorize that the bomb was a Soviet-era IED frequently used by jihadists, but Hannah points out that unlike past terrorist attacks, there has been no chatter or preemptive action from any known cells, suggesting that they are not to blame and that the true criminal has not yet finished their mission. Cochrane privately tries to entice Shore to help him get Tom out of office by some nefarious means, declaring that it is his "civic responsibility" – and not treason – to remove the inexperienced president, and Tom sits down in the Oval Office to address his citizens for the first time. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: ABC
• DATE: November 30, 1999 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:42:07
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 127891
• GENRE: Drama, action/adventure
• SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, action/adventure; Presidents - United States; Terrorism; Asian American Pacific Islanders Collection
• SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2016-2018; Netflix - Internet series, 2019
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Simon Kinberg … Executive Producer
• Mark Gordon … Executive Producer
• Kiefer Sutherland … Executive Producer
• Jon Harmon Feldman … Executive Producer
• Nicholas Pepper … Executive Producer
• Suzan Bymel … Executive Producer
• Aditya Sood … Executive Producer
• Amy Harris … Executive Producer
• Paul McGuigan … Executive Producer, Director
• David Guggenheim … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
• Rich Klein … Producer
• Ann Kindberg … Producer
• Hans van Doornewaard … Co-Producer
• Josh Roberson … Associate Producer
• Sean Callery … Music by
• Kiefer Sutherland … Cast, Tom Kirkman
• Natascha McElhone … Cast, Alex Kirkman
• Adan Canto … Cast, Aaron Shore
• Italia Ricci … Cast, Emily Rhodes
• LaMonica Garrett … Cast, Mike Ritter
• Tanner Buchanan … Cast, Leo Kirkman
• Kal Penn … Cast, Seth Wright
• Maggie Q … Cast, Hannah Wells
• Mckenna Grace … Cast, Penny Kirkman
• Kevin R. McNally … Cast, Harris Cochrane
• Malik Yoba … Cast, Jason Atwood
• Arjay Smith … Cast, Nolan
• Alex Quijano … Cast, Lawrence
• Richard Bekins … Cast, President Richmond
• Peter Outerbridge … Cast, Charlie Langdon
• Rothaford Gray … Cast, Acting Defense Secretary
• Krista Morin … Cast, Acting FBI Director
• Doug MacLeod … Cast, Acting Secretary of State
• Alicia Nieves … Cast, Herself
• Elias Zarou … Cast, Ambassador Fayad
• Matt Smith … Cast, Bomb Tech #1
• Shawn Ahmed … Cast, Bomb Tech #2
• Tyler Burton … Cast, Caleb
• Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah … Cast, Crying Woman
• Darlene Cooke … Cast, DC Appellate Judge
• Adrian Griffin … Cast, DC Cop
• Perry Mucci … Cast, FBI Tech
• Jim Hamill … Cast, Himself
• Robin Cunningham … Cast, Major Cameron
• Dan Duran … Cast, News Reporter #1
• Nadine Roden … Cast, News Reporter #3
• Rory O'Shea … Cast, News Reporter #3
• Scott Schaffer … Cast, Himself
• Brendan Rowland … Cast, Secret Service Agent
• Troy Blundell … Cast, Security Guard
• Sharla McBride … Cast, Herself
• JaNae Armogan … Cast, Speechwriter #1
• Kelly Penner … Cast, Speechwriter #2
• Scott Faulconbridge … Cast, Terrified Man
• Robert Lydecker … Music by