‘Designated Survivor’ Season 3 Air Date, Plot, Characters: How Will Netflix Handle the Series?

As fans know, “Designated Survivor” Season 3 has been given a second life by Netflix after ABC canceled the political drama. ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said that it was not because of ratings that they decided to ax the show.

Instead, the exec cited creative uncertainty that was brewing behind the scenes. According to Dungey, they were “less confident” with how the show was evolving given that were a lot of showrunners involved in developing it. As such, they forewent the possibility of a “Designated Survivor” Season 3, Digital Spy reported.

Netflix just recently announced that they’re going to be the new home of the politically charged drama, so little is known about the plot of the show. However, the streaming service giant did reveal that “Designated Survivor” Season 3 will revolve around President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) and his new challenge of running for office for the second time.

It can be recalled that Kirkman seemingly wanted to step down from his position but ultimately announced his candidacy after a last-minute gesture from Ethan West (Michael J. Fox) changed his mind. Netflix said that “Designated Survivor” Season 3 will focus on Kirkman and his administration as they weave through "campaigning, smear tactics, debates, campaign finance, and 'fake news.’”

It’s highly probable that the writers will take inspiration from recent real-world elections that have occurred in the United States. Even Sutherland himself hinted that this will be the case in “Designated Survivor” Season 3.

"I believe this format will allow us to continue to delve deeply into storylines and issues concerning the American electorate that was not previously possible," Sutherland explained. The actor was one of the few individuals who were always confident that a “Designated Survivor” Season 3 will be happening after ABC canceled it. After its renewal, Sutherland thanked the show's fans for heavily petitioning for the political drama's revival, showing his gratitude via a Twitter post.

So, when exactly is the political drama going to return? Netflix said that fans should expect “Designated Survivor” Season 3 to drop in 2019, perhaps around the month of September. Hopefully, production will go smoothly and the show will return at an earlier date.