When Designated Survivor first dropped, everyone was obsessed with the premise. A low-level cabinet member becomes President because everyone else died in a massive explosion? It’s a hook that sells itself. But once the smoke from the Capitol bombing cleared, the show wasn't really about the explosion anymore. It was about the people left standing in the ruins. Honestly, the characters in Designated Survivor are the only reason the show survived its jump from ABC to Netflix without completely falling apart.
You’ve got Tom Kirkman, the guy who probably just wanted to go home and have a beer but ended up with the nuclear codes. Then there’s Hannah Wells, who basically played a completely different show—a high-stakes spy thriller—while everyone else was arguing about tax bills. It’s a weird mix. It shouldn't work. Sometimes it didn't! But looking back, the ensemble cast created a dynamic that felt surprisingly grounded even when the plot went off the rails into bioterrorism and organ harvesting.
Tom Kirkman: The Man Who Never Wanted the Job
Tom Kirkman is the heart of the whole thing. Period. Kiefer Sutherland had a tough job here because he had to make us forget Jack Bauer. He’s not out there snapping necks; he’s a housing secretary who wears a Cornell hoodie and glasses.
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Kirkman represents the "Everyman" fantasy. What if a decent person—not a career politician, not a narcissist—actually ran the country? In the beginning, he’s terrified. You can see it in the way he handles the swearing-in ceremony in that small room, still wearing his casual clothes. He’s an Independent, which is a brilliant writing choice because it allows the show to critique both sides of the aisle without getting bogged down in real-world 2024 or 2026 partisan hackery.
But as the seasons progress, specifically in the Netflix-produced Season 3, we see Kirkman change. He gets a bit darker. He learns that you can't keep your hands clean if you’re playing in the dirt. The way he handles the leaked information about his opponent's health or his own family's struggles shows a man losing his "political virginity." It’s a tragedy, really. The very thing we liked about him—his purity—is exactly what the job slowly strips away.
The Inner Circle: Mike, Emily, and Seth
If Kirkman is the brain, these three are the nervous system.
Mike Ritter is arguably the most loyal character in the history of television. LaMonica Garrett played him with this stoic, "I will take a bullet for you and then ask if you're okay" energy. He wasn't just Secret Service; he was the only person Kirkman could actually trust when the FBI and the CIA were compromised. It’s a shame he vanished in the final season. Fans are still salty about that, and honestly, they should be. It felt like a betrayal of the character's core.
Then you have Emily Rhodes and Seth Wright.
Seth (Kal Penn) is the comedy relief, but he's also the conscience. His transition from a guy talking smack about Kirkman in a bathroom stall to the White House Press Secretary is one of the best arcs in the show. He represents the public's voice. When Seth is stressed, we’re stressed.
Emily is... complicated. She starts as Kirkman's loyalist from his HUD days, but by the end of the show, she’s making choices that are morally grey at best. Her relationship with Aaron Shore provided the "will-they-won't-they" tension that every political drama needs, but the showrunners were smart not to let the romance overshadow their professional ambitions. Aaron Shore himself is a fascinating study in ambition. He’s a political animal, but he has a line he won’t cross. Watching him navigate being a Latino man in a high-pressure political environment added a layer of depth that many other shows miss.
Why Hannah Wells Felt Like She Was in a Different Show
We have to talk about Hannah Wells. Maggie Q is incredible, but let's be real: her storyline was wild. While Kirkman is debating policy, Hannah is out there uncovering a conspiracy involving the "True Believers," fending off assassins, and traveling to London to track down hackers.
She’s the bridge between the political drama and the action thriller.
The characters in Designated Survivor usually fall into the "talkers" or the "doers." Hannah was the ultimate doer. Her death in Season 3 remains one of the most controversial moments in the series. Some people felt it was a bold move to show that no one is safe, while others felt it was a waste of a character who had carried the show’s mystery elements for two years. Killing her off via nerve agent in a basement felt... unceremonious? It definitely shifted the tone of the final episodes into something much more cynical.
The Antagonists and the "Villain of the Week" Problem
Every hero needs a foil, and Kirkman had plenty. From Kimble Hookstraten (played by the legendary Virginia Madsen) to the treacherous Vice President Peter MacLeish.
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- Kimble Hookstraten: She wasn't really a villain. She was an adversary. There’s a difference. She wanted the presidency, sure, but she respected the office. Her scenes with Kirkman were some of the best-written dialogue in the series because they were two adults disagreeing on how to save the country, not if it should be saved.
- The MacLeishes: Peter and his wife felt like they stepped right out of Macbeth. They were the chilling reminder that the conspiracy wasn't just some guys in a basement; it was embedded in the very fabric of the new government.
The Shift to Netflix: New Faces, New Problems
When the show moved to Netflix for Season 3, the cast expanded. We got Mars Harper and Lorraine Zimmer.
Lorraine Zimmer, played by Julie White, was a revelation. She was foul-mouthed, ruthless, and exactly what a modern campaign manager looks like. She brought a cynical energy that balanced Kirkman’s idealism. But this is also where the show started to lose some fans. The "gritty" reboot meant more swearing and more graphic scenes, which felt a bit jarring compared to the more "network-safe" vibe of the first two seasons.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Rewatchers
If you're going back to watch the show again, or if you're jumping in for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the character arcs:
- Watch the Background: Pay attention to how the Secret Service agents move in the first season compared to the later ones. It shows the increasing paranoia of the administration.
- Focus on the Wardrobe: Tom Kirkman’s transition from cardigans and hoodies to perfectly tailored suits is a visual metaphor for his loss of innocence.
- The "Lost" Characters: Notice how characters like Mike Ritter or Lyor Boone (the eccentric strategist) disappear. It’s a fun—if frustrating—game to see how the show tries to explain (or not explain) their absence.
- The Independent Factor: Keep a running tally of how many times Kirkman refuses to join a party. It’s the central conflict of his character. Can you actually lead without a team?
The legacy of the characters in Designated Survivor isn't about the plot twists or the explosions. It's about the impossible choices they had to make when the world ended on a random Tuesday night. Whether it's Seth Wright trying to find the right words for a grieving nation or Hannah Wells jumping out of a window to save the President, these characters felt like they were trying their best in a worst-case scenario. That's why we still talk about them.
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Next time you're scrolling through your watchlist, don't just look at it as a political thriller. Look at it as a study of how power changes people. Some rise to the occasion, some crumble, and some—like Tom Kirkman—just try to survive with their soul intact.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge:
To truly understand the political landscape the show was mimicking, research the real-world "Designated Survivor" protocol used during the State of the Union address in the United States. You can also compare the character dynamics of Kirkman's cabinet to real-life historic "Team of Rivals" cabinets, such as Abraham Lincoln’s, to see where the show writers drew their inspiration for the internal friction. For those interested in the production side, looking into the show's transition from ABC to Netflix provides a masterclass in how platform changes affect character development and dialogue.