Kiefer Sutherland has responded to the Designated Survivor cancellation news. Last week, Netflix announced that the show would not be getting renewed for Season 4. Thus, cancelling the series and making its first season on Netflix its last. Taking to social media, Sutherland remained ever professional in his reaction to the show's second cancellation. In a video, Sutherland said:
I wanted to take a moment to thank everybody for their incredible support with Designated Survivor. The third season is the final season. You guys have just been amazing. It was an honor to play Tom Kirkman and thank you so much for supporting it through the three seasons we got to do. All my love thanks a lot.
So classy! Taking it in stride, Kiefer Sutherland kindly expressed his gratitude for everyone’s support on Instagram. The actor shared that he was backstage getting ready to play a show as he sat down to address the cancellation. It was sweet of him to take the time to share a message regarding Designated Survivor’s fate. He seemed to be in okay spirits despite the news.
The show getting cancelled twice and not too long after Season 3 debuted has to be a heart-breaker, and quite possibly still sinking in. Of course, Kiefer Sutherland is likely grateful that the show got to come back in the first place. It was more than Designated Survivor was initially slated to get.
That is because Designated Survivor almost did not live to see Season 3. The series originally aired on ABC. After two seasons, it was cancelled in May 2018. The network later explained the surprising reason it made the decision.
Not too long after its initial cancellation came word that Designated Survivor could get saved. The Season 2 finale provided ample impetus to continue the story of Kiefer Sutherland’s Tom Kirkman and company. Even with that, it was not until later in the year that Season 3 started to really come together.
Months after getting cancelled, Netflix announced that it had green-lit Designated Survivor for Season 3. It was not too much longer before the new cast members for the third season started to get added. An ER alum joined the show, and later an NCIS vet also signed on along with others.
In the end, Designated Survivor became one of the few cancelled TV shows to get saved by another network. Along with his film career, Kiefer Sutherland is a massive name in television having secured a highly successful fan-favorite run on 24. What does the future hold for him? Fans are undoubtedly hoping for a television return.
A little over a year after getting cancelled, Designated Survivor Season 3 premiered on Netflix in June. In spite of how the showrunner changed things up, the show got cancelled a month after it premiered. For Kiefer Sutherland fans, the wait for his TV follow-up has officially begun.
You can watch the video of Kiefer Sutherland addressing Designated Survivor’s cancellation below:
Between 24 and Designated Survivor, Kiefer Sutherland should be able to find another television show. You can stream all three seasons of Designated Survivor on Netflix, among other recent premieres, as well as the South Korean remake Designated Survivor: 60 Days. Season 3 of the original series has been among this summer’s premieres.
