Overcoming a Presidential Disaster in 'Designated Survivor'

Kiefer Sutherland stars as President Tom Kirkman in season one of Designated Survivor, out now on DVD. We've got a clip from the release's bonus features.

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Imagine a world where a catastrophic attack during the State of the Union address wipes out the U.S. government. The show's premise is based on the (true) fact that one member of the cabinet is named the "designated survivor" and doesn't attend that speech just in case. Kiefer plays the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, a former college professor with zero political experience.

If that scenario happened in real life, this guy would be our president.

That should give you a sense of what's going on in the show. No one thinks Kirkman is qualified to be president and he must keep the country together while learning the ropes at a job he never aspired to hold. He's also got to keep his family on track and find out who's responsible for the attack.

The series also stars Natascha McElhone as his wife Alex Kirkman and Adan Canto, Italia Ricci, LaMonica Garrett, Kal Penn and Maggie Q. DVD bonus features include President Kirkman’s Complete First Speech, Designated Survivor Debrief and Secret Service Set Tour.

Season two will debut Wednesday, September 27th on ABC.