Designated Survivor (season 3)


The third and final season of the American political drama series Designated Survivor was ordered on September 5, 2018. Netflix reached a deal with Entertainment One to pick up the series after its cancellation from ABC. The third season, consisting of 10 episodes, premiered exclusively on Netflix on June 7, 2019.

Premise

President Kirkman faces the political reality of campaigning as well as the tribulations of political advertising tactics used by the opposition. The season follows the President's fight to secure the interest of the public opinion and ultimately, the chances of his administration being elected for another term.

Cast and characters

Main

Production

Development

On May 11, 2018, ABC canceled the series after two seasons due to a high turnover of showrunners and declining ratings. Shortly after, eOne announced they were in "active discussions" with other networks to revive the show, including Netflix, which streams the series internationally. On September 5, 2018, it was confirmed that Netflix had picked up the series for a third season of 10 episodes, to be released in 2019. Neal Baer will serve as the series showrunner, the fifth person to do so. On April 24, 2019, it was announced that the third season is set to premiere on Netflix on June 7, 2019.
The first two seasons were produced by ABC Studios, The Mark Gordon Company, and eOne, with filming in Toronto, Ontario. For the third season, ABC Studios will not be involved, with eOne being the sole production company for the series.

Casting

After the third season renewal announcement, the producers confirmed that Kiefer Sutherland, Adan Canto, Italia Ricci, Kal Penn and Maggie Q would return as series regulars. On October 18, 2018, casting of Anthony Edwards, Julie White and Elena Tovar in the recurring roles of Mars Harper, Lorraine Zimmer and Isabel Pardo respectively were announced. On November 15, 2018, Lauren Holly and Benjamin Watson were cast in recurring roles as Lynn Harper and Dontae Evans, respectively.

Filming

Filming for the third season started in October 2018 and ended in February 2019.