Kiefer Sutherland’s role as Jack Bauer in Fox’s 24 was universally praised, but Sutherland’s follow-up failed to recapture the magic of this defining role. Jack Bauer is widely considered one of the defining protagonists of the past few decades. 24 had many memorable Jack Bauer scenes and was a focused show with a clearly defined premise. Every few years, a terrorist attack threatens America, and Jack Bauer is the only person who can save the day. He always manages to defeat the bad guy in precisely 24 hours. Each season had twists and turns, but the show’s central concept made it incredibly successful and hard to duplicate.

Unsurprisingly, given the show’s popularity, many series tried to recreate 24‘s template and enduring impact. While some were more successful than others, most fell short – largely thanks to the fact that, in addition to its thrilling action and compelling characters, 24‘s gimmicky premise gave it a distinctive USP that set it apart from other similar shows. This is as true for Keifer Sutherland’s own 24 replacement which, like other similar shows, could not recreate the best thing about the actor’s Jack Bauer role.

Kiefer Sutherland’s Designated Survivor Was Not As Groundbreaking As 24

Designated Survivor’s Procedural Format Was Not Groundbreaking

Designated Survivor ran for two seasons on ABC before moving to Netflix for season 3. A political thriller in the vein of 24, the show starred Keifer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman – a low-level cabinet member who becomes President of the United States after the Capitol is bombed. The first season had a clear storyline throughout, combining a weekly crisis that needed to be solved with the larger mission of solving who bombed the Capitol building. However, after a promising start, the show started to unravel.

Once the first season wrapped and the primary mystery was solved, the series quickly began to lose focus. Tom Kirkman’s weekly crises typically involved someone attempting to usurp him as president. 24‘s central premise was the same every season, but the individual story beats were always surprising. Furthermore, the 24-hour premise was a genuine innovation that, despite causing some structural problems, nonetheless kept viewers hooked. By contrast, Designated Survival’s procedural storytelling didn’t allow for many surprises, so the show quickly became stale.

Designated Survivor Could Not Compete With Other Political Dramas

Designated Survivor Lacked The Compelling Characters To Be Scandal

Subsequent seasons of Designated Survivor failed to capture the hook of the first season and relied more on White House intra-office issues. As hits like 24 prove, procedurals work best when viewers can invest in characters as they negotiate various crises. Similar political thriller shows like Law & Order: SVU, House of Cards, and Scandal all strike a balance between political intrigue and engaging characters. Designated Survivor‘s characters were fundamentally not interesting enough to care about their weekly exploits.

Despite sharing a key cast member with 24, Designated Survivor was in many ways a less-action-oriented show than Sutherland’s original megahit. However, despite their differences, both shows were still heavily influenced by the political thriller subgenre. Ultimately, where 24 innovated with its own distinctive narrative device, Designated Survivor felt increasingly like an imitation of other shows, such Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing. By occupying an awkward position between 24 and other popular political dramas, Designated Survivor‘s shortcomings were brought into even sharper relief.

Designated Survivor Took Way Too Long To Find Its Identity

Multiple Showrunners Ultimately Led To An Identity Crisis

Where 24 was focused on telling a gripping terrorism story, Designated Survivor struggled to balance action and politics. Beyond this, there was constant tension between competing storylines. President Kirkman was the lead on one show, while Maggie Q’s investigator Hannah Wells often felt like she was starring in an entirely different project. The series never decided if it wanted to be a political drama or an espionage thriller and ultimately failed to execute either particular well.

This identity crisis may have been due to ongoing showrunner changes – a potential reason why ABC canceled Designated Survivor during its initial run. Designated Survivor had four showrunners in two seasons. Most successful political dramas, from The Good Wife to Scandal, have showrunners who stick around for years. It’s hard to write about politics without a clear viewpoint, and Designated Survivor suffered without a singular guiding voice steering the ship. As a result, and despite Kiefer Sutherland’s best efforts, Designated Survivor never found its footing in the same way 24 did.