Is Designated Survivor new tonight? The hope for season 2 ratings
Alas, this is the unfortunate part of the year where the waiting really starts to begin, given that there is no installment coming onto ABC either now or in the weeks to come. The show is off the air until September at the earliest, when it will come back and hopefully deliver on a pretty-thrilling new season with a wide array of different surprises and thrills. The show has a villain out in the wind, and with a new showrunner, the possibilities are pretty endless as to how the Kiefer Sutherland series can move forward.
For the sake of the rest of this article, it feels best to focus on things a little bit more in the meta sense. We’ve already seen President Kirkman survive, but how will the series itself survive and earn a third season? TV series are in the end about numbers, the ratings for Designated Survivor season 1 did take a tumble near the end of the season. After premiering with a 2.2, the show was averaging closer to a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic at the end of the season in May. Granted these are just live ratings, but these are still what a network looks at more than anything else.
Is a 1.0 rating alone able to keep a show on the air for a third season? If ABC’s ratings stay woeful for some other shows, then maybe. Remember, this is a series that is bringing back Once Upon a Time, Agents of SHIELD, and Quantico despite them routinely delivering ratings at the 0.8 level or below during the season. Yet, this is also a costly show with a big star, and when you start to think about some of that, going anywhere below a 0.9 rating for it could be dangerous.
Ultimately, fingers crossed that the summer off will convince some more viewers to become hooked on the concept of the show, and that in turn will give a slight season 2 boost. There are some schools of thought when it comes to whether or not the relevancy of the show is an advantage. For some, it could be viewed that being so current gets more people discussing the show; however, some may also be sick of politics after the past few months.
How do you think season 2 of Designated Survivor will fare? Share in the comments below!
Meanwhile, be sure to visit the link here to get some more news when it comes to the ABC series. (Photo: ABC.)
Rusty Shakleford
May 25, 2017 @ 7:10 am
I absolutely love this show, and I describe it to my friends as “The West Wing” meets “24” — both shows I have loved tremendously. Kiefer does a marvelous job portraying a humble character without being bland or overemphasizing his personality. The supporting cast is solid, and the writing has kept me on the edge of my seat.
Unfortunately, I don’t contribute to the ratings, because I set it to record on my DVR (as I do all shows) so those pesky commercials don’t get in the way of my enjoyment. If it helps, I will start watching it when it airs and suffer through the commercials — But I do know that I will be very upset if this show is scrapped before it gets a solid run.
I am patiently awaiting Season 2, and I hope that the writers, directors, cast and crew continue their amazing work; I will be watching.
HotnTasty
May 25, 2017 @ 1:48 am
I liked the first part of Designated Survivor but found the 2nd part a little clumsy. The show needs to define its primary and secondary features. The anti terrorism component should be the primary feature of the show and the political governance in Washington as a minor secondary feature.