Designated Survivor cancellation: Kiefer Sutherland, cast react

At this point, there is a good chance that you heard the news — Designated Survivor has been canceled after three seasons. Netflix was kind enough to revive it, but they opted not to keep it around.

So what are some of the main people of import saying about this news after that fact? Within this article, we’ve got an array of reactions. Take, for example, Kiefer Sutherland himself. In the video below, he thanks everyone for their support and for allowing him to play the role of Tom Kirkman for the past few years. Kiefer’s own comments to a radio station were a premonition to the cancellation in some ways, as he proclaimed it unlikely that the show would get another season due to cast contracts.

As for some other reactions from social media…

Kal Penn – “I enjoyed playing a Press Secretary who wasn’t too fragile and scared to do daily briefings.”

Italia Ricci – “It was a fun ride!”

Neal Baer (season 3 showrunner) – “Thanks to the incredible actors, the passionate writers, the amazing directors and the best talented crew around. Making season three of #DesignatedSurvivor was a blast!!!”

Jamie Clayton (while quoting a message from Kiefer Sutherland) – “Thank you for an epic time shooting [Designated Survivor] Kiefer! I had a blast shooting w/ you. The entire crew & cast was SO WELCOMING & KIND to me. It meant a lot to me. A LOT. XO”

So why was the series canceled?

A lot of it has to do with the contracts for many of the actors — several were on one-year deals and it was hard to imagine a scenario where they would be able to come back and commit to doing more new episodes in the long-term with other gigs that they have. It may have also not performed to what Netflix wanted, but there’s no real way to know about that. The streaming service doesn’t have a tendency to release a lot of information on ratings for any of their shows.

Are you still sad that Designated Survivor is over? Be sure to share in the comments below.