After a long wait of ‘will they- won’t they’, Netflix finally announced that Designated Survivor won’t be renewed for season 4.
“We are proud to have offered fans the third season of Designated Survivor and will continue to carry all three seasons for years to come. We’re especially thankful to star and executive producer Kiefer Sutherland, who brought passion, dedication and unforgettable performance as President Kirkman,” Netflix said in a statement.
Earlier struggle with Cancellation
The political thriller faced a lot of issues with continuing production. The series first premiered on 16th September, 2016 on ABC in the US and CTV in Canada with 21 episodes. The second season aired a year later with 22 new episodes. Netflix was also streaming the show with new episodes released every week.
However, ABC cancelled the show in May 2018, much to fans’ chagrin. Netflix swooped in for the rescue, picking it up for season 3. Their decision was backed by its ratings and the Netflix viewership outside of the USA.
Season 3 came out the following September but only with 10 episodes, owing to the change in platforms.
Why did Season 4 get cancelled?
Seeing as how Designated Survivor was listed as one of Netflix’s most-watched shows and was critically acclaimed, what brought upon the cancellation?
The main protagonist, Sutherland reveals, “I don’t think season 4 is going to happen. We had an amazing experience with Netflix and a kind of freedom that was wonderful. But the reality is, because the contracts were so complicated and different from network television to Netflix, they didn’t book a lot of the actors who were on the show and they took other jobs. I don’t blame them for a second for that. So I think doing a season four would be very complicated and difficult. I think it’s time for all of us to go and find something new to do.”