21 'Designated Survivor' Characters, Ranked By How Patriotic They Really Are (Photos) (2024)

21 'Designated Survivor' Characters, Ranked By How Patriotic They Really Are (Photos) (1)

In a time when the government seems full of self-serving politicians and mavericks willing to flout laws and ethics rules in the name of their own betterment, ABC has “Designated Survivor.” The show is about a cabinet secretary who winds up president. Of course, he’s an amazing guy and constantly rising to the occasion — because that’s what we love about America. Here’s every “Designated Survivor” character ranked on how much they’re like Tom Kirkman.

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21. Patrick Lloyd (Terry Serpico)
The clandestine former military contractor is the money man behind Pax Americana, the militant, alt-right group trying to take over the government. He talks a lot about “taking America back” and, like the real alt-right, that comes off as code for taking it back frompeople like progressives, minorities and women. Of course, he’s just a greedy jerk who thinks America belongs to him and whoever he decides gets to come along.

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20. Nestor Lozano (George Tchortov)
Evil assassin super soldier Catalan, AKA Nestor Lozano, is a veteran who considers himself left behind by his country. He’s basically the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Winter Soldier, but if he was brainwashed by alt-right propaganda and Pepe the Frog memes from 4chan. As expected, it was pretty satisfying to see him go down after Hannah Wells kicked the crap out of him.

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19. Jay Whitaker (Richard Waugh)
We finally find out who the mole in the White House is close to the end of Season 1 — this traitorous old white guy.He’s probably got a lot of private Facebook posts about how Democrats are trying ruin the country with chemtrails.

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18. Beth MacLeish (Lara Jean Chorostecki)
Even more evil than her husband is Beth MacLeish, who’s obviously the real true believer of the couple. She’s willing to kill her husband, and die, for whatever it is these people believe in. That’s how much she hates democracy, apparently.

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17. Peter MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman)
The Manchurian Candidate vice president was in on the capitol bombing from the start, and was installed to take over the presidency after Lozano assassinated Kirkman. Of all the conspirators, MacLeish at least had some semblance of a conscience — buthe still super hates America and wants to pull a coup.

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16. Gov. John Royce (Michael Gaston)
In the immediate aftermath of the bombing at the Capitol, Royce basically tried to make Michigan a sovereign nation. He also immediately used his police to target Muslim Americans in his state, making him thekind of fascist who would persecute some Americans to consolidate his own power.

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15. Harris Cochran (Kevin McNally)
The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff couldn’t wait to bomb basically whoever was available, until Kirkman fired him. Cochran got a chance to redeem himself a bit in the final moments of the season, but he’s still a warmongering jerk who thought the right thing for America was going to war for vengeance, without knowing who to get vengeance on.

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14. Sen. Jack Bowman (Mark Deklin)
After Kirkman survived an assassination attempt and started to get the government back up in running, Bowman tried to use the chaos for his own personal gain. Bowman’s the kind of gross politician who personifies the Washington D.C. “swamp” that puts politics ahead of the country.

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13. Charlie Langdon (Peter Outerbridge)
Manipulated by the bad guys, the former White House chief of staff survives the Capitol bombing but goes into hiding. While it’s true he didn’t know who to trust, one can’t help feeling like Langdon could havedone a lot more for the country if he hadn’t just bunkered down when he knew a coup was underway.

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12. Abe Leonard (Rob Morrow)
Though the bad guys have been feeding him information to try to distract the administration, Abe Leonard’s heart is in the right place when it comes to informing the public about their government — the key to democracy. And he cares enough about the country to respect Kirkman’s request to hold back on a story, too.He’s also an investigative reporter who briefly works for “Teen Mode,” an awesome shoutout to the positive political writing being done at real-world magazine Teen Vogue.

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11. Jason Atwood (Malik Yoba)
Dedicated though he was to the FBI, Atwood couldn’t put his country ahead of his family. The conspirators used his kidnapped son to force Atwood to help with their cover story blaming the Capitol bombing on terrorists. It nearly torpedoed the investigation, but Atwood redeemed himself by joining Hannah in finding the real conspirators.

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10. Aaron Shore (Adan Canto)
For a while there, it seemed like Aaron could be the traitor in the White House, and he was just cutthroat enough that it was hard to dismiss the possibility. But while he might be a guy more worried about his career than most other things, he was still willing to fall on his sword for his president, and for the good of America.

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9. Rep. Kimball Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen)
The only remaining member of Congress, the Speaker of the House was the Republican designated survivor. Although at first she seems like a political animal looking to climb the ladder, she also proves repeatedly that she cares about America as much as her career. Not quite as selfless as some, but Hookstraten is a real public servant, at least.

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8. John Forstell (Reed Diamond)
The FBI assistant director called in to investigate Hannah Wells, and then Jason Atwood, took a long time to come around to the conspiracy. But when he finally did, he became a dedicated ally who obviously takes his obligation to the president, and the country, very seriously.

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7. Secret Service Agent Mike Ritter (LaMonica Garrett)
As Kirkman’s most reliable and loyal Secret Service agent, Mike becomes a close confidant and a leader of the investigation into the White House conspiracy. It’s clear that Mike is a guy for whom duty, loyalty and country are everything.

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6. Cornelius Moss (Geoff Pierson)
President Moss, the guy who sat in the Oval Office before Kirkman’s predecessor, shows up to help out the designated survivor with some of the tougher stuff — seemingly because he wants to help Kirkman and America through a trying time. Moss is like America’s Dad — the one who will share a beer with you while telling you straight.

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5. Seth Wright (Kal Penn)
Speechwriter Seth often seems to act as the stand-in for the rest of us — the guy is excited to be in his job, excited to be working for America, and excited to be on Kirkman’s staff. “Designated Survivor” starts with a skeptical Seth being inspired by the principled Kirkman, and watching him get excited to help the country is always a good time.

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4. Emily Rhodes (Italia Ricci)
It’s clear the reason Emily sticks with Kirkman and fights to become his chief of staff is less about her own advancement than how much she believes in him. Especially when Kirkman becomes president, Emily comes off as a person thrilledto go to her job in the White House and save America in the wake of a tragedy.

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3. Hannah Wells (Maggie Q)
A tireless FBI agent convinced from the start of a conspiracy in the government, Wells is the Jack Bauer of “Designated Survivor,” but with less “enhanced interrogation.” Wells is a tireless FBI agent and investigator, but there’s more to it: she’s serious about protecting America from treasonous jerks.

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2. Alex Kirkman (Natascha McElhone)
The sudden First Lady is a successful lawyer on her own, and just as principles as her husband. Despite being pulled into the political world against her will, like Tom, Alex is all moral compass, all the time. She’s always ready to do the right thing for the country.

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1. Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland)
An independent cabinet appointee with no political aspirations, Kirkman suddenly finds himself president. Principled, compassionate, terrified of the implications of the job but obviously capable, Kirkman is every American ideal rolled up into one guy — and he’ll do anything for his country. He makes everyone who spends any time a better American just with his influence. Of course, that means self-proclaimed “patriots” try to assassinate him.

21 'Designated Survivor' Characters, Ranked By How Patriotic They Really Are (Photos) (2024)

FAQs

Who is the real villain in Designated Survivor? ›

Patrick Lloyd is the overarching antagonist of the ABC/Netflix series Designated Survivor.

Who are the true believers designated survivors? ›

The True Believers were a right wing milita group and the main antagonistic faction during the first season of the ABC/Netflix television series Designated Survivor. The group was formed by former private military contractor Browning Reed CEO Patrick Lloyd after Lloyd had seemingly dissolved his company.

What happened to Jay Whitaker Designated Survivor? ›

Jay is the person responsible for Kirkman becoming a designated survivor. After receiving images and an audio file sent by Atwood before his death, Hannah discovers Jay's secrets, leading to his arrest in the West Wing. He was considered the traitor in the White House for a large portion of Season 1.

Is Sasha in Designated Survivor really a man? ›

Sasha, Tom Kirkman's transgender sister-in-law is played by Jamie Clayton. In real life, Jamie Clayton is also a transgender woman. In 2011, she was honored by Out magazine as part of their annual "Out 100" awards.

Who betrayed Kirkman? ›

Dax Minter is revealed as the cyberattack mastermind who also leaked Kirkman's therapy recordings. Minter had bugged Kirkman's office and Wells' firing was staged for Minter to hear. Young Jennings is freed and Minter is arrested at the White House.

Why was Hannah Wells killed off? ›

In Season 3 Hannah is recruited by the CIA. During her bioterror investigation, she eventually discovers a hidden biolab in a brewery. She dies from the poisonous gas produced in the brewery.

Why did Alex Kirkman leave the show? ›

Make It Better: Add More Weight The First Lady's Death

First Lady Alex Kirkman had to die in Season 2 because Natascha McElhone, the actress who was playing her, was leaving the show. Of all the ways a major character could be killed off, it was decided that a reckless truck drive would ram into her motorcade.

What happened to Kimble Hookstraten? ›

Kimble Hookstraten is currently the Secretary of Education in the Kirkman Administration.

Why did Designated Survivor get cancelled? ›

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.

Who is the Designated Survivor in 2024? ›

List of designated survivors
DateOccasionDesignee
April 28, 2021Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressNone
March 1, 2022State of the UnionGina Raimondo
February 7, 2023State of the UnionMarty Walsh
March 7, 2024State of the UnionMiguel Cardona
53 more rows

What happened to Jason's son on Designated Survivor? ›

Luke Atwood was the son of Jason Atwood. He was kidnapped by Brooke Mathison, who forced his father to falsely confess to the murder of Majid Nassar in return for Luke's safety. Unfortunately, she did not hold up her end of the bargain, and Luke's body was found near a river.

Why did Dax betray Kirkman? ›

Dax Minter claims that he committed the cyber attacks because he believes in little government interference in business and that Americans had the "right to be left alone".

Is Peter a bad guy in Designated Survivor? ›

Peter MacLeish is a major antagonist during the first season of the ABC/Netflix series Designated Survivor. He was portrayed by Ashley Zukerman, who also portrays Nick Goode and Solomon Goode in the Fear Street trilogy.

Why isn't Mike in season 3 of Designated Survivor? ›

The character of Mike Ritter became a fan favorite and Garrett remained with the show through the whole first two seasons, until its initial cancelation. After the show was picked up by Netflix, Garrett confirmed on Twitter that after "lengthy negotiations" he would not return due to budget constraints.

Who is the culprit in Designated Survivor? ›

Hair color. Jay Whitaker is a former U.S Homeland Security Advisor, former second-in-command of the True Believers and was the traitor in the White House. As such, he was the individual who hacked the White House and inserted the false confession to the Capitol Bombing by Majid Nassar into their computers.

Who's behind the bombing in Designated Survivor? ›

Peter MacLeish, the sole but illegitimate survivor of the bombing. Bribed, and later murdered by Catalan, Majid Nassar, the leader of Algerian terrorist group Al-Sakar claimed responsibility for the bombing via a video sent to the government by Whitaker in order to divert attention away from the actual conspirators.

Who is the bad woman in Designated Survivor? ›

Brooke Mathison, also known by her aliases Claudine Poyet and Angela Lindsay, was a major antagonist during the first season of the ABC/Netflix series Designated Survivor. She was a high-ranking member of the True Believers who blackmailed Jason Atwood into confessing to the murder of Majid Nassar.

Is Mike a bad guy in Designated Survivor? ›

Mike is one of Tom Kirkman's most trusted staff members. He was tasked, along with Aaron Shore, with helping Hannah Wells in finding the hacker in Season 2. He often works with Hannah, and continues to work with Chuck Russink. He also states that he has a lot of respect for Hannah Wells.

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