Canceled Netflix Show Resurfaces in Top 10 Four Years Later
ABC-turned-Netflix political drama Designated Survivor ended four years ago after three seasons, but even now, the series has found a resurgence. As of now, it is in the Top 10 TV shows on Netflix, sitting comfortably in the ninth position. It's unknown what brought about this new love for the Kiefer Sutherland-led series, but it's possible that Netflix's newest political thriller, The Night Agent, may have something to do with it since the two are somewhat similar.
Designated Survivor follows Sutherland's Thomas Kirkman, who is named as the designated survivor for the State of the Union address. After an explosion kills everyone ahead of him in the presidential line of succession, Kirkman becomes President and tries to uncover the truth behind the attack.
Much like Thomas Kirkman, the drama also did some skipping, getting a straight-to-series order in 2015 and premiering to over 10 million viewers in 2016. ABC surprisingly canceled the series after two seasons in 2018, but Netflix announced later that year that it would pick it up for a 10-episode third season. Unfortunately, due to conflicts, the streamer ended up canceling it as well, just a month after the season premiered. Now four years later, the show seems to be doing better than ever.
The resurgence is a bit odd, especially considering how long it's been since the series was canceled. However, it's not uncommon for similar titles on Netflix to come around if one is doing well since the other title would have likely been recommended to viewers. If that was the case, The Night Agent, which has been dominating the Netflix charts and was already renewed for a second season, could have definitely been the cause for it.
Although The Night Agent doesn't follow a secretary-turned-U.S. President, it is a thriller that takes place at the White House. The series, starring Gabriel Basso in the title role, became the third-most-viewed debuting series on Netflix in the first four days, getting renewed for a Season 2 in just a week. It's not so surprising to see that another political drama has found its way back to Netflix's charts after The Night Agent, but if only this was right after Designated Survivor ended. Maybe that could have changed things, and a Season 4 would have happened, but now we'll never know. At least it will always be there to stream, and new fans can find it.