‘Designated Survivor’ Adds ‘General Hospital’ Alum Elena Tovar for Season 3

Designated Survivor announced the casting of a General Hospital alum for its upcoming third season, coming to Netflix.

Elena Tovar, who played Rosalie Martinez on the beloved daytime soap, is set to play a recurring role throughout all 10 episodes of the third season in the role of Isabel, the White House Director of Social Innovation.

According to Deadline, season 3 of Designated Survivor, finds President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) campaigning to stay in the White House. The season will reportedly explore the current atmosphere surrounding political campaigns, smear tactics, debates, campaign finance and “fake news.”

The actress joins previously announced guest stars Anthony Edwards and Julie White as the new characters. Production on the new season is expected to happen in late 2018 with an expected premiere in 2019.

Netflix revived Designated Survivor for a third season a few months after ABC announced its surprising cancellation at the end of season two in May.

Aside from Sutherland, the series will see the return of stars Kal Penn, Adan Canto and Italia Ricci for season 3.

“We are so excited that Designated Survivor is coming back for the third season, largely in-part because fans of the show really petitioned for its return,” Sutherland said in a message posted to Twitter when news broke of the series’ return.

The second season reached a tense conclusion as Emily (Ricci) handed in her resignation following her recent negative actions fueled by her ambition for power. Kirkman’s fate was left in limbo after he announced he would be running for president as an independent, and then received a call that will reveal whether he will be facing criminal charges after a federal investigation.

In a statement, executive producer Mark Gordon also addressed the renewal: “The continuation of the show via Netflix is a win-win for all involved. The story of President Kirkman and those around him has not been fully told and we look forward to working with our new partner in continuing the show for a global audience.”

Netflix reportedly decided to save the ABC political drama due to its massive international success, as the streamer has the rights for international distribution.

Netflix’s Bela Bajaria said in a statement, “Timely and gripping, Designated Survivor has quickened the pulses of our Netflix members outside the US and Canada in its first two seasons. The international audience for the show drove our interest to bring the show to the world as a Netflix original for its third season and we are excited to bring the first 2 seasons to our US and Canadian members as well.”

Photo credit: ABC / Getty