President Tom Kirkman won't still be able to catch a break on "Designated Survivor." In the upcoming episode, which airs on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 10:00 p.m. on ABC, the world hear of the president's confession, which will cast doubts on his leadership. Yet Kiefer Sutherland, who plays the president in the series, has a realization that his new character is still a lot like Jack Bauer, his old character from "24."
"Designated" Survivor Season 1 Episode 3, entitled "The Confession," will feature the very first sit-down television interview with the president, as per the official episode synopsis on ABC. Before he reluctantly assumed the role as the leader of the free world, Tom Kirman was actually fired from his post as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
President Kirkman will be asked about the circumstances regarding his old job on "Designated Survivor." Essentially, he could end up admitting what others have perceived about him -- that he couldn't be the right man to take the job as U.S. president.
Congrats on a full season pickup! That's 22 episodes of #DesignatedSurvivor to look forward to! pic.twitter.com/v1vqvrejmG
— Designated Survivor (@ABCDesignated) September 29, 2016
But Kiefer Sutherland points out that while seen as weak and underqualified, Tom Kirkman is actually a lot like the TV hero Jack Bauer on "24." Sutherland has played the iconic role for nearly a decade before "Designated Survivor."
"[Kirkman] is a reluctant president but has taken on the responsibility because he has a sense of civic responsibility, the desire to serve," Kiefer Sutherland said of his new role, per Entertainment Weekly. He likens Kirkman's attitude to Jack Bauer. "This idea of self-sacrifice for a larger good was something that is very much a common thread in both of those characters," the actor added, admitting he realized the similarities much later during the filming of "Designated Survivor" episodes.
Meanwhile, "Designated Survivor" Season 1 Episode 3 will also have the FBI team formulating on what really happened at the attack on Capitol. Catch what went on in the episode as it airs on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 10:00 p.m. on ABC. Check out the teaser below.
