Designated Survivor (2016)

Action · Drama · Mystery

Tom Kirkman, a low-level cabinet member is suddenly appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack during the State of the Union kills everyone above him in the Presidential line of succession.

IMDb rating: 7.4 (116,925 votes)
Episode average: 7.4 matches the IMDb rating
Seasons: 3
Streaming (US): Netflix
Language: EN
Type: TV series

U-shaped trajectory: strong first and last seasons, a sag between. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well. See every U-shaped show in the explorer →

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 3 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2016)

7.74 avg 21 episodes 8.1 → 7.8 42 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Pilot	8.1	3,954
2	The First Day	8.0	3,010
3	The Confession	7.7	2,595
4	The Enemy	7.9	2,477
5	The Mission	7.8	2,332
6	The Interrogation	7.5	2,193
7	The Traitor	7.6	2,100
8	The Results	7.6	2,048
9	The Blueprint	8.0	2,045
10	The Oath	8.5	2,458
11	Warriors	8.1	2,014
12	The End of the Beginning	8.4	2,150
13	Backfire	7.5	1,824
14	Commander-in-Chief	7.6	1,785
15	One Hundred Days	7.3	1,841
16	Party Lines	7.3	1,783
17	The Ninth Seat	7.5	1,724
18	Lazarus	7.4	1,676
19	Misalliance	7.4	1,638
20	Bombshell	7.6	1,610
21	Brace for Impact	7.8	1,780

Season 2 (2017)

7.15 avg 22 episodes 7.1 → 7.5 42 min avg

Rebound

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	One Year In	7.1	1,660
2	Sting of the Tail	7.2	1,484
3	Outbreak	6.9	1,488
4	Equilibrium	6.6	1,395
5	Suckers	6.9	1,330
6	Two Ships	7.3	1,285
7	Family Ties	6.8	1,375
8	Home	7.2	1,213
9	Three-Letter Day	7.2	1,177
10	Line of Fire	7.5	1,412
11	Grief	7.1	1,176
12	The Final Frontier	6.9	1,100
13	Original Sin	7.0	1,069
14	In the Dark	6.9	1,082
15	Summit	6.9	1,059
16	Fallout	7.5	1,040
17	Overkill	7.2	1,029
18	Kirkman Agonistes	7.5	1,044
19	Capacity	7.4	1,032
20	Bad Reception	7.5	1,013
21	Target	7.2	972
22	Run	7.5	1,080

Season 3 (2019)

7.16 avg 10 episodes 7.2 → 7.5 50 min avg

Rebound

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	#thesystemisbroken	7.2	1,392
2	#slipperyslope	7.0	1,202
3	#privacyplease	7.1	1,223
4	#makehistory	6.5	1,262
5	#nothingpersonal	7.0	1,096
6	#whocares	7.1	1,053
7	#identity/crisis	7.1	1,118
8	#scaredsh*tless	7.4	1,029
9	#undecided	7.7	1,063
10	#truthorconsequences	7.5	1,324

Designated Survivor (2016)

Cast

Seasons

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