‘The Straightest Shooter’ in Washington

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‘The Straightest Shooter’ in Washington

 

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Kiefer Sutherland plays Tom Kirkland in the ABC political drama “Designated Survivor.” | IMDB

2016 has been a rough year. So bad, in fact, that the idea of blowing up the government and starting over will resonate with quite a few spectators of American politics. “Drain the swamp” or “burn it all to the ground” seem like good catchphrases to many, many voters.

The first few minutes of “Designated Survivor,” ABC’s new political drama, fulfill just that wish for rebuilding from the ground up. A catastrophic attack on the Capitol Building leaves only the titular “designated survivor” — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman, to ascend to the Oval Office.

While some may have expected “24” star Kiefer Sutherland to play President Kirkman as a “Jack Bauer is President” character, he instead portrays him simply as a man of decency and resolve. Sutherland’s Kirkman is bewildered at finding himself in such a position of authority with so little preparation, but strives to do the right thing nonetheless.

Sutherland’s Kirkman is a kind of Jimmy Stewart character. In one of Stewart’s most famous films, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Stewart plays an idealistic boy scout leader who is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he is framed for corruption and then uses the filibuster to expose political corruption. Likewise, Kirkman’s idealism stands out against a cast of characters constantly seeking to undermine his presidency. In a confrontation with an Iranian ambassador, for instance, Kirkman says that he is “just about the straightest shooter you’re gonna find in Washington.”

In some ways, “Designated Survivor” looks to fill the same cultural space that NBC’s “The West Wing” filled in the early 2000s. “The West Wing” offered the American people a hopeful vision of politics at a moment in history where partisanship often seemed overwhelming. Similarly, the premise of “Designated Survivor” serves as a wish fulfilment scenario. Resetting the political system and getting back to “politics as it should be” might not be possible in real life, but it is fertile soil for a TV show.

Admittedly, “Designated Survivor” has yet to soar to the heights of critical acclaim “The West Wing,” and it is certainly not the instant classic “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” was. The show is still finding its identity. Certain subplots — the FBI investigation of the Capitol explosion, drama surrounding the First Family, political jockeying in Kirkman’s staff — have been slow building and slightly clichéd, but nonetheless mostly well-acted.

As with any new show, “Designated Survivor” is still improving. But the show can still give the American people something sorely needed in the aftermath of 2016 — the story of a good man trying to do the right thing.