Could Designated Survivor be revived by Netflix?
The streaming service already has international distribution rights for the series, and are reportedly interested in the Kiefer Sutherland drama
Kiefer Sutherland's President Kirkman may get one more term after all - according to reports in the US, Netflix is in talks to save the series after it was cancelled by ABC.
The drama, which follows Sutherland's former housing secretary as he assumes the highest role in public office after an attack kills pretty much everyone else in the government, is already shown by Netflix in the UK, who had bought international distribution rights from its original broadcaster ABC.
However the show, which has seen a steady decline in ratings during its second season, was cancelled by the broadcaster in the USA.
Now Deadline reports that the streaming giants are sniffing around the series with a revival in mind.
As Netflix don't release viewing figures, we don't really know how popular the series is outside of the States, but, the words of ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey suggest that the addition of US and Canadian markets to the fold in the event of a pick-up could make it a worthwhile move.
"That was a hard one for us,” she said of the decision to axe Sutherland's series. “It did well in delayed viewing but its live+ same day delivery in the 10pm hour had become challenging.”
As Netflix relies entirely on "delayed viewing", this could represent a strong incentive, but according to Deadline the deal could be complicated by the fact that Hulu currently holds the streaming rights to the first two seasons in the US.
