Designated Survivor is quickly becoming one of ABC’s favorites – and it’s pretty easy to see why. Before we give a quick summary and feedback, we would like to issue a spoiler alert.

The show begins with Tom Kirkman (played by Kiefer Sutherland) watching a broadcast of the president’s speech at the capitol when a bomb goes off killing the president, vice president, all cabinet members, so on and so forth. Tom, the “designated survivor”, is now the president of the United States of America.

As episode 1 and 2 progress, Tom becomes president and his life starts rapidly changing as he is forced to shoulder this new role. The episode goes back and forth between watching Kirkman’s presidency and the FBI’s investigation of the bombing. The FBI’s investigation covers the usual suspects for terror attacks in America, which quickly paves the way for more tragedy and suspicion in the show. Unfortunately, Muslims are immediately suspected – to the point that the rouge Michigan governor blames and starts rounding up local Muslims. This plot line is not only disturbing, but it is upsetting because this is a potential description of what could happen if this tragic, horrific event occurred. The show indiscreetly alludes to real-life hatreds and problems, which gives it a realistic feel and causes the audience to self reflect.

Pros: At the end of the second episode, when Seth (the speech writer) went to the shrine, there is a concern he will be stopped by the police (as he was in the beginning of the episode). Instead, Seth is asked if he lost someone, and was kindly handed a candle. This heartwarming scene proves that despite a tragic and awful time, people still come together to mourn no matter the ethnicity, religion, or skin color of those around them.

Episodes con: There is still the looming question about Kirkman’s leadership. Will Kirkman make a good president, or will he lead the country towards disaster? It muddles the show’s plot, but is a realistic representation.

Overall, Designated Survivor is proving to be a wonderful show – and it airs on ABC at 10 pm.