'Designated Survivor' Season 2 Spoilers: Is President Kirkman Getting a New First Lady?
Will President Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) finds new love and a new First Lady when "Designated Survivor" returns for the second half of season 2? The death of Alex Kirkman (Natascha McElhone) during the Dec. 13 episode left a huge blow, but how will this shape the upcoming episodes?
"Designated Survivor" showrunner Keith Eisner detailed what's coming up next for the President as he becomes a widow. Eisner confirmed to TV Guide that a new First Lady isn't the show's priority.
"I think you're going to see, at least for a while, Tom Kirkman grappling with the after-effects of his wife's death," Eisner said. "We won't plunge headlong into romance because we don't think that's true to life."
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Eisner also hinted that losing the First Lady will impact both the president's personal and professional lives. It will be interesting to see President Kirman as both a widower and a bachelor but how different will the experience be for someone living in the White House?
"A president who is essentially by himself, and the isolation of being a single parent and of having to figure out what to do professionally and personally without his partner," Eisner pressed on. "That is a very interesting and exciting dramatic area for us to go into to."
Eventually, however, a new love interest might be introduced on "Designated Survivor." Eisner doesn't have a timeframe for when this should happen.
"Designated Survivor" is on a holiday break but the show will return to its Wednesday 10 p.m. slot on ABC on Feb. 28.
Meanwhile, McElhone announced her exit from the series in September, just as "Designated Survivor" began its run for season 2. The actress decided to join another show from "House of Cards" executive producer Beau Willimon.
McElhone will star opposite Sean Penn in "The First," a sci-fi drama, which Hulu will stream in 2018. The series is about the first human mission to Mars and McElhone will play the CEO of the company sponsoring the mission.
