'Designated Survivor' Season 2 Spoilers: Rob Morrow Joins the Cast; Show Resumes March 8

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 14, 2017

"Designated Survivor" ended its first half of its debut season on a suspenseful cliffhanger last year in December. ABC has announced the series' return for season 1B on March 8, somewhat delayed by changes at the show's helm.

Rob Morrow will also join the cast as a recurring character, according to his Instagram post.

Recent Twitter posts from the "Designated Survivor" official account have drummed up renewed interest on the show. The writers have invited fans to have a watch-and-tweet session with them on Monday 4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST, where they will answer questions about the show.

Jeff Melvoin, producer of "Army Wives," replaces Jon Harmon Feldman as the showrunner for "Designated Survivor." Feldman will leave the political drama series for other ABC projects, following his stint as the show's producer after Amy B. Harris. This change makes Melvoin the third producer to head the series, and this may leave the impression that ABC is still experimenting with the show's production.

Inquisitr points out that all these changes are making it clear that "Designated Survivor" may be too complicated for ABC to coordinate, as production, writers and creators are scattered across Toronto, Los Angeles and New York.

Cinemablend reports that, for the new episodes, the studio will attempt to drive the show's story with the personal relationships between the characters. That could mean relying less on plot twists to grab the viewers' interest. ABC believes that Melvoin's signing may just be the thing needed to steer the show in that direction.

"Designated Survivor" follows Thomas Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland), United States President and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Unambitious and deferring Kirkman has been locked away as the U.S. government's designated survivor. The series starts as a catastrophic attack wipes out the gathered cabinet members, the Congress and the previous President. Kirkman has little choice but to allow the highest position in the country to be thrust upon him, and the show follows his efforts to manage a nation devastated by the attack.