Tis the season of canceling shows and then other platforms stepping in to save them. Brooklyn Nine-Nine was canceled by FOX and after vocal fan outrage, NBC swooped in a day later to save it on their network. Now it looks like Designated Survivor, which was canceled last week after two seasons on ABC, could be saved by Netflix in a similar fashion.
Netflix, which is the international SVOD home for the Entertainment One drama, is considering a potential third season for the show. The deal is in the very early stages and it’s far from done since it’s a very expensive undertaking. Also, complicating matter is that Hulu has the U.S. rights to the first two seasons so that would also have to be sorted out.
During their upfronts presentation today, ABC stated that the decision to cancel the show was a difficult one. Live ratings had dropped significantly in season 2 but it was still a huge DVR gainer. The bigger problem was behind the scenes issues which had the show getting its fifth showrunner as it was to head into its third season. That number of departing showrunners is pretty staggering for such a high profile that was very early in its run. If Netflix moves forward with grabbing the series, Keith Eisner (The Good Wife) would be in place as showrunner for season three and I’m hearing that he does have a creative plan for a third season if it’s to move forward.
Logistically the show is also very difficult. It is shot in Toronto but its writer’s room is located in Los Angeles. Series creator, David Guggenheim is also based in New York so there are a lot of moving pieces that are difficult to put into place. Kiefer Sutherland had also wanted to move the production to Los Angeles where he resides which would be more expensive for shooting in comparison to Toronto. Sutherland also has a lot of creative input on scripts and the direction of the series.
That being said, the show is profitable. It had a very lucrative Netflix SVOD deal and was a huge international seller for ABC which could translate to profits for Netflix if they become the new home for the series.
