The demise of Designated Survivor season 4 is a done deal. Star Kiefer Sutherland admitted that he knew Netflix would scrap the series even before the streaming platform announced the cancellation.
In an interview on Scala Radio, the actor said that renewing Designate Survivor season 4 was made complicated by their contracts. Though he did not elaborate what these complications exactly underscored, Sutherland said that he knew a follow up was not going to happen anymore.
"[Our] contracts were so complicated and different from network television to Netflix," Sutherland said. "They didn't book a lot of the actors who were on the show, and they took other jobs," he added and said that he doesn't blame his co-stars for jumping ship after the third season.
Following Netflix's announcement of the cancellation, Sutherland posted a video on Instagram to thank everyone who supported the series, especially the third season on Netflix. This would be the second cancellation since Designated Survivor originally ran for two seasons on ABC until Netflix decided to take the series.
Designated Survivor followed the story of the timidest U.S. cabinet secretary who rose to the presidency following a terrorist attack in Congress that killed most of the political leaders. As President Tom Kirkman, Sutherland's character had to prove he was the right man for the job amid other ambitions politicians who would want to take his place.
However, Designated Survivor season 3 underwent major changes to fit the streaming platform's audience. Specifically, the episodes were also shaved off to just 10 instead of the usual 18 to 22 episodes on network television. New faces were also added to the show while the story was told using a different format as a docu-series.
Meanwhile, Sutherland is best known for playing the role of Jack Bauer in action series 24. If fans are missing him on television, perhaps he will return to the planned revival of the series.
During the recent Television Critics Association event, FOX bosses said that they are currently in the early stages of reviving the show, per TV Series Finale. Although nothing has been formally set in place, the 24 revival remains on the table.
"However we build the franchise, it has got to feel big, eventized and all the creators and producers involved have to feel excited about that direction and that we all feel we've got the right script," FOX boss Michael Thorn said, per Deadline.
