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'Designated Survivor' season 3: Release, plot, cast and everything you need to know about the political thriller

The official trailer sees President Tom Kirkman tackle new issues and getting ready to fight dirty to retain his seat in the Oval Office

'Designated Survivor' is back and so is Kiefer Sutherland as President Tom Kirkman. Starting off as an unassuming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, a massive terror attack on the State of the Union address in Washington sees him as the Designated Survivor, the highest ranking politician in the country.

The political thriller drama was renewed for a third season and finds a new home in Netflix, which announced the show as a "Global Netflix Original", after ABC canceled the show after two seasons, which does come a bit of a surprise since the first season saw the show being named the "Most Exciting TV Series" by TV Guide in 2016, and season 2 garnered some great ratings following a gripping plotline and a solid performance by the cast.

In the second season,  President Kirkman addresses an earthquake crisis and also announces that he will run for re-election as an Independent soon after Ethan West, the special prosecutor (Michael J Fox), hands him a note.

Netflix released a new teaser trailer that gives us a glimpse of what Kirkman and his team will be up against. Here's what we know about season 3 so far.

Release

'Designated Survivor' season 3 is set to premiere on Netflix on June 7 this year.

Plot

The second season had an obscure ending and it was a given that there would be a third season. Netflix's official synopsis stated: "President Kirkman will face a political reality… campaigning. What does it take to make a leader? What price will he be willing to pay? This season will explore today's world of campaigning, smear tactics, debates, campaign finance, and 'fake news'. Democracy, as we know it, will hang in the balance."

Cast

Kiefer Sutherland will return as President Tom Kirkman. He will be joined by Kal Penn (Seth Wright), Adan Canto (Aaron Shore) and Italia Ricci (Emily Rhodes) and Maggie Q (Hannah Wells) who all played instrumental roles in the second season of the show.

Director/Writer

Created by David Guggenheim, Neal Baer will serve as the series showrunner for 2019.

Trailer

The opening sequence of the trailer shows Kirkman wondering if he has screwed up his re-election campaign while also giving a glimpse of his running mate. We also see Hannah (Maggie Q)  being offered an opportunity to work with the CIA while Seth (Kal Penn) is shown to be irate about the state of journalism in the pressroom. The 2.20-minute trailer also sheds light on Italia Ricci advising Kirkman over various matters. 

There is a lot to process in the first full trailer of  'Designated Survivor'. Check out the trailer above.

Will Kirkman be able to inspire and instill confidence in the American people just like he did earlier, or will he face an uphill battle in his quest to do what is right? Watch this space for more updates on the third season of 'Designated Survivor'.

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