MovieChat Forums > Designated Survivor (2016) Discussion > Wow, the Netflix version of this is pret...

Wow, the Netflix version of this is pretty bad so far.


I am watching this now with my wife. We both have liked the show but we have just started season 3, the season that Netflix took over and produced. Wow, they have changed a lot and they've changed it for the worse. They couldn't just stick to the show the networks had put out there.

I'm glad it is only 10 episodes, I'm ready to get this over with.

Almost immediately I noticed the relatively dignified form of speech everyone kept up with went out the window as everyone has started throwing F-bombs around in every other line of dialogue. I guess Netflix figured the show would be more successful if there were 30 F-bombs per episode. That is what ABC did wrong. Not enough cussing. What an improvment.

Next, they just lost several key characters with nothing said about them at all. No mention of why they left. Did they resign their posts, take other jobs, did they decide to move, did the president ask them to step down.....where did they go? Nope. No mention of them ever existing is ever addressed. In a blink the main secret service guy Mike Ritter is gone. The main character Kendra Daynes, poof, she is gone and the president apparently has no more legal team and his brother is gone, the brother had started seeing Kendra.....they both just vanish without a word or trace. Strategist Lyor Boone who is part of the president's inner circle and advises him daily...POOF! He's gone. No mention of him ever existing. Chuck Russinik, the FBI, computer savy agent who was Hannah's right hand man in solving many cases. Gone. One day he is there, the next day, he never existed before.

I don't know if they were written out/off the show. If they took other work after ABC dropped the show and were no longer available when Netflix took it over but it would have been appreciated if they addressed their losses in the story line as to why 5 major characters and insiders in the White House left and wrote it into the plot.

Every other scene on the show is now in the bedroom. Waking up together, getting dressed and undressed. People having sex, affairs, love triangles, a gay sex scene, sex scenes galore.
The original show was very discreet about relationships. Kirkman had a wife. Aaron and Emily had a kiss one time but it went no where. Emily and Seth started dating but they just discussed it while at the White House, we didn't follow them home every night and watch them in the bedroom. Boy that sure has changed.

The show had mainly dealt with the presidency and all of the national crises Kirkman and the staff had to deal with and overcome. Now, the Netflix version has tons of tabloid drama from all of the character's personal lives. Mars Harper is screwing around on his wife. His wife is a recovering drug addict, Aaron now has some Latina girlfriend who is obsessed only with fighting for Latino causes and couldn't care less about any issue that all American's deal with.....only the Latino's interest her. She is constantly lecturing Aaron about his devotion to Latino issues and having changed his name, Dantae is gay and he didn't tell his lover he was HIV positive and the lover may leave him over that, Emily's mom has cancer and may perform assisted suicide on her, she also has an affair with Aaron, Seth has some sperm donor child that he suddenly wants to spend every moment with, Lorraine Zimmer is paying off her gigalo sex partners and also paying off all of her ex husband's and pays for adds accusing the president of murdering his wife.....all behind Kirkman's back to get the sympathetic vote....etc.

So Netflix takes over, gets rid of half the cast, quadruples the cursing in the script, every other scene now is a sex scene, half of the national/political crises plots are done away with so everyone's personal life can be a Jerry Springer show....etc.

Good job Netflix. I only have 4 more episodes to go then I can put this Netflix mutation out of its misery.

I like the show Manifest too. Netflix took that over. I hope they don't ruin it too.

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