Netflix's 3-Part 'House Of Cards Meets 24 Series' Is So Good, It Was Saved From Cancellation

While Netflix has plenty of action-thriller shows in its back catalog, the streaming service saved one series from cancellation since its blend of 24 and House of Cards was too promising to give up. While the politics of the series have aged regrettably, there is no denying how influential the early ‘00s action series 24 has been on TV history. Without its innovative real-time execution, viewers wouldn’t have HBO’s excellent medical drama The Pitt, arguably the greatest real-time series in the medium’s history.

While 24 lasted nine seasons and a one-season regrettable 2017 spinoff, its impact on ‘00s TV has largely been overshadowed by innovative shows like Lost. To be fair, JJ Abrams’ unique blend of character drama, sci-fi, fantasy, and action/ thriller elements was a more daring series, but 24’s 204 episodes still saw Kiefer Sutherland offer the best performance of his career as the troubled counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer. The series was also one of the most compelling political dramas since The West Wing, and a big influence on everything from Homeland to House of Cards.

Based on the British series of the same name from 1990, House of Cards was a darkly funny political drama that followed disgraced star Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood, a power-hungry political operative who used blackmail, lies, and intimidation to further his goals. With an incredible eight Golden Globe nominations and 33 Primetime Emmy Award Nominations, House of Cards was an early mainstream hit for Netflix. Before Stranger Things season 1 launched the streaming service into the global stratosphere, the show’s popularity made Netflix a household staple. As such, Designated Survivor’s later Netflix renewal was almost an inevitability.

Designated Survivor Blends House of Cards’ Political Intrigue With 24’s Action

Beginning in 2016, Designated Survivor had the sort of ingenious premise that no network or streaming service could turn down. 24’s Sutherland played Tom Kirkman, a conflicted academic who is unexpectedly thrust into the role of President of the United States when a bomb kills not just the President, but also everyone in his orbit. As the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Kirkman is hardly anyone’s first choice for the role, least of all himself, but he is the president’s titular designated survivor.

Thus, Sutherland’s Kirkman is thrust into a world of political mystery as he simultaneously takes on the President’s responsibilities while also trying to work out who killed his predecessor, and why he was spared. At a time when Netflix’s sci-fi hits like Dark and Stranger Things were dominating the streaming charts, Designated Survivor not only held its own, but became a sensation on the streaming service thanks to its blend of action, thrills, and political intrigue.

Designated Survivor Started A Welcome Netflix Renewal Trend

However, while the show was popular on the streaming service, ABC wasn’t as keen on Designated Survivor. Despite boasting an impressive supporting cast that included Maggie Q, Natascha McElhone, Ken Penn, and Adan Canto, Designated Survivor was canceled after only two seasons by ABD in 2018. Fortunately, Netflix picked up the series for a third and final 10-episode season that aired in 2019.

This wasn’t the first time Netflix took this approach, with the streaming service renewing AMC’s Neo-Western crime drama Longmire for a further three seasons after AMC canceled the show in 2014. However, it did start a trend as, in the years that followed Designated Survivor’s season 3 renewal, Netflix continued to renew shows after the original networks gave up on them.

Both the supernatural detective drama Lucifer and the Caroline Kepnes adaptation You were renewed for further seasons by Netflix after Fox and Lifetime, respectively, opted not to renew the shows. In both cases, much like Designated Survivor, the shows remained as popular as ever during their Netflix seasons, justifying their renewals by the savvy streaming service.