The city of Dearborn played a major supporting role on a recent episode of ABC’s new political drama “Designated Survivor.”
On “Designated Survivor,” Washington, D.C. is attacked by an as-yet-unrevealed enemy during the State of the Union address, killing the President, the Vice-President, and all members of the Cabinet except Thomas Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland of “24" fame), the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who’s the lowest man on the political totem pole.
Kirkman is the designated survivor, a person in the presidential line of succession who’s sent to a secure, undisclosed location when the President and the nation’s other top leaders are gathered in one location. Should a catastrophic event happen (as it does in this case), the designated survivor guarantees the continuity of government and becomes the Acting President of the United States per the Presidential Succession Act.
Kirkman is sworn in as the new President. He is thrust into a job he’s not ready for in the middle of the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11. Not only is he trying to figure out who bombed the Capitol, he has to rebuild the government and reassure a very frightened citizenry. He’s also beset by political enemies who don’t believe he’s qualified to lead, including speechwriter Seth Wright (Kal Penn, who actually worked for the Obama Administration). In fact, Gen. Harris Cochrane (Kevin R. McNally) conspires to overthrow Kirkman because he perceives him as weak.
Still, Kirkman, a determined idealist and decent man, rises to the occasion. Assisting him are his beloved wife, Alex (Natascha McElhone), an attorney and the new First Lady; Wright, who becomes one of Kirkman’s trusted advisors; Emily Rhodes (Italia Ricci), his Chief of Staff from his previous job; and Aaron Shore (Adan Canto), the White House Deputy Chief of Staff. Congresswoman Kimbel Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen, who appeared in mid-September at Motor City Nightmares in Novi), the GOP designated survivor, also supports Kirkman but harbors her own secret agenda as seen later in this episode.
On the Sept. 28 episode called “The First Day” – chronicling Kirkman’s first full day as President – Dearborn feels the ramifications of the attack on the Capitol. Michigan Gov. John Royce (Michael Gaston) has the police round up every Muslim they can, given that Dearborn has the highest Muslim population in America. Under Royce, Michigan becomes a police state.
Kirkman won’t stand for it. However, Royce refuses to recognize his authority and hangs up on him. Kirkman’s staff attempt to get Royce back on the phone as Kirkman travels to the devastated remains of the Capitol. However, his attempts to inspire and comfort the nation fail when people are distracted by video footage of cops beating a Muslim-American teenager who eventually dies.
Angered and sickened by this senseless death, Kirkland finally gets a hold of Royce and orders him to release every Muslim in custody who hasn’t been officially charged with a crime. He also tells Royce the death of this Muslim-American teenager is on him. This dents Royce’s resolve. Kirkland next tells Royce that several people in police custody are undercover Homeland Security agents, threatening him with obstruction of justice.
At that point, Royce stands down and obeys Kirkland – albeit grudgingly – recognizing his authority. Afterwards, Kirkland reveals he was bluffing about the Homeland Security agents. He also learns Wright was stopped by the police earlier in the episode en route to work because of his ethnicity and was released at the scene upon confirming he works for the White House. The episode closes with Kirkman calling the Muslim-American teenager’s parents and expressing his sympathies.
Kimberly Donoghue of Dearborn was surprised that her hometown was in this episode.
“I was not expecting that at all. I have lived in Dearborn for most of my life. I really don’t think (the unrest depicted in this episode) would happen here,” said Donoghue, an Edsel Ford High School alumnus who teaches in Dearborn. “I wish that the show would have added more to the storyline such as showing the community coming together afterwards, which I believe would be the case if something like this were to actually happen.”
In addition to “Designated Survivor,” Dearborn has been featured in one way or another on several TV series in the last five years, including “The Simpsons,” “The Crazy Ones,” and “Person of Interest.”
“It’s always a good feeling to see your hometown represented by Hollywood,” said teacher/author R.J. Fox, a Dearborn native who graduated from Edsel Ford and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He also performed in the Henry Ford College Big Band.
“Dearborn obviously is a town that is rife with potential storytelling. I’ll never forget when ‘The Simpsons’ featured Dearborn in a quick snippet. And now ‘Designated Survivor.’ Both featured the city’s Muslim population as a backdrop, which obviously makes sense. For many people, both from the region and outside it, it’s the first thing people think of when they think of Dearborn.”
“The Simpsons” episode aired in 2011, depicting an adult version of Milhouse – dressed in Muslim clothing – attending The University of Michigan-Dearborn. Additionally, Dearborn was mentioned in a 2014 episode of “The Crazy Ones,” the sitcom that starred the late Robin Williams. In that episode, Gordon (Brad Garrett) gives a history of Dearborn while wearing Smart Specs, a pair of glasses accessing the Internet via voice command.
An early 2015 episode of “Person of Interest,” the techno-thriller that concluded earlier this year, occurred in Dearborn and Detroit, but wasn’t filmed on location. In it, the heroes Reese (Jim Caveziel) and Root (Amy Acker) battle the enigmatic Control (Camryn Manheim), who’s in Dearborn to supervise the assassination of an innocent man.
“I remember substitute-teaching in Dearborn on 9/11 and the response from the community,” Fox said. “Though there was some conflict and tension, I was always impressed with how well the community responded. And in the years since 9/11, the lack of serious tension and unrest in Dearborn is really a testament to the respect for diversity in the city.”
The next episode of “Designated Survivor” airs at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 on ABC (Channel 7 in Detroit). ABC has given the series a full season order of 22 episodes.