Its a much more cerebral show this year, promises new showrunner Keith Eisner (The Good Wife).
But how do you drive that story forward?
Will that person be able to govern?
Bob D’Amico/ABC
Will that person be able to make the right choices?
Will that person be damaged by power?
What does power, in fact, do to people?
I feel a lot was accomplished in the first season, the very big idea that started the show.
And I think certainly at the top of the second season were returning to all of those things.
In fact, youll see it dealt with quite early on.
Her character will be a liaison to the presidents office.
That aspect will still be very much a part of the show.
It just will not be in the context of the original conspiracy that launched our show.
How do you make a fictitious president interesting when the real one is generating so many headlines?
Do you draft off of those headlines?This show was written and created long before Donald Trump.
We had the same kind of rules with24.
We had started making24before the terrible days of 9/11.
I think its very important that you make a real conscious effort not to chase the news.
In the sense of24, we unfortunately ran into the news at times.
I think Keith Eisner will tell you the same thing.
I think you write as you write and hopefully those [headline-grabbing] circumstances will never come to play.
Its always much more interesting to watch explanations, to get a true understanding of how the government works.
And its just a question of how far youll compromise.
Those are real conflicts.
And certainly in the context of our show, my character will be confronted with those issues.
And well watch them succeed and fail accordingly.
Season 2 ofDesignated Survivordebuts Wednesday at 10 p.m.
