Kiefer Sutherland is ABC's 'Designated' star

BEVERLY HILLS — Designated savior.

It is not, to say the least, the most exciting of new fall lineups that the broadcast networks have coming your way. But ABC's Designated Survivor  seems to be generating some positive pre-fall energy, thanks in large part to Kiefer Sutherland.

The former 24 star returns to TV as Tom Kirkman, a low-level Cabinet official thrust into the presidency when the entire government is wiped out in an attack during the State of the Union address. It’s Kirkman to the rescue — but this quiet, thoughtful family man is a very different hero than 24’s Jack Bauer.

“The show is really the journey of this man as he grows into the man he didn’t know he could be,” said executive producer Jon Harmon Feldman at the Television Critics Association press tour Thursday. But there’s also an “aspirational aspect” as the country comes to realize that this soft-spoken, decent man is just what we needed.  Producers say you can also expect a bit of The West Wing and House of Cards and a touch of Frank Capra films, all wrapped around a family drama.

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It’s that mix of thriller, family drama and aspirational politics that, Sutherland says, drew him to the series — even though he didn’t want to do another TV show. “I had no intention of doing a television show ... but I felt I needed to give this script a cursory read,” if only, he says, so he could explain why he couldn’t do it.

“I remember getting to the very end of the script and realizing that I was potentially holding the next 10 years of my life in my hands.”

So what would Jack think of Tom? "Good-looking guy. ... Maybe should lose the glasses."

The key to the character and the show, Sutherland says, is that Kirkman does not want the job. He isn't ambitious, and he doesn't like the effect the presidency has on his family. Through early episodes, "he's trying to find an exit."

He's also trying to find out who attacked the Capitol, and why. It will be a mystery to viewers, but don't worry: Sutherland says it isn't a mystery to those on the show.

“We know who did it and we know where the show is going. It’s not necessarily going to be where everyone thinks we’re going.”

There are many differences between Designated Survivor and 24, but one of the most obvious is that Sutherland is now the character being protected rather than one doing the protecting. And that means he's the one being bossed around by Secret Service agents, most of whom are very large.

"I've never felt so short on a show in my life."