Showrunner Jon Harmon Feldman has been replaced by Army Wives grad Jeff Melvoin, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Feldman will stay in business with co-producers ABC Studios. The well-regarded showrunner is near a deal for a rich new overall deal with the studio and will be attached to multiple new projects heading into pilot season.
This marks the latest showrunner change on ABC's freshman Kiefer Sutherland political soap. Amy B. Harris (The Carrie Diaries, Wicked City) was originally tapped to serve as showrunner on the drama created by David Guggenheim. After boarding the Mark Gordon Co. drama ahead of the pilot, Harris was replaced as Designated Survivor scored its official series pickup in May as the show's creative changed direction.
Logistically, Designated Survivor has become a difficult show. Production takes place in Vancouver; the writers' room is in Los Angeles; and creator Guggenheim is based in New York. The series is the first to come out of Gordon's new independent banner outside of ABC Studios, with the latter set as the lead producer on the show. Melvoin, who will be based in L.A., will now take over showrunning duties. The deal reunites Melvoin with Gordon — with whom he worked on Army Wives — as well as ABC Studios, who produced the former Lifetime drama. Sutherland, who remains an exec producer on Designated Survivor, effectively does a pass on each script before it is finalized alongside Guggenheim, who continues to write and exec produce.
This marks the latest showrunner change on ABC's freshman Kiefer Sutherland political soap. Amy B. Harris (The Carrie Diaries, Wicked City) was originally tapped to serve as showrunner on the drama created by David Guggenheim. After boarding the Mark Gordon Co. drama ahead of the pilot, Harris was replaced as Designated Survivor scored its official series pickup in May as the show's creative changed direction.
Logistically, Designated Survivor has become a difficult show. Production takes place in Vancouver; the writers' room is in Los Angeles; and creator Guggenheim is based in New York. The series is the first to come out of Gordon's new independent banner outside of ABC Studios, with the latter set as the lead producer on the show. Melvoin, who will be based in L.A., will now take over showrunning duties. The deal reunites Melvoin with Gordon — with whom he worked on Army Wives — as well as ABC Studios, who produced the former Lifetime drama. Sutherland, who remains an exec producer on Designated Survivor, effectively does a pass on each script before it is finalized alongside Guggenheim, who continues to write and exec produce.
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