Designated Survivor was doomed by showrunner turnover, move to Los Angeles

Variety

A source tells Variety that star Kiefer Sutherland "was frustrated by the creative twists and turns that the series took — shifts that were no surprise given the number of changes behind the scenes." Had Designated Survivor been renewed for a third season, it would've had a fifth showrunner. Too many showrunners already resulted in a lack of cohesiveness for what was supposed to be a political thriller. Another issue was that Sutherland's contract called for production to move from Toronto to Los Angeles for Season 3, which would've made a third season more costly.