"24's" Kiefer Sutherland is coming back to the small-screen to play someone very important: The President of the United States.

In "Designated Survivor," Sutherland's character, a cabinet member, will be assigned as the head of state after everyone ahead of him get killed in a terrorist attack during the State of the Union address, reports Deadline.

The ABC conspiracy thriller is plotted around the life of a family of an ordinary man faced with an extraordinary circumstance. Written on spec by David Guggenheim (Safe House), "Designated Survivor" has received a straight-to-series order.

The show whose main protagonist is Sutherland, will be produced by Simon Kinberg ("X-Men," "The Martian," "Days of Future Past") for Mark Gordon Company.

Designated Survivor, is a term used in the White House to refer to a U.S. Cabinet Official who is kept in a secured location whenever the President, VP, and Cabinet members convene in on location for momentous events such as the State of the Union, the only time in the year when fed officials meet to hear the president's agenda.

On Jan. 21, Mashable reported that this year's designated survivor is Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx who started serving his position in 2013.

The tradition may have started Cold War, when the U.S. faced nuclear assault threat. The security of the designated survivor was tightened since the 9/11 attack.

Currently, the designated survivor enjoys the same level of protection as the U.S. president. The position is usually given to a lower-ranking cabinet member by the White House Chief of Staff.