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Madam Secretary (TV series)

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Madam Secretary
File:Madam Secretary (CBS) Logo.png
GenrePolitical drama
Thriller
Created byBarbara Hall
Starring
Opening themeTheme to Madam Secretary
Ending themeTheme to Madam Secretary
ComposerTranscenders
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes68 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Running time42–46 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 21, 2014 (2014-09-21) –
present

Madam Secretary is an American political drama television series created by Barbara Hall and executive produced by Lori McCreary and Morgan Freeman. It stars Téa Leoni as Dr. Elizabeth McCord. The series primarily describes main character Dr. Elizabeth McCord's fight to balance her family and her work as the US Secretary of State.

The series premiered on September 21, 2014. On October 27, 2014, CBS placed a full season order consisting of 22 episodes for the first season.[1] On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season.[2]

Synopsis

Madam Secretary explores Secretary Elizabeth McCord's life as the shrewd, calculating, and determined newly appointed United States Secretary of State. McCord drives international diplomacy, battles office politics, and circumvents and ignores protocol as she negotiates worldwide issues. The show also focuses on the personal lives of the characters. McCord is also a college professor and a former CIA analyst who left the agency for ethical and personal reasons. The President values her apolitical leanings, deep knowledge of the Middle East, flair for languages, and ability to not just think outside the box, but to not even know there is a box.[3][4][5]

Cast and characters

Main cast

Actor Character Season
1 2 3
Téa Leoni Dr. Elizabeth "Bess" Adams McCord Main
Tim Daly Dr. Henry McCord Main
Bebe Neuwirth Nadine Tolliver Main
Željko Ivanek Russell Jackson Main
Erich Bergen Blake Moran Main
Patina Miller Daisy Grant Main
Geoffrey Arend Matt Mahoney Main
Wallis Currie-Wood Stephanie "Stevie" McCord Main
Kathrine Herzer Alison "Ali" McCord Main
Evan Roe Jason McCord Main
Keith Carradine Conrad Dalton Recurring Main
Sebastian Arcelus Jay Whitman Recurring Main

Main characters

  • Téa Leoni as Dr. Elizabeth "Bess" Adams McCord, the United States Secretary of State. She spent twenty years as a CIA analyst before becoming a professor of political science at the University of Virginia. She was selected by her old boss, Conrad Dalton, who is now the President of the United States, to replace Secretary of State Vincent Marsh, who died in a plane crash.
  • Tim Daly as Dr. Henry McCord, Elizabeth's husband of 25 years. A former Marine Captain aviator during Operation Desert Storm and theology professor, he provides a unique blend of skills that serve well as an operative of the National Security Agency in combating religious extremism.
  • Bebe Neuwirth as Nadine Tolliver, Elizabeth's chief of staff who had a six-year affair with the deceased Secretary of State, Vincent Marsh, beginning when he was a senator. Originally extremely resentful of the new Secretary of State, Nadine and Elizabeth have since cultivated a strong working relationship. In Season 1, Nadine slowly began to date again, romancing the Administrator of NASA, Glenn, and later falls into a relationship with the recurring political consultant Mike Barnow.
  • Željko Ivanek as Russell Jackson, White House Chief of Staff.[6] His primary objective of keeping the President politically secure at home and abroad sets him up for occasional confrontation with Secretary McCord's unorthodox diplomatic manoeuvring.
  • Erich Bergen as Blake Moran, Elizabeth's personal assistant, and the only member of her staff that she hired rather than inherited.
  • Patina Miller as Daisy Grant, Elizabeth's press coordinator. Daisy dates Matt during season 1 but goes on to date other men following their breakup. In season 3 she dates "Kevin" from Budget and Planning, who turns out to be an undercover operative for the CIA investigating the State Department. He is killed in a weapons-trafficking conspiracy, but Daisy finds herself to be pregnant with his child.
  • Geoffrey Arend as Matt Mahoney, Elizabeth's speechwriter. Matt and Daisy dated during season 1, but ended things.
  • Wallis Currie-Wood as Stephanie "Stevie" McCord, Elizabeth and Henry's older daughter. Stevie attended Lovell University until dropping out. After moving back in with her parents and working for some time, she eventually returned to her education at Georgetown University and is applying to Harvard Law school. Stevie serves as an intern to Russell Jackson and is engaged to Jareth Glover.
  • Kathrine Herzer as Alison McCord, Elizabeth and Henry's younger daughter. Alison plans to attend Rafferty College to pursue her dreams of Fashion and Design.
  • Evan Roe as Jason McCord, Elizabeth and Henry's 13-year-old son, a self-proclaimed anarchist. Jason is very critical of political systems in general, however in season 1 he was expelled from his school for punching a student who insulted Elizabeth.
  • Keith Carradine as President Conrad Dalton (recurring season 1, main cast season 2–). Before going into politics, Conrad was the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency during Elizabeth's time at the CIA. In "Unity Node", he reveals that he served in the United States Army as a 2nd lieutenant during the Vietnam War. In the third season Dalton secures his reelection as an independent president after failing to secure his party's nomination, partly due to a controversial change in policy championed by Elizabeth McCord. He offers Elizabeth the role of Vice President during his campaign, but eventually names someone else in order to further his campaign. Elizabeth remains Secretary of State.
  • Sebastian Arcelus as Jay Whitman, Elizabeth's senior policy advisor (recurring season 1–2, main cast season 3). In season 3 it is revealed that Jay's busy schedule working for the Secretary has strained his marriage. He is currently separated from his wife Abby who maintains custody of their daughter Chloe.

Recurring

  • Johanna Day as National Security Advisor Admiral Ellen Hill. She was the first female Chairwoman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff prior to being appointed National Security Advisor (Season 1 – present).
  • Tony Plana as Admiral Ed Parker, a member of the Joint Chiefs (Season 1 – present).
  • Francis Jue as Chinese Foreign Minister Chen, Elizabeth's Chinese counterpart (Season 1 – present).
  • Mandy Gonzalez as Lucy Knox, President Dalton's aide (Season 1 – present).
  • Mike Pniewski as United States Secretary of Defense Gordon Becker (Season 1 – present).
  • Kevin Rahm as Michael "Mike B." Barnow, a political official who is said to drift between the United States Cabinet departments. It is mentioned that he is a Rhodes Scholar, who turned his brilliant legal career into a promising political career that was cut short by a scandalous divorce six years prior to his first appearance before settling into his current job. He is often seen assisting Secretary McCord (Season 1 – present).
  • Jason Ralph as Harrison Dalton, son of President Dalton and long-time friend of Stevie McCord. In season 1, it is revealed Harrison has a drug addiction and is color blind (Seasons 1–2).
  • Cotter Smith as National Security Advisor Darren Hahn (Seasons 1–2).
  • Patrick Breen as CIA Director Andrew Munsey, a protégé of President Dalton whilst he was in the CIA (Season 1).
  • Nilaja Sun as Juliet Humphrey, a former CIA analyst, friend and colleague of Elizabeth and Isabelle (Season 1; guest Season 3).
  • Usman Ally as Iran's Foreign Minister Zahed Javani, Elizabeth's Iranian counterpart (Season 1).
  • Dion Graham as Bureau of Diplomatic Security Head Agent Fred Cole, who served as Elizabeth's principal bodyguard (Season 1).
  • Josh Hamilton as Arthur Gilroy, Stevie's 39-year-old microloan employer and ex-boyfriend (Season 1).
  • Anna Deavere Smith as United States Attorney General Mary Campbell (Season 1).
  • Marin Hinkle as Isabelle Barnes, a CIA analyst and Elizabeth's close friend, who assists the McCords with the investigation of the death of Secretary of State Vincent Marsh (Season 1).
  • Yorgo Constantine as Russian Foreign Minister Anton Gorev, a friend of both Secretary and Dr. McCord (Seasons 1–2).
  • Clifton Davis as Ephraim Ware, Director of National Intelligence (Season 2 – present).
  • Julian Acosta as National Security Advisor Craig Sterling, a former US Department of Defense official and rival of Elizabeth's (Season 2).
  • Alex Fernandez as Vice President of the United States Mark Delgado (Season 2).
  • Angela Gots as President of Russia Maria Ostrova, the widow of the late Russian President Pavel Ostrov (Season 2).
  • Leslie Hendrix as United States Attorney General Louise Cronenberg (Season 2).
  • Jill Hennessy as Jane Fellows, Henry's DIA superior, and a member of Murphy Station; the first Ishbal Jahed task force (Season 2).
  • Kobi Libii as Cyber-security Coordinator Oliver Shaw. Shaw looked into the attack against Air Force One and is the love interest of Daisy Grant (Season 2; Guest Season 3).
  • Chris Petrovski as Captain Dmitri Petrov, a 24-year-old Russian Army officer who studied at the National War College. He was recruited by Professor Henry McCord (on behalf of the DIA) to become an American spy in exchange for getting his sick sister medical care in Stockholm, Sweden (Season 2; guest Season 3). Dmitri is captured by the Russians and eventually exchanged to the Americans for another traitor to the state. Following his capture Dmitri feels abandoned by Henry and is very angry and bitter toward him. He is placed into a witness protection program.
  • Carlos Gómez as Jose Campos, an Ishbal Jahed task force member (Season 2 – present).
  • J. C. MacKenzie as Governor Sam Evans of Pennsylvania, the presidential nominee for Dalton's party (Season 3 – present). Sam Evans is particularly vindictive during the campaign and, following Dalton's victory through a vote in the House of Representatives, threatens to have the vote overturned due to little-known law he claims Elizabeth broke. However, he is manipulated into accepting the terms of the vote after Russel Jackson threatens to expose him for having a gene that makes him likely to develop early-onset Alzheimer's.
  • René Auberjonois as Walter Nowack, a State Department analyst for nuclear proliferation issues (Season 2 – present).
  • Chris O'Shea as Jareth Glover, Stevie's fiance from England. He gave up a fellowship at Oxford to return to America to be with Stevie after she had trouble adjusting to life in England. His family is a member of the upper class and even nobility in England.
  • Justine Lupe as Captain Ronnie Baker, a cyber security captain who assists Elizabeth on several occasions.
  • Eric Stoltz as Will Adams, Secretary Elizabeth McCord's brother.
  • Jordan Lage as General Kohl.

Guest stars

  • Louis Gossett, Jr. appears as Father Laurent Vasseur, an old friend of Henry's (Season 1, Episode 6).
  • William Allen Young appears as Deputy Secretary of State Steven Cushing (Season 1, Episode 12).
  • Tom Skerritt appears as Patrick McCord, Henry's father (Season 1, Episode 13).
  • Bob Schieffer, former moderator of Face the Nation, appears as himself (Season 1, Episode 17).
  • Morgan Freeman, the show's executive producer, appears as Chief Justice of the United States (Season 2, Episode 1; Season 3, Episode 1).
  • Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. Secretary of State, appears as herself (Season 2, Episode 2).
  • Kate Burton appears as Henry's sister, Maureen (Season 2, Episode 13).
  • Jane Pauley appears as herself (Season 2, Episode 18; Season 3, Episode 1).
  • Stephanie J. Block, real-life wife of Sebastian Arcelus, appears as Jay's wife, Abby (Season 3, Episode 13). Mirroring real life, Block had previously given birth to their daughter while Arcelus was filming Season 1, episode 17, where Jay's wife also gives birth to a daughter.
  • Joel de la Fuente, appears as the President of the Philippines, Datu Andrada (Season 3, Episode 15). Andrada's election is not well received by the Dalton Administration, and Andrada's erratic behavior destabilizes a deal Elizabeth McCord has just developed in Southeast Asia when he comes to power. Elizabeth visits him to attempt to bring him back on board with the program, and he makes unwanted advances toward her. Elizabeth fears an international incident after she punches him in order to defend herself, but he does not address the incident and blames his wound on a sparring partner. Elizabeth discovers evidence of Andrada paying off several female employees after suspected assault, and uses it to regain Andrade's collaboration. She does not go forward with the story of her attack, but promises Andrada that she will when the time is right.

Dalton Cabinet & principal advisors

The Dalton cabinet
OfficeNameTerm
PresidentConrad Dalton (Keith Carradine)2013–
Vice PresidentMark Delgado (Alex Fernandez)2013–2017
Teresa Hurst (Jan Maxwell)2017–
Secretary of StateVincent Marsh (Brian Stokes Mitchell)2013–2014
Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni)2014–
Secretary of the TreasuryMax Quinn (Michael Cumpsty)2013–2014
Secretary of DefenseGordon Becker (Mike Pniewski)2013–
Attorney GeneralMary Campbell (Anna Deavere Smith)2013–2015
Louise Cronenberg (Leslie Hendrix)2015–2016
Unknown (Shown in French Revolution)2016–2017
Nolan (John Bolton)2017–
Director of National IntelligenceEphraim Ware (Clifton Davis)2013–
Director of the
Central Intelligence Agency		Andrew Munsey (Patrick Breen)2013–2015
Sean Williams (Larry Pine)2015–2015
Dennis Ellerman (John Doman)2015–2016
Hugh Haymond (Michael Gaston)2016–
National Security AdvisorDarren Kahn (Cotter Smith)2013–2015
Craig Sterling (Julian Acosta)2015–2015
Ellen Hill (Johanna Day)2016–
Chief of StaffRussell Jackson (Željko Ivanek)2013–

Other officials

Office Name Term
Chief Justice of the United States Frawley (Morgan Freeman) 2013–
Deputy Secretary of State Steven Cushing (William Allen Young) 2013–2017
Susan Thompson (Tonya Pinkins) 2017–
United States Ambassador to Yemen Paul Wellington (Tim Guinee) 2013-
United States Ambassador to Myanmar Arlen Maxwell (David Rasche) 2013—2014
United States Ambassador to Algeria Roy Curtis (Dakin Matthews) 2013—2016
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn (John Pankow) 2013-
Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board Humphrey Nelson (Alfredo Narciso) 2013–

Episodes

Main article: List of Madam Secretary episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
122September 21, 2014 (2014-09-21)May 3, 2015 (2015-05-03)
223October 4, 2015 (2015-10-04)May 8, 2016 (2016-05-08)
323October 2, 2016 (2016-10-02)May 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)
422October 8, 2017 (2017-10-08)May 20, 2018 (2018-05-20)
520October 7, 2018 (2018-10-07)April 21, 2019 (2019-04-21)
610October 6, 2019 (2019-10-06)December 8, 2019 (2019-12-08)

Broadcast

In Canada, the series airs on Global at the same time as the original broadcast.[7] In Finland, it premiered 1. January, 2014 on MTV3.[8] The series has been popular in Finland: 11% of Finnish people watched the first episode.[9] In Australia, it premiered on October 2, 2014 on Network Ten.[10] On October 23, 2014, it was announced that it will air on Sky Living in the United Kingdom, along with new formats to air TV3 in Ireland, and other international channels.[11] The series launched in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2015.[12] It is broadcast on Sony Channel Asia.

Reception

Ratings

Season Episodes Timeslot (ET) Original airing Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Season premiere Season finale TV season
1 22 Sunday 8:00 pm September 21, 2014 May 3, 2015 2014–2015 No. 10 14.17[13]
2 23 October 4, 2015 May 8, 2016 2015–2016 No. 14 12.39[14]
3 23 Sunday 9:00 pm October 2, 2016 May 21, 2017 2016–2017 No. 18 10.92[15]
4 TBA Sunday 10:00 pm October 8, 2017 2017–2018

Critical reception

Madam Secretary has been met with generally positive reviews from TV critics. On Metacritic, the show has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16] On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a rating of 66%, based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's consensus reads, "Bolstered by Tea Leoni's strong central performance, Madam Secretary is a solid but unspectacular political drama."[17]

Criticism

Three women have served as Secretary of State to date: Madeleine Albright from 1997 to 2001 under Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice from 2005 to 2009 under George W. Bush, and Hillary Clinton from 2009 to 2013 under Barack Obama. Shortly after the series' debut, Fox News asked if the show therefore served as a campaign ad supporting Hillary Clinton, but quoted the Los Angeles Times saying the lead character was "no Hillary knockoff" and a New York publicist calling the casting of a woman "simple business and smart on CBS' behalf". Conservative activist organization Culture and Media Institute, however, said the connection was clear, citing the women's blond hair and pantsuits.[18]

When the trailer of the fifteenth episode of Season 3 (Break in Diplomacy) was released showing McCord punching Philippine president Datu Andrada to the face as a response to the latter making sexual advancements to the protagonist, it became controversial in the Philippines due to what was seen as Andrada having parallelism with real-life President Rodrigo Duterte who was known for making inappropriate and sexist remarks. [19] The Philippine Embassy in Washington even published a statement protesting the negative depiction on its Facebook page.[20]

Accolades

Year Association Category Nominee(s) Result
2014 TV Guide Award Favorite New Show Madam Secretary Nominated
2015 American Cinema Editors Awards 2015[21] Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television Elena Maganini and Michael D. Ornstein Nominated
41st People's Choice Awards[22] Favorite Actress in a New TV Series Téa Leoni Nominated
Favorite New TV Drama Madam Secretary Nominated
Publicists Guild of America The Maxwell Weinberg Publicists Showmanship Television Award CBS Television Studio/Madam Secretary Nominated
2016 CBS MVP Awards[23] Best Motivational Speech Téa Leoni Nominated

References

  1. ^ "Page not found – TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com". Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 23, 2017). "CBS Renews 5 Freshman & 11 Returning Series, Including 'MacGyver', 'Superior Donuts', 'Life In Pieces' & 'Hawaii Five-O'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 17, 2014). "'Smash's' Katharine McPhee to Star in CBS Genius Drama (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  4. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 9, 2014). "CBS Orders 'CSI: Cyber', 'NCIS: New Orleans', 'The Odd Couple', 'Stalker', 'Madam Secretary', 'Scorpion' & 'The McCarthys'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  5. ^ Swift, Andy (May 9, 2014). "Fall TV: CBS Orders NCIS and CSI Spin-Offs, Odd Couple, Kevin Williamson's Stalker and 4 More to Series (But Not How I Met Your Dad?)". TVLine. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (21 May 2014). "Željko Ivanek Upped To Regular On New CBS Drama Series Madam Secretary". Deadline.com. Retrieved 26 August 2014. Emmy-winning character actor Željko Ivanek (Damages) has joined the cast of CBS' new drama series Madam Secretary as a regular after guest starring in the pilot.
  7. ^ Wilford, Denette (June 4, 2014). "Global TV Lineup Fall 2014-15: Shaw Media Making Bold Moves". The HuffingtonPost. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  8. ^ "MTV3 - Rouva Ministeri" [Mrs. Minister]. mtv.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  9. ^ "Finnpanel - TV-mittaritutkimus" [Results From The TV Audience Measurement]. finnpanel.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  10. ^ Knox, David (September 28, 2014). "Madam Secretary". TV Tonight. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  11. ^ The Deadline Team (October 23, 2014). "'Madam Secretary' Coming To U.K. On Sky Living; NBCUniversal International Television Production Pacts With TV3 Group Ireland: Global Briefs". Deadline. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Sky Living Sets UK Premiere Date Madam Secretary". TVWise. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  13. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 22, 2015). "Full 2014-15 Series Rankings". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Full 2015–16 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline.com. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  15. ^ https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/primetime-tv-ratings-2016-2017-total-viewers-top-44.jpg
  16. ^ "Madam Secretary : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  17. ^ "Madam Secretary: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  18. ^ "'Madam Secretary' a campaign ad for Hillary Clinton 2016?". FoxNews.Com. 22 September 2014.
  19. ^ "People are furious that 'Madam Secretary' will feature a lecherous Filipino president". Mashable. 7 March 2017.
  20. ^ "Embassy of the Philippines, Washington Facebook page". 7 March 2017.
  21. ^ Adam Chitwood (January 2, 2015). "Nightcrawler, Gone Girl, and Boyhood Land ACE Editing Awards Nominations". Collider. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  22. ^ "41st People's Choice Awards nominees". People's Choice Awards. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  23. ^ "Super Bowl 2016 – CBS.com". CBS. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
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