# Madam Secretary (2014)

> A former CIA analyst becomes U.S. Secretary of State and steers global diplomacy while balancing office politics and her family.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54725

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 120
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Barbara Hall
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Téa Leoni, Tim Daly, Željko Ivanek, Patina Miller, Erich Bergen, Bebe Neuwirth, Sebastian Arcelus, Geoffrey Arend
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501074/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: earnest, warm, tense, hopeful, witty

## What critics say

Viewers broadly rate the series positively, praising its smart political storytelling and the lead performance while noting uneven stretches in the middle seasons.

## Synopsis

Madam Secretary (2014-2019) is an American political drama series created by Barbara Hall for CBS. Téa Leoni plays Elizabeth McCord, a former CIA analyst pulled back into public life and appointed Secretary of State, while Tim Daly plays her husband Henry McCord, a college professor who becomes her anchor at home. Around them, Željko Ivanek as Russell Jackson, Patina Miller as Daisy Grant, and Erich Bergen as Blake Moran fill out the White House and State Department orbit. Each episode of this six-season series is built from a concrete engine: a diplomatic crisis abroad, a bureaucratic knot in Washington, and a family pressure point at home, all pulling against one another. Elizabeth must negotiate with foreign governments, manage rival officials, and bend protocol without losing her principles. The show runs on procedural competence rather than cynicism, its tone earnest, warm and steadily tense. Set in present-day Washington DC and the world's capitals, it plays like a tough-minded counterpart to The West Wing for viewers who want idealism grounded in real negotiation. Fans of The West Wing, Scandal and Designated Survivor will find resonance in its blend of statecraft and family drama.

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