Madam Secretary

After years away from the CIA, Elizabeth McCord is pulled back into the political arena. The newly appointed Secretary of State is tough, fair, and smart, driving international diplomacy, wrangling office politics, and circumventing protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home.

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.

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

• The West Wingcompetent female lead in high-stakes government service, diplomacy and domestic family tension, procedural political drama tone
• Scandalpolitical drama centered on a capable woman navigating power, scandal and family life in Washington
• Designated Survivoridealistic official balancing public duty with family, earnest tone, Washington political drama

Created by

Barbara Hall

Release Date

2014-09-21

Episode runtime

45 min

Rating

7.8 / 10 (347)

What is Madam Secretary about?

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

What is Madam Secretary like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Madam Secretary as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as layered.

Is Madam Secretary violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Madam Secretary as mild.

What did critics think of Madam Secretary?

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

Which shows are like Madam Secretary?

Shows with a similar feel include The West Wing, Scandal, and Designated Survivor.

How long is Madam Secretary?

Madam Secretary: 6 seasons, 120 episodes.

Is Madam Secretary still running?

No, Madam Secretary has ended.

Where can I watch Madam Secretary?

In United States, Madam Secretary is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home.