Kokomo Tribune Entertainment NOW
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/400363
TV Media Weekly
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October 18 - 24, 2014
from critics, even the naysayers
tend to praise the cast, and Leo-
ni's performance in particular.
With so many real-world in-
ternational conflicts to draw
from, "Madam Secretary" is
nothing if not current and
compelling. With a strong sup-
porting cast and exceptional
female lead, the series isn't
likely to struggle its way
through its freshman season.
Catch a new episode of the po-
litical drama, entitled "Blame
Canada," when it airs Sunday,
Oct. 19, on CBS.
was setting it apart from other
political dramas — particularly
those that also feature a female
lead. The series has been com-
pared to "Scandal," "Veep" and
"House of Cards," but one area
that keeps "Madam Secretary"
from being lumped in with these
shows is the leading lady's home
and personal life. One of the
show's plot lines focuses on Mc-
Cord's role as a wife to her sup-
portive husband, played by Tim
Daly ("Private Practice"), and as
a mother to her three children.
"I wanted her to have a rec-
ognizable and active home life,"
creator and executive producer
Barbara Hall told "The Holly-
wood Times." "One of the things
that's a challenge in trying to
show strong women in positions
of leadership or women in a
man's world is trying to show
them going back and forth be-
tween those worlds."
McCord's home life also pro-
vides a venue for conflict resolu-
tion. With so many global con-
flicts spanning years or even de-
cades, the ripped-from-the-
headlines format can make it
tricky to wrap anything up neat-
ly on a weekly basis. Never see-
ing a crisis resolved can be a bit
of a bummer when you're in-
vested in a series and its charac-
ters, though, so the home front,
as well as the in-between world
of office politics, allows for
problems to arise and see a res-
olution in the time frame of the
series, or even an episode.
A further step in making Mc-
Cord relatable — formidable
though she may be — is that "she
can't be a lifetime politician," Hall
said. "I wanted to bring her in
from a real-world situation."
When the series opens, Mc-
Cord is a college professor and
former CIA analyst. She takes
the position of secretary of state
at the personal request of Mr.
President himself (Keith Carra-
dine, "Cowboys and Aliens,"
2011), following the suspicious
death of her predecessor in a
plane crash.
She immediately inherits a
crack team played by an impres-
sive cast. Emmy-winning actress
Bebe Neuwirth ("Cheers") plays
McCord's somewhat icy chief of
staff, Nadine Tolliver, to whom
Madam Secretary will have to
prove herself in order to win her
over. Geoffrey Arend ("Body of
Proof") portrays her speechwrit-
er, Matt Mahoney, while Patina
Miller ("All My Children") plays
press co-ordinator Daisy Grant.
Rounding out the team is Blake
Moran (Erich Bergen, "Jersey
Boys," 2014), McCord's hand-
some young assistant.
The series got off to a strong
start with its Sept. 21 premiere,
which garnered 14.7 million
viewers, despite airing along-
side the Pittsburgh Steelers-
Carolina Panthers NFL game
over on NBC. "The Good Wife,"
which immediately followed
with its season 6 premiere,
drew in only 10 million viewers
in comparison. Despite dipping
to 12.6 million for its second
episode, "Madam Secretary"
was the most-watched script-
ed show of the night, hanging
onto 86 per cent of its pre-
miere audience.
While the series has so far
been met with mixed reviews
By Jacqueline Spendlove
TV Media
A
licia Florrick, Olivia Pope,
Carrie Mathison — prime
time has become a popular
place for strong female charac-
ters.
Téa Leoni ("Deep Impact,"
1998) joins the ranks with her
first starring television role in 16
years in "Madam Secretary,"
CBS's new political drama that
premiered last month. Leoni
plays Elizabeth McCord, the
newly appointed U.S. secretary
of state, as she juggles her chal-
lenging job at the White House
and her home life. A new epi-
sode of the freshman series airs
Sunday, Oct. 19, on CBS.
The premise for "Madam Secre-
tary" was born after a meeting
with two of its executive produc-
ers, Lori McCreary and acclaimed
actor Morgan Freeman ("The
Shawshank Redemption," 1994),
and CBS chairman Nina Tassler.
McCreary and Freeman were look-
ing to break into the world of
scripted television, and Tassler
charged them with coming up
with a character — ideally a wom-
an — with a compelling story.
The light bulb came on a short
time later during the Benghazi
hearings. Discussions arose as to
how such sensitive situations
would be handled in the White
House and abroad, and the materi-
al started coming in fast and heavy.
"What really happens in
those American embassies over-
seas?" McCreary said to "The
Hollywood Times." "What's life
like for the secretary of state ...
and how do you even plan a sin-
gle moment of your life, a base-
ball game, when at any minute
you could be dealing with rocket
attacks in Israel, a military coup
in Pakistan and a border crisis
with Mexico? Sometimes that's
all before lunch."
The inspiration for the charac-
ter of Elizabeth McCord herself
came, according to McCreary,
when then-Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton testified before
Congress regarding the 2012 at-
tack in Benghazi.
"It was, honestly, the moment
when she raised her fist," the
producer told the "L.A. Times."
With the meat of the show
hashed out, another key step
Geoffrey Arend and Patina Miller as seen in "Madam
Secretary"
White House wonder woman
Téa Leoni shines in 'Madam Secretary'
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