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TV Media Weekly | March 14 - 20, 2015 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What has happened to "Madam Secretary"? I really like it and now it's not on any- more. A: Actually, your problem has been solved since you wrote this, but I'll fill you in on what hap- pened. "Madam Secretary" was on a mid-season hiatus, which is quite common these days, especially for the shows that premiere in the fall. It returned on March 1. Generally speaking, networks don't want to air new episodes over Christmas, when people are either out shopping or at home watching old Christmas specials, and January and February are tricky, with football playoffs and awards shows drawing attention away from regular series. Often a show will just go on break at the end of November un- til March, but CBS managed to sneak a couple of new "Madam Secretary" episodes into the schedule in mid-January, which was great for fans, but could have made it confusing when the show left the schedule again for six more weeks. CBS might have done that be- cause it has a lot of faith in its freshman drama series and fig- ured it could stand up to all the winter distractions. The network gave an even big- ger show of faith in mid-January when it renewed "Madam Secre- tary" for a second season. The show has been a hit for the network and was renewed at the same time as its even bigger fresh- man hit, "NCIS: New Orleans." "These freshman dramas have each made a big impact on key nights of the week," said CBS en- tertainment boss Nina Tassler. "Creatively distinctive, the series are backed by strong showrunners with amazingly talented casts and have resonated with a big, broad audience." "Madam Secretary" stars Téa Leoni as Secretary of State Eliza- beth McCord, and it follows her personal and professional life as she tries to balance family obliga- tions with being America's top diplomat. The series has some power players of its own behind the scenes as well. It reportedly came from a pitch by film great Morgan Freeman. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Per- sonal replies will not be provided. Hollywood Q&A By Andrew Warren TV Media I t's no secret that Fox's "Mas- terChef" is a huge hit. Five seasons in (with a sixth on its way), the cooking competition shows no signs of slowing down. Well, the Food Network may have its own new hit on its hands. Part of the key to "MasterChef's" success is the combination of telegenic chefs handing down their culinary wisdom to top- notch home cooks, while watch- ing those same amateurs com- pete with each other to find out who's the best. "All-Star Academy," currently airing Sunday nights on the Food Network, follows a similar formu- la — but not too similar. While comparisons will inevitably be drawn between the two shows, this show is a different beast. Hosted by "Chopped's" Ted Al- len, "All-Star Academy" brings 10 of the nation's best home cooks together for what they no doubt consider the opportunity of a life- time. They've been divided up into teams of two, with each team mentored by one of the Food Network's most renowned chefs. Each week, the chefs will work hard to tutor and train their new protégés, imparting their wisdom and knowledge on their eager pu- pils. Then, the chefs' teaching abilities are put to the test as the home cooks battle it out in culi- nary challenges. In the end, there will be two winners: the best home cook and his or her mentor. And while it's only bragging rights that the win- ning chef walks away with (the winning home cook gets a nice lump sum of cash), the Food Net- work has brought together some of their most competitive person- alities to make sure that winning will be the only option for these culinary juggernauts. Three Iron Chefs will be facing off in this proxy battle: Bobby Flay, Michael Symon and Alex Guarna- schelli aren't strangers to the heat of competition, but in this battle they'll have to stand back and watch as their trainees do the winning or losing. They'll be joined by acclaimed Australian chef Curtis Stone, the host of Bra- vo's "Top Chef: Masters" and "Top Chef: Duels." "All-Star Academy" really is a win-win situation for everyone in- volved. The home cooks get the opportunity to be trained by some of the nation's greatest chefs, while those same chefs get to compete with each other for bragging rights. "All-Star Acade- my" airs Sunday nights on the Food Network. 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