I loved this show, especially after November 2016. I wish Tea Leone's performance had been more appreciated as it evolved and deepened over the years. Though the final season wasn't the best, the First Gentleman's admonition to his wife's chief of staff: "Stop treating her like a woman and start treating her like the President" is an important message. I can only hope life will imitate art.
46
My brother and I loved "Madame Secretary." No matter how much we watched it, we never got tired of making fun of it. Madame Secretary would solve world problems, negotiate family squabbles, and be a foxy toy for her husband -- all while the crust browned!
6
Bravo Margaret Lyons. Thank you for applauding this rare show that was a departure from snark, sex, and violence; instead, human.
39
Madam Secretary was a phenomenal respite from Trump and Pompeo. The staff cared for the people of the world and sought to make it a better place. Global warming was a frequent challenge with countries losing their entire island, children in migrant camps was showcased for the atrocity it is, Russia was seen as a frightful, vengeful country. Amid all this I loved seeing the three children grow up, reveal their foibles and get parental support. Wish it was still on. This modeled the government I'd gladly see unfold.
55
So disappointed that this show is over. It was so great!!
32
I am mourning the end of Madame Secretary, my "must see" TV show. There is so little that I enjoy on network television anymore; this was a rare bright spot. I hope Barbara Hall will create another intelligent series for adults.
50
I enjoyed this show as I enjoyed West Wing. Politics and governing as we wish they really were done by caring dedicated civil servants. No big money or lobbyists. Alas, this is not the way it works anymore (if it ever did). Never a ratings winner, yes Sunday nights after football kills every show. Living out west this isn’t a problem. CBS found a winning strategy though. Mix a procedural with a Sunday night dinner scene (Blue Blood) and lots of old time everything turns out well in the end. Not every show lasts 10 years. Madame Secretary was good while it lasted. One less network show for me to DVR.
19
It's nice to know that there were viewers who really liked Madam Secretary but the star really was not believable as a secretary of state or a president. It was probably the writing but other women would have had more gravitas. And when they introduced the actor with the chain and strange haircut it was just too much for me because whatever acting chops she had were diminished by her clothes. David Caradine was very good in his role as was Neuwirth but some of the cast appeared too immature or else were given immature lines to say.
4
@R. Anderson
Don’t say actor instead of actress, just don’t.
11
I enjoyed the show but was unable to watch it when it was moved to 10 p.m. Not only that, but it often didn't start until 10:30 or so because of football games that ran over. There were two shows in between 60 Minutes and Madame Secretary that I have no interest in so I would watch PBS. I will try to watch Madame Secretary on DVDs now. I just want to add that I always wished there was a little more intelligent discussion of the issues and less on the juvenile staff and their romances. When Bebe Neuwirth left, there was less depth in the characters. Seeing the State Dept staff that testified on the Hill recently reinforced what I felt was missing in this series. I guess the writers thought it would bore people or maybe they didn't want to spend time exploring real foreign policy issues in more depth. I hope there will be a new series with Tea Leone and her family, maybe for PBS. CBS didn't do the show any favors by putting it on so late.
12
@P.A. I usually recorded it, but I had to record the shows afterwards due to the fact that it rarely started on time because of football. I wonder if it would have had better ratings if it had a different time slot where it would not constantly been pushed back by sports.
7
Haven't seen the last series yet, but thoroughly enjoyed it up to that point. (We watch it on Netflix rather than on commercial and pop-up infested network TV, which makes everything unwatchable). The long-running cast members formed a great ensemble, and yes, we missed Bebe Neuwirth.
14
What a predictable outcome, clearly pandering to female viewers. Here was a series where the female Secretary was constantly rescuing the nation from crises that the bumbling male president was too incompetent or too emotional to deal with. You had to know that they were going to make her President eventually, even if only for a half hour. And, to keep all the girls happy, throw in a White House wedding (with invites so precious that one would cancel a revolution in Latin America, no less).
Pretty silly. But....Give the people (women in this case) what they want. This series was tailor made for syndication on Lifetime.
4
@Tim Clark
Did " The West Wing" pander to male viewers with its depiction of an idealized male President? Both men and women need reminders of what our best selves can look like-- especially these days.
65
Only the NYT could have liked this show. I lost interest after the second season. The CBS football games made watching or taping the show very annoying. Maybe if it began on Netflix or Amazon it might have been better.
1
"Decency is not a vice"
I'm praying for the day that becomes our national mantra. Until then i'll watch re-runs of Madam Secretary.
51
This show lost too much energy, especially in its final season. And, it’s patronizing PC just underscored the left wing political idolatry that pervades the ethos of Hollywood’s elite. Enough with the butch characters and the preachy dialog meant to show how liberals are oh, so noble. Where is a good old John Wayne Western? Now, that's entertainment...
5
@Publius Have you ever seen The Searchers? Probably John Wayne's finest performance and in it he plays an unabashed bigot, regarding the Comanche as less than human. His character is first driven to rescue his niece, abducted by the Comanche, but as time passes, his intent is to kill her for living with them. He eventually has a change of heart and brings her home to her family.
Some today would describe that story line as patronizing PC too.
11
I loved the show and how it hit on the issues of the day. The acting was great, and the writing excellent. I thought the two parter on immigration was extremely moving. I loved the bantering of the kids.
29
I wouldn't mind this show ending so much if there were something similar to it to watch--something equally square and equally smart (not brilliant, but smart) that features a functional nuclear family and people who try to do the right thing. I wouldn't even mind if they failed once in a while (a success story every week was the only thing that got a little old for me).
31
Margaret Lyons was spot on with her article. CBS needed to keep the series going. I watch episodes on Netflix when I need an escape from our current reality; the warmth, writing and great acting will be greatly missed. Perhaps Netflix will pick up the charge and continue feeding our collective catharsis?
38
I loved Madam Secretary - it was even something to look forward to on Mondays after recording it Sunday nights. I learned some things, politically and philosophically, though I sure didn't think I was square - Elizabeth and Henry seemed pretty hip to me (eating ice cream from the carton?) Yes !
33
I enjoyed this show so very much. From how intelligent the staff was to how normal the kids were to how much in love Elizabeth and Henry were, it felt like a real life. To see a woman in a powerful role and act morally and in the best interests of the country, even if counter to her own personal best interest was like a fairy tale.
67
Great show for me for two reasons:
GREAT CAST, professionals that work together and led by GREAT direction!
TIMELY, mirrors many of the current world political events.
46
It bothered us that as soon as the main character was elected president, the show was suddenly cut short in a last season with only 10 episodes. For this brief time, it was really healthy to live in world on Sunday nights where a sharp, ethical female president was able to surmount challenges around the world and prove the affection of her voters and the world's leaders. Such a relief from our current tweet-filled nightmare where the world gets more uncertain every day as the "president" is ridiculed by friends and foes alike. Will miss it very much.
67
@Barbara Yes, especially this season, the show has been a catharsis for those of us living with the cruel joke life threw at us when we dared to hope a woman could be president.
27
Watched and enjoyed the show from the start. Great actors in a very polished production. The one thing I could never get fully over was the tremendous amount of involvement of Tim Daily's character in just about every scenario. I found myself trying to picture Bill Clinton as a CIA operative, religion and ethics professor, covert operative, stay-at home-dad, political advisor and moral conscience. I kept questioning why an intelligent and fully empowered Secretary of State/President would need to rely so heavily on her husband in professional matters.
20
The episode which very nearly triggers a catastrophic nuclear exchange is so very important and was so well done, from the commonplace event of a high-level game of golf to, just a few minutes later, the potential of missiles flying. This should be aired every so often, and be required viewing for high school students. And politicians !
39
I loved the show and will miss it. I'm hoping Tea and Tim find another series to do together or maybe Netflix will decide to pick up Madam President.
40
I see Tea Leoni and I think Alicia in Flying Blind. She was great in that comedic role. I could never make the jump to Madam Secretary. But, obviously, Tea Leoni could. (But Alicia?? Never!)
1
@Mike Heslin I thought I was the only one who remembered Flying Blind.
If for nothing else, and there was much else, the show introduced into the White House an ethicist as part of the staff. Now there's a novel idea!
61
Entertaining program with beautiful photography and inserts of real history. Wishing the best to Tea and Tim.
33
I really liked this show. This final season was kinda, meh, but overall I really liked it. It was entertaining without being sensational. I've been a huge fan of Tea Leoni since I first saw her on the Fox show Flying Blind. I feel like I'm the only one who remembers that show.
4
@Pattie
I first noticed her on Flying Blind, but my favorite was Naked Truth with Holland Taylor. (I wish Holland had done a guest cameo on Madame Secretary: they've have had some greats on.) After Naked Truth, I followed Leoni, and was happy to see her lead this excellent cast. Tea is one of those actors who captivates you with her restrained energy. I will miss Madame Secretary, but I thought the title had become a bit awkward.
5
I like a story whose main characters have a moral code. For that very reason, House of Cards was, for me, unwatchable. If want that level of snide, selfish greed, I just watch the news...
48
@Babs I totally agree.
13
An intelligent and entertaining and enjoyable show (which is a rarity in this age of cheap reality drivel) which I will miss. Thank you, Madam Secretary.
35
Great cast and wonderful scripts. Nobody had to disrobe to make it interesting. I shudder when I watch what passes for uplifting storylines on other shows.
Madam Secretary, you and yours will certainly be missed.
54
It was invented by Monves to give Hillary a boost in 2016. We were all supposed to watch it and see Tea Leoni every time we saw Hillary. Didn't work and on that basis it was a spectacular failure.
5
@GregP Yep. An alternative reality CSI derivative for people in denial. Pants Suit had more baggage than the RMS Titanic and ended up in the same place. If they want a political moment they should turn off their TVs and tell the DNC to stop acting like they're running a student government campaign.
1
@GregP but Hillary had the popular vote by millions.
22
I'll miss this show, it was a wonderful to close out a weekend, and it let me pretend for an hour each week that we actually had an emotionally stable and intelligent president and administration. It took the stress off.
If CBS doesn't come out with a follow up series called "Madam Secretary", they are foolish. Bad enough that my Sunday night shows, starting with 60 Minutes, were often bumped ahead by the dimwit appeal of Football.
36
While I am very old, I can't stand the CBS dramas (so called) which target elderly viewers. They are formulaic and predictable and the writing is tired and the casting features familiar faces of people whose acting skills are mediocre and one-note. Not just on CBS: Consider Justin Hartley on NBC and Ms. Smulders on whatever. In another piece, Ms. Lyons notes the time wasted on early "Stumptown" episodes with exposition. I have watched many excellent Australian programs that just plunge into things and, unsurprisingly, it takes very little time to figure out who used to be married to whom. American program creators think that because the audience is old we are also stupid. It is interesting that Ms. Lyons likes this particular dinosaur since many of the shows she touts (not on CBS) seem to focus on the outrageous young women behaving badly theme which can get as tedious as Tom Selleck and Mark Harmon in even less time.
1
I liked the show. I agree it may not have been as "smart" as West Wing, however, the topics were often timely and the international and diplomatic overlay to the story lines was interesting and stimulating. That the children were "brats" gave some credibility to the characters and to the interactions between the parents and children. Children aren't always perfect and even though their parents are public figures, when they are teens they are still self centered. The line between Russel Jackson and his wife that she was not the person he could call up anymore when he had a bad day captured how people who are getting divorced feel. Yes, the show lost some of its edge when Bebe Neewirth and Sara Ramirez left. Thier imperfect characters were....perfect.
26
Loved the show. Showed the complexities of diplomacy in dealing with specific international issues and the horse-trading necessary to solve conflicts.
Yeah, kids were bratty but that's kids today.
19
Well, I was with you until "... and the family stories were often the best part of the show." I did like the moxie of doing the reverse-perspective thing this year, just to make us all a little bit uneasy.
5
I liked the show a lot. I appreciated that it dealt with issues involving other countries. It made me think more about countries or the people that represent them have to face imperfect choices. And yes I liked a lot of the characters too.
26
I watched every single episode (and own the DVDs, which I re-watch while on my basement treadmill). I loved West Wing, but this show surpassed it entirely. The marriage is aspirational, yes, but familiar and attainable. This is a jewel and I will actually miss it. Henry and Elizabeth, I thank you.
40
I loved this show. It was a nice way to end the weekend, watching Madam Secretary on Sunday nights. And I also think that the more people see women in power, even on fictional TV shows, the more they will accept real women in power in our government.
61
I never got into this show at all, but I loved your review. My only caveat would be that it's a shame you waited until the show was off the air before writing it. Perhaps last night's episode wouldn't have been the last if someone had written something like this while the show still had a chance, however slim, of capturing a larger audience. Still it's nice to see an appreciation of a show that entertains without insulting our intelligence even if it's not the trendiest, edgiest, most cutting edge show around.
34
Watched the entire series and enjoyed it. I'm glad the series ended before, as with so many other shows, it ran out of ideas. I liked the way former cast members were brought back in the happy occasion of the wedding.
I also missed B Neuwirth when she left the show, but the role was too small for her. On the whole, I wasn't crazy about the staff; but I loved Tim Daly and Tia Leoni.
16
I think Madam Secretary was one of the best - and most useful - shows on television. It gave me insight into the struggles between countries and how important diplomacy is. I think the writing was excellent, mixing many substantial themes at the same time. A really great show.
71
I loved the show and looked forward to it every Sunday night. The lead actress was charming and always engaging. I had predicted the eldest daughter would end up with Dimitri a few seasons ago and low and behold I was right.
35
Enjoyed the show, EXCEPT, for their children, stopped watching as a regular viewer as the three children were so bratty and annoying!
2
@Mamie Watts
In their own ways virtually all children are bratty and annoying.
12
Didn't watch this show, but found this article to be well-written and entertaining!
3
I will miss this show! Loved it!
48
I loved the show, too.
29
In addition to Joan of Arcadia; she worked on Northern Exposure, Chicago Hope, ER, I'll Fly Away, Anything But Love and Moonlighting. Now that's a lineup of quality broadcast TV.
38
@NB And Jurassic Park, too.
2
I will sorely miss this show. It served as my alternate universe, where American leaders are thoughtful, educated and diplomatic and values are liberal, oh so liberal. If only....
133
I watched all episodes of this series and kept expecting more. This last season was the hardest to watch because it so directly reflects the dark times we live in today's America.
48
@Jackson
Immigration crackdown
Impeachment hearings
Interference of Chinese and Russians
Insurgency in various regimes
Inequality
Human rights violations
Unstable world leaders
The need to fight for democracy, freedom of press, religion, speech
Apathy
Ignorance
Resignation
Need I go on?
33
I used to love the show, but lost interest because it got preempted or pushed late by football games and I watch most things from my DVR. Maybe someday I'll go back and watch it all, it was excellence in so many ways.
10
My wife loved it, me not so much. Trump has the "deep state" patriotically trying to prevent him from using them as his personal go-fers and the Obama administration had the "blob" trying to steer him from his course. Over the years, the family of Madam Secretary became the foreign policy establishment. They were always good and solved the earth's problems. Where was the drama? In the earlier seasons the drama was at home when the kids held the Secretary to account and her husband used his teaching to remind her of higher things. When that was gone, the stories were cartoonish.
1
I loved the show and was always amazed at the timeliness of the episodes storylines. Somehow, although filmed weeks ahead, they managed to be on target with a crisis. I only wish our current government handled issues as well as Madame Secretary. I didn’t realize until Sunday that this was the end of the series. I would have loved to see it continue as the cast has a great rapport and they managed to stay current.
Yes I miss Nadine, but never was a fan of the Sara Ramirez character as she was too strident for my taste.
41
Never watched one episode. Not even a trailer. And I switched the channel when I saw a commercial for it running.
1
So...a commenter who goes to great lengths to avoid all knowledge of the topic of the article takes time to comment.
This is an excellent example of the times in which we live....
79
@JP Well, that's how to learn what you don't already (think that) you know.
11
My favorite show-so soothing after the daily nightmare of real life. Loved the Thomas Acquinas quote... I appreciated thoughtful politicians who (behind the scenes) actually wanted to do the right thing, whether Dem or Republican!
52
What about Tea Leoni? Wonderful acting. Gorgeous to look at. Perfectly matched with the understated sincerity of Tim Daly. They were the kind of couple we love to love. I will miss this show, too. If only real life were as principled.
107
I love this show! Good writing and good stories that make you think, and feel and show examples of people with honour and dignity. I love the relationship between Madam Secretary and her husband (though I wish he'd stayed a professor). The kids challenges--all great.
68
Great show that my wife and I truly enjoyed to the end. Wish our current President had that much class and patriotism.
94
This was an excellent show - but I couldn't watch the final episodes because I do not subscribe to the CBS streaming whatever. It's too bad.
2
@Mom of millennials The show was on CBS network TV. As for the preemption with the NFL, I always set my DVR to play an additional one hour past the time this show was scheduled to on so I could watch it the next day and I wouldn't have a truncated episode.
15
@Mom of millennials It'll be on Netflix soon. I am waiting to watch the entire last season on Netflix.
9
I've only ever streamed it on Netflix. Schedule never worked for me. Loved the show, loved showing how kiss can mess up, sleep with the wrong guy, not knowing the true cost of social media... just loved all the subplots
5
Sorry but the "cheesyness" just got too much for me and I quit after season 4. Tried to watch a few episodes at the start of this season but couldn't close it out. Like so many quality dramas, it started out great but kind of fizzled out at the end.
6
I LOVED this show. It did not insult our intelligence and with consulting advisors like Madeleine Albright, you knew it was gonna be smart and believable. I will miss it very much.
106
Madam Secretary was an Oasis is a sea of fingernail scratching the blackboard shows that compete to be the darkest. I pine for a good replacement.
77
I will seriously miss this program. So sorry it has ended
14