Madam Secretary

This is the fictional story of an ex-CIA analyst who now is a professor in a University and a wife and a mother of 3 teenagers. One day, her mentor in the agency, who now happens to be the president of the U.S. offers her (insisted more like it) the position of the secretary of state.

In the pilot episode we see her dealing with her first big crisis, 2 months after her appointment as the secretary.

The whole presentation of the show is soft and painless. Her 4-5 assistants add some comedy elements to the not-so-dramatic atmosphere while she is dealing with the crisis and at her home everything works like a clock with her clever kids and the supportive husband.

The star Tea Leoni (who serves also as a producer for the series, and it shows because of the favorable way her character is scripted) is doing her best, I guess, but it's hard not notice the results of some cosmetic surgery or botox, that make her face far less expressive than it should be.

I read some comments that compare this with the ...multiple award winning series The West Wing! Sorry no comparison at all. This is a mild political drama with (I'm afraid so) a very fragile future.

This is a great new show that highlights Tea's and Tim's acting chops. I'm glad to see casting chose the talented versus gorgeous actor route and graced them with intelligent crisp dialogue. I'm a guy and it's nice to see a middle aged woman get a leading role.

The geopolitics and inner politics are a bit reminiscent of "West Wing" although the ensemble doesn't have the synergy of WW's first two seasons, and the cast doesn't play off each other quite as well.

Unfortunately, most of the reviews I've read thus far reveal that the public sees this show as an unpaid ad vehicle to Secty Clinton - I disagree - so tragically, it may not last long.

I agree with a previous reviewer who asserted that the eldest daughter is obnoxious. She's probably written true to life: she'd likely be spoiled and entitled having grown up upper middle class in today's society with her privileges. And she'd probably be saddled with sophomoritis since she's a 20 year old articulate woman who's a freshman dropout.

I also have to marvel at the negotiating/conflict resolution skill of the writers as voiced by the parents. Several times I've had to stop the program and sit at the TV in amazement at how deftly these parents dealt with a child's misbehaving or explanations of tragedies. And Tea's character displays the same art in her political maneuvering. Wow! I wish I could diffuse arguments that artfully. Or had been graced with parents who had an iota of their skill.

Bottom line: this show deserves to be renewed.

Of all the new shows this season I decided to give Madam Secretary a shot as I have always liked Téa Leoni as an actor.

I watch a lot of television (propably too much). That being said Madam Secretary now ranks of one of my favorites.

Well scripted and well acted. This is not based on fact, it is television and should be taken for what it is; fiction. If you want reality watch the news.

I don't understand why some people are willing to judge a show by the first episode and not continue to give it a chance. It would be like judging a book by it's cover.

I look forward to watching this series and hope it has a long run.

Being from Europe and not really interested in the details of US politics, I watched the show simply as entertainment and did not take it too seriously. Too bad some people take it as propaganda, it's only a TV show...

I liked the pilot and it left a lot of room for character and storyline development.

Seeing as there are far worst shows out there, I'm willing to give this one a chance and hope to be positively surprised.

Also, I've been waiting for Téa Leoni to be back on TV and really enjoyed watching her in a role that is perfect for her.

I was reading through the reviews hoping to see some commentary on Elizabeth running for President. Instead I was surprised to see people complaining that the show is becoming too biased politically. This show was always written with a Democratic tone and the concept itself was based on Hillary Clinton. I think if you've been watching and enjoying this wonderful show, but were put off by say, Hillary Clinton making a guest appearance, perhaps you should reconsider boycotting the show. It's the same show with the same liberal themes/outlook it has always had. If you enjoyed it before you identified a liberal leaning plot, nothing has changed. Just for the sake of it, I happen to be an Independent.

This is one of the best acted, best written shows on network television. It would be a shame to stop watching it because a plot or two didn't jive with every political belief you have.