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.

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.

I would seriously doubt a show like this with a lead male character would have a synopsis essentially refer to 'work life balance', automatically putting it in the 'career mom struggle' basket. Bess (Madam Secretary), is an extremely well written, complex, political character who happens to wear a skirt sometimes. I really hope people do not dismiss the show without giving it a chance. Yes, it does explore both sides of political life, the professional and the personal, but that kind of exploration makes for layered plot development, and is not gender specific. It may at some stage get irritating the way the State Office consistently seems to be able to achieve positive outcomes to complex global issues in one handy episode, but for now it's just satisfying. And welcome back Tea Leoni, wow!

I wish they made more shows like this. Was sad to see an end. Still watch and it will remain a favorite. The first crew was the best. Thought Bebe in the mix was headliner. Tea and Tim made the marriage on tv we admire. Thank you for giving a respectful portrayal of our world and how we wish it could be.

This is not weighty, or particularly politically sophisticated, but for a feel good (normally), well made, well scripted series it's good enough to look forward to each week, like meeting up with a friend. The characters in the program are particularly enjoyable and for that alone it's worth at least a try.