As the name suggests, Madam Secretary is about the life of the US Secretary of State – except, you know, heightened – with the telly version an ex-CIA analyst who quit her job for ethical reasons.
Pulled back into political life by President Conrad Dalton (Keith Carradine), Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) takes on the title job with dramatic results, having to face all sorts of intense professional and personal conflicts.
But will it return for season six? That’s a bit up in the air, with season four performing pretty badly (it ranked at 20 of CBS’ 26 scripted series) and the fact it’s now hit enough episodes for syndication.
Still, it did return for season five (albeit for a truncated run of just 20 episodes), so if that reverses the low viewing figure trend set by season four (and with a cameo from Hillary Clinton, there’s every reason it could) there’s still a chance.
If CBS do back it for one more – and possibly the final – season, here’s what we’re expecting from it.
Madam Secretary season 6 air date: When will we see it?
That’s an easy one – every season of the show (except for the first series) has landed in October. Expect the same in 2019, if it does come back.
Madam Secretary season 6 cast: Who’ll be in it?
It’s a relatively stable cast, so we’d expect stars Téa Leoni, Keith Carradine, Tim Daly, Bebe Neuwirth, Željko Ivanek, Sebastian Arcelus, Patina Miller, Geoffrey Arend, Erich Bergen, Kathrine Herzer, Wallis Currie-Wood, and Evan Roe to all return.
Season five’s premiere had a pretty exciting guest star in the form of former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, so we want more of that kind of thing in season six. Clinton was joined by other former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and General Colin Powell, and all three played themselves.
Executive producer Barbara Hall said in a statement: “We’re delighted to have these three former Secretaries of State be part of our season premiere. It was a privilege to experience their perspectives and discourse both in and behind the scenes.”
Executive producer Lori McCreary added: “Having three powerhouses of diplomacy agree to come on our show is awe-inspiring and humbling. And that we were able to find a time in their busy schedules when they were all available is a miracle… We welcome Secretary Albright, Secretary Clinton and General Powell to the Madam Secretary family!”
We’d like to see an Obama pop up in season six, please. We’ll take Barack or Michelle, whoever’s free. Both would be ideal!
Madam Secretary season 6 plot: What will it be about?
The show has drawn criticism from the right for being too left-leaning, with Elizabeth McCord being seen as a celebration of Hillary Clinton’s time in the position (a situation probably not helped by Clinton’s guest cameo).
It’s proved to be controversial around the world, with complaints from representatives in the Philippines and East Timor for plotlines that were said to mirror real-life events too closely.
We’d like season six to look a little closer to home, reflecting the current – and constantly shifting – controversies that are engulfing America under President Trump.
Let’s see McCord having to work with far-right figures. It’ll be interesting to see how the show would deal with caged immigrants and conservative shooters, for example.
Leoni found real-life inspiration from her parents, which makes us believe McCord could handle pretty much any situation.
“My father [prominent New York corporate lawyer Anthony Pantaleoni] is one of the greatest diplomats I’ve ever met,” Leoni said. “He’s the most even-keeled, diplomatic, fair person. He’s very reliable that way.
“Women take a lot of flack in politics when they are so-called passionate about something. When a man in politics is passionate about something, he’s committed. When a woman is passionate in politics, she’s emotional.
“In a lot of ways, I’ve looked to both of my parents, who are both great diplomats and very passionate people. I’ve watched my dad, through his passion and through his emotion, he’s always done a beautiful job of making the deal work.
“I want that from Elizabeth. I want it to be believable that this woman can care very deeply and yet can be one of the greatest diplomats of our time.”
Madam Secretary season 6 trailer: When will it land?
That’s also fairly predictable – we’d bet our White House front door keys (shut up, we definitely have them) on it landing late September, 2019.
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