Madam Secretary Series Premiere Review: B*tches Get Stuff Done

Madam Secretary S01E01: "Pilot"

On the Official Scale of Political TV Series, which ranges from Emmy-winning drama The West Wing (idealistic and romantic) to Emmy-winning comedy Veep (brutal and hilarious heightened reality), CBS's new Washington-set Madam Secretary is much closer in tone to Aaron Sorkin's groundbreaking political saga than it is to Armando Iannucci's cynical satire, but the show isn't nearly as strong as either of those benchmarks... yet.

Tea Leoni stars as Elizabeth McCord, a determined female Secretary of State who's initially underestimated by her peers, but eventually proves she's a formidable force in the political arena. If that logline calls to mind former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, that's because the role was inspired, in part, by the former First Lady. But that's also where the similarities end. For one thing, I certainly don't recall Mr. Hillary, a.k.a. President Bill Clinton, looking as sexy as Tim Daly, who plays Elizabeth's husband and Georgetown professor Henry. But then again, I do have poor eyesight.

In creating Madam Secretary's title character, the show's producers—which include Morgan Freeman, btw—drew inspiration from many powerful female political figures, including New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand (Gillibrand, like Elizabeth, has young children). Freeman and series creator Barbara Hall also read the writings of Clinton and two other former female Secretaries of State, Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright, to develop the character beyond the initial Clinton-esque prototype.

The resulting character is a former CIA analyst-turned-academic-and-horse farm owner—and Leoni aptly portrays her as someone who's simultaneously strong and sympathetic. Like, she could totally have you killed if she wanted to, but she'll still cover for you if you can't make it to the next PTA meeting. She's a mother, but she's also a fierce, independent woman who's unafraid to wield her power if she honestly believes she's doing the right thing. And although her actions might sometimes appear bitchy, that's cool, because as Tina Fey reminded us when Clinton was running for president, bitches get stuff done.

After a successful tenure as a CIA analyst (hopefully with a better decision-making skills than Homeland's Carrie Mathison), Elizabeth left the organization for ethical reasons that Madam Secretary does not reveal. She went on to become a political science professor at the University of Virginia, opting to read the poorly written papers of undergraduate students over chasing down international terrorists. I mean, I totally get that. But then she also find it relaxing to own a horse farm, so I'm not totally sold on Elizabeth's judgement, either.

Regardless, how did this opera-hating (p.s. she hates the opera) horse enthusiast come to hold the position of Secretary of State? Much like in Hollywood, politics is all about who you know. As it turns out, Elizabeth has a history with Keith Carradine's POTUS (that's complicated political jargon for President of the United States); he's her former boss and the person who recruited her for the CIA. She takes over the Secretary of State role when the previous title-holder is killed in a plane crash on the way to Venezuela; POTUS steps in, tells her that it's "always" been her, and asks her to give it a shot on the grounds that she's the "least political" person he knows. Personally, I feel like someone in a position of political power should be at least somewhat political, but I am not a television writer, so maybe I am not the right person to be making these sorts of calls.

Over the course of the pilot—which focuses on a ripped-from-the-headlines story about two young activists who are taken prisoner in Syria and Elizabeth's dogged pursuit of bringing them home—it becomes abundantly clear that our plucky new heroine, like every reality show contestant ever, is not here to make friends. She does not care about protocol, she does not care about the chain of command, and she certainly doesn't care about having a personal stylist (an actual plot point, I swear). She is a grown-ass woman AND she can dress herself, which is how you know she's probably going to turn out to be an effective politician over the course of the series' run (she'd probably fair even better in Hollywood, just saying).

Thankfully, the transition from horse farmer to skilled Washington politico takes place early enough in the pilot that we're able to jump right in to the action by skipping ahead two months in to her term in office. That means there are no "first-day jitters" storylines or boring introductory character moments that tend to weigh down most pilots—just the normal everyday stuff you find in politics, like backstabbing, blackmail, and witty retorts. There's also a conspiracy element that will probably be an ongoing storyline; it could either be intriguing or a hindrance, depending how the show handles it.

Unfortunately, while the cast is solid—in addition to Leoni, Carradine, and Daly, Madam Secretary also stars Bebe Neuwirth, Geoffrey Arend, Zeljko Ivanek, Patina Miller, and Erich Bergen—the first episode comes off a little preachy at times, as if it's not quite confident in itself. Leoni fills the title role well, and the show might very well resuscitate her career (was it really in that much danger? I don't know). There were several instances during my viewing of the pilot where I wondered if there wasn't someone better suited to play Elizabeth, someone who could just as easily bring to life the tough, political side of the character as she could the emotional, motherly side (if only Claire Danes wasn't busy! If only we could put Stockard Channing in a time machine!). This is the type of role that Allison Janney was born to play—you know, if she wasn't already responsible for bringing another formidable political figure to life in the unparalleled C.J. Cregg.

I have no doubt Leoni will do just fine here, but at the outset, "fine" is all that Madam Secretary is. And the show's success won't be determined by its cast, but by its ability to hold its own in a television landscape that also includes House of Cards, Scandal, Veep, and—because it's on Netflix and also required viewing for every human being—The West Wing. Do we need another political TV series? Will viewers find Elizabeth's way of doing things abrasive, despite the fact her motivation comes from a good place?

Madam Secretary will not surprise you, it will not break new ground, and it will probably not be appointment-viewing for most. But it is a completely competent, well-acted CBS drama with a really good cast, and it will pair nicely with its Sunday-night neighbor, The Good Wife. It feels like every other CBS drama that's currently on air, which means it'll probably succeed. Is it the heir to The Good Wife? Currently I'm doubtful, but I wouldn't rule it out. At the very least, it's miles ahead of NBC's upcoming political candidate, the Katherine Heigl-starring State of Affairs.

What did you think of Madam Secretary's debut?