The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, October 17, 2014 2 By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media A licia Florrick, Olivia Pope, Carrie Mathison — prime time has become a popular place for strong female char- acters. Téa Leoni ("Deep Impact," 1998) joins the ranks with her first starring television role in 16 years in "Madam Secre- tary," CBS's new political dra- ma that premiered last month. Leoni plays Elizabeth McCord, the newly appointed U.S. sec- retary of state, as she juggles her challenging job at the White House and her home life. A new episode of the freshman series airs Sunday, Oct. 19, on CBS. The premise for "Madam Secretary" was born after a meeting with two of its execu- tive producers, Lori McCreary and acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman ("The Shawshank Redemption," 1994), and CBS chairman Nina Tassler. Mc- Creary and Freeman were looking to break into the world of scripted television, and Tassler charged them with coming up with a character — ideally a woman — with a compelling story. The light bulb came on a short time later during the Benghazi hearings. Discus- sions arose as to how such sensitive situations would be handled in the White House and abroad, and the material started coming in fast and heavy. "What really happens in those American embassies overseas?" McCreary said to "The Hollywood Times." "What's life like for the secre- tary of state ... and how do you even plan a single mo- ment of your life, a baseball game, when at any minute you could be dealing with rocket attacks in Israel, a mili- tary coup in Pakistan and a border crisis with Mexico? Sometimes that's all before lunch." The inspiration for the char- acter of Elizabeth McCord her- self came, according to Mc- Creary, when then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testi- fied before Congress regard- ing the 2012 attack in Beng- hazi. "It was, honestly, the mo- ment when she raised her fist," the producer told the "L.A. Times." With the meat of the show hashed out, another key step was setting it apart from other political dramas — particular- ly those that also feature a fe- male lead. The series has been compared to "Scandal," "Veep" and "House of Cards," but one area that keeps "Madam Secretary" from be- ing lumped in with these shows is the leading lady's home and personal life. One of the show's plot lines focuses on McCord's role as a wife to her supportive husband, played by Tim Daly ("Private Practice"), and as a mother to her three children. "I wanted her to have a rec- ognizable and active home life," creator and executive producer Barbara Hall told "The Hollywood Times." "One of the things that's a chal- lenge in trying to show strong women in positions of leader- ship or women in a man's world is trying to show them going back and forth between those worlds." McCord's home life also provides a venue for conflict resolution. With so many glob- al conflicts spanning years or even decades, the ripped- from-the-headlines format can make it tricky to wrap any- thing up neatly on a weekly basis. Never seeing a crisis re- solved can be a bit of a bum- mer when you're invested in a series and its characters, though, so the home front, as well as the in-between world of office politics, allows for problems to arise and see a resolution in the time frame of the series, or even an episode. A further step in making McCord relatable — formida- ble though she may be — is that "she can't be a lifetime politician," Hall said. "I want- ed to bring her in from a real- world situation." When the series opens, Mc- Cord is a college professor and former CIA analyst. She takes the position of secretary of state at the personal request of Mr. President himself (Keith Carradine, "Cowboys and Aliens," 2011), following the suspicious death of her prede- cessor in a plane crash. She immediately inherits a crack team played by an im- pressive cast. Emmy-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth ("Cheers") plays McCord's somewhat icy chief of staff, Nadine Tolliver, to whom Mad- am Secretary will have to prove herself in order to win her over. Geoffrey Arend ("Body of Proof") portrays her speechwriter, Matt Mahoney, while Patina Miller ("All My Children") plays press co-ordi- nator Daisy Grant. Rounding out the team is Blake Moran (Erich Bergen, "Jersey Boys," 2014), McCord's handsome young assistant. The series got off to a strong start with its Sept. 21 premiere, which garnered 14.7 million viewers, despite airing alongside the Pitts- burgh Steelers-Carolina Pan- thers NFL game over on NBC. "The Good Wife," which im- mediately followed with its season 6 premiere, drew in only 10 million viewers in comparison. Despite dipping to 12.6 million for its second episode, "Madam Secretary" was the most-watched script- ed show of the night, hanging onto 86 per cent of its pre- miere audience. While the series has so far been met with mixed reviews from critics, even the naysay- ers tend to praise the cast, and Leoni's performance in partic- ular. With so many real-world in- ternational conflicts to draw from, "Madam Secretary" is nothing if not current and compelling. With a strong sup- porting cast and exceptional female lead, the series isn't likely to struggle its way through its freshman season. Catch a new episode of the political drama, entitled "Blame Canada," when it airs Sunday, Oct. 19, on CBS. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 coverstory Geoffrey Arend and Patina Miller as seen in "Madam Secretary" White House wonder woman Téa Leoni shines in 'Madam Secretary' By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: The actor who plays Hitchcock on "Brooklyn Nine- Nine" looks really familiar to me. Who is he? A: Dirk Blocker has been in the film and TV business for 40 years, but prior to "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" he had never quite made a name for himself. The name Blocker was always his dad's. Dirk is the son of Dan Blocker, who played the big, big-heart- ed and big-hatted Hoss Cartwright on the western classic "Bo- nanza." In fact, Dirk's first taste of TV came when he was an extra on "Bonanza." He was only supposed to be on set to hang out with his dad, who he says was so busy at the time that he brought his kids to work just to be able to spend time with them. He's since appeared on dozens of shows and films. His most notable other role was a regular on the Second World War se- ries "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (released later as "Black Sheep Squadron") from 1976 to 1978. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A B/ Fly Creek 2 x 4 G ENERAL S TORE FL Y CREEK Cafe GROCERIES DELICATESSEN