Madam Secretary
CBS | Release Date: September 21, 2014
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Washington PostHank StueverSep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: A particularly taut and well-structured pilot episode lays out McCord’s essential struggles, while Leoni delivers a calm, cool and wry performance. Read full review
83
Newark Star-LedgerVicki HymanSep 22, 2014
Season 1 Review: Solid but a bit staid. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubSonia SaraiyaSep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: Madam Secretary is not perfect, but it could be. There are seeds of something excellent in this pilot, one that’s able to tell a character-driven story in a world that’s constantly changing. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraSep 22, 2014
Season 1 Review: Costars like Daly, Ivanek and Neuwirth promise great things, but Madam Secretary belongs, obviously, to Leoni, who conjures a gratifying mix of brains and heart, humor and flintiness without, and this is important, any sign of mental illness. Read full review
80
PopMattersMichael LandweberSep 22, 2014
Season 1 Review: As fascinating as Madam Secretary can be regarding its global focuses, it’s so far less detailed when it comes to McCord, her family, and her colleagues. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleySep 18, 2014
Season 1 Review: Madam Secretary starts off solidly, with an engaging performance by Téa Leoni as the secretary of state. Read full review
75
Under The RadarCody Ray ShaferSep 24, 2014
Season 1 Review: A smart and enthralling D.C. drama that resurrects its predecessor's outlook, but still takes on a life of its own. Read full review
75
USA TodayRobert BiancoSep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: It can all be a bit much: Elizabeth needs to be wrong now and then. Still, against considerable odds, Leoni sells it, conveying the brains and toughness Elizabeth needs to be successful in her job and the warmth, vulnerability and sometimes prickly humor she needs to be successful at home. Read full review
75
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardSep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: Diplomacy by its nature doesn’t lend itself well to visual storytelling. Perhaps that’s why the show adds a conspiracy element.... Give props to Madam Secretary for the casting. Read full review
75
NewsdayVerne GaySep 18, 2014
Season 1 Review: No one wants this show to channel "24," but C-SPAN won't do either. For the most part, however, Madam Secretary charts a steady--and intelligent--middle course. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyJason ClarkSep 12, 2014
Season 1 Review: Leoni has great potential here, but the character development and "I'm already hooked" magic (a la The Good Wife) aren't quite there yet. [19/26 Sep 2014, p.126] Read full review
70
The New York TimesAlessandra StanleySep 22, 2014
Season 1 Review: Madam Secretary has some good moments, but it would be better if its heroine were just a little bit worse. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanSep 22, 2014
Season 1 Review: There's a great cast here--including Zeljko Ivanek as the president's Chief Of Staff and budding nemesis to Elizabeth; and Bebe Neuwirth as head of the staff Elizabeth has inherited. Yet the secondary players have yet to pop. Read full review
70
Philadelphia InquirerDavid HiltbrandSep 22, 2014
Season 1 Review: The scripts are witty if a little pompous. Read full review
70
The OregonianKristi TurnquistSep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: The cast is stocked with solid actors--Leoni, Tim Daly as McCord's husband, Zeljko Ivanek as the President's chief of staff, Bebe Neuwirth as McCord's chief of staff--and the writing is fairly sharp, if a bit pretentious. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalDorothy RabinowitzSep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: Likable work.... though it's very soon clear that this high-minded enterprise could use a good jolt of acid, and at least a modicum of granite authority in the character of the new secretary of state. Read full review
70
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GraySep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: Even with the mystery in the White House, there's a lot to like about Madam Secretary beyond Leoni's trademark husky voice and dry delivery. Read full review
67
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertSep 15, 2014
Season 1 Review: A forgettable but not unpleasant distraction. Read full review
63
NewsdayVerne GayOct 3, 2018
Season 5 Review: While an Emmy may not be forthcoming, Clinton acquits herself well in this fifth-season launch of a hit that wants--and occasionally has--some of that ol' "West Wing" mojo. Read full review
63
People WeeklyTom GliattoSep 22, 2014
Season 1 Review: The premiere episode of Madam Secretary, for the time being, suggests that the show is very much the little sister [to The Good Wife].... But Madam Secretary, in which Téa Leoni plays the newly appointed secretary of state, deserves to hang around long enough to formulate and declare itself. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineMatt BrennanSep 19, 2014
Season 1 Review: It's ardently conventional, even corny--and yet, against all odds, it's sort of winning too. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesLori RacklSep 17, 2014
Season 1 Review: Leoni’s uber-competent character--she’s brilliant, plugged-in, fluent in every language!--could easily be annoying in the hands of another actress. But Leoni gives Elizabeth McCord a savvy, down-to-earth quality that makes her easy to root for. Read full review
Current TV Shows
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 92 The Pitt: Season 2
2 87 Hacks: Season 5
3 87 Industry: Season 4
4 87 Rivals
5 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...
6 85 The Beatles Anthology
7 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4
8 85 Bait: Season 1
9 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
10 83 Lord of the Flies
11 83 Riot Women: Season 1
12 83 For All Mankind: Season 5
13 81 The Muppet Show (2026)
14 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8
15 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1
16 80 The Comeback: Season 3
17 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2
18 80 Dark Winds: Season 4
19 79 How to Get to Heaven From...
20 79 Gary
SEE ALL