‘Madam Secretary’ Season 5 Will Have A #MeToo Storyline
Many fans tuned in last night to watch Madam Secretary Season 5 only to find out that the start of the new season was delayed by a week and that Tea Leoni and the rest of the cast of the series about the Secretary of State will premiere next week on October 7. The new season will have several major cameos by three former Secretaries of State.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that at the Tribeca TV Festival, Madam Secretary executive producer Lori McCreary and cast members Tea Leoni, Tim Daly, Keith Carradine, Erich Bergen, and Zeljko Ivanek answered questions about the upcoming season adding that the #MeToo movement would be a driving force.
Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Colin Powell will appear on the first episode, which is called “E Pluribus Unum” when Elizabeth McCord seeks advice from former Secretaries of State when a natural disaster hits.
McCreary says that Hillary Clinton actually approached her to see if she could make an appearance on the show.
“I was at Hillary Clinton’s husband’s birthday party last summer, and she came up to me and was talking about the show and how much she loved it. Hillary asked if we would consider writing a little role for her. She could… maybe play a spy? But it was a birthday party, so I thought, ‘Maybe she was being nice.’ But then we asked if she would play herself and she said yes.”
HUMANS!!! It was cool to share the #MadamSecretary Season 5 premiere with everyone at @Tribeca’s #TribecaTVFestival last week. If you missed it, you can read all about it here: https://t.co/2LFgo7DXUd
— Tim Daly (@TimmyDaly) September 25, 2018
Leoni said that Madam Secretary has never shied away from current events or trends, and the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements couldn’t be ignored, especially in a female-driven drama at the network that just fired their former chief, Les Moonves.
“We actually address an incident from season three. He went in for a grope and Elizabeth met him with an elbow and broke his nose. He comes back this season, and I have an opportunity to chat with him about it.”
Leoni says that Secretary McCord’s #MeToo moment makes its appearance in Episode 4 of Season 5, and it’s a reminder that this happens to women from every part of society.
“Elizabeth handles it, but Elizabeth is in an incredible position to handle it. I have four Secret Service detail with me and a TV show, so I get to win really easily. In some ways, that’s a great moment to show. But it’s also a sobering reminder that it is rarely that easy to solve or to face or to deal with.”
