Madam Secretary’s days in office are numbered.
CBS brass used its time before the press Wednesday ahead of its upfront presentation to announce that the recently announced sixth season of drama Madam Secretary would be its last. The Téa Leoni drama will conclude in the fall with an abbreviated 10-episode final season.
The linear ratings aren’t great for the political procedural, which is produced in-house at CBS TV Studios. In fact, the drama is the network’s lowest-rated scripted series. But with sizable syndication and streaming deals in place, the series continued to find a home at the network.
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CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl made the announcement Wednesday, noting that it was important for the network to reward viewers with a proper ending for the show. “I think it’s important to respect the audience,” he said. “It’s hard when a show just goes away. We like to be able to do this, and send the show off with a great deal of respect and celebration,” he said.
CBS will be wrapping two of its dramas during the 2019-20 broadcast season, with Madam Secretary joining the similarly abbreviated final season of Criminal Minds. The move also helps explain CBS’ decision to bring back a whopping 18 series next season while adding four new dramas to its schedule. The announcement arrives the day before CBS will bid farewell to juggernaut The Big Bang Theory, which wraps its run after 12 seasons as TV’s No. 1 comedy.
Madam Secretary and Criminal Minds join Fox’s Empire, ABC’s Modern Family, NBC’s Blindspot, The CW’s Supernatural and Arrow as broadcast series wrapping next season.
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