“The Detour” – When Elizabeth and her staff fly to Africa to offer development aid to the continent, they are caught by surprise when the Chinese arrive there first, ready to outmaneuver the U.S. with competing offers of aid. Also, when turbulence on their plane ride to Africa leaves Daisy unnerved, she and Susan Thompson (Tonya Pinkins) go on a welcome tour of Africa, admiring the beauty of the continent. And, the FBI asks Henry to help investigate a Christian cult member who may have helped build the bomb used in the Illinois coffee shop attack, on MADAM SECRETARY, Sunday, Jan. 15 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
MADAM SECRETARY stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, the shrewd, determined Secretary of State who drives international diplomacy, battles office politics and circumvents protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home. A college professor and a brilliant former CIA analyst who left for ethical reasons, Elizabeth returned to public life at the request of President Conrad Dalton, who values McCord’s apolitical leanings, her deep knowledge of the Middle East, her flair for languages and her ability to not just think outside the box, but to not even acknowledge there is a box.
McCord’s team includes her Chief of Staff Nadine Tolliver, policy advisor Jay Whitman, speechwriter Matt Mahoney, press coordinator Daisy Grant and her charming assistant, Blake Moran. As McCord debates third world problems, finesses foreign dignitaries at work and does battle with the President’s combative Chief of Staff Russell Jackson, that’s just a warm-up for when she goes home to her supportive husband, theology professor-turned-intelligence operative Henry, and their three children, where “politics” and “compromise” take on new meaning.
