Sunday night shows have long suffered from delayed starts after sporting events.  It is, in many households, a joke that viewers wonder what it means about support from a network when a show is put on in time-slots that vary from week to week based on when the events earlier in the day end.

That being said, in this age of video-on-demand, shows that are delayed by sporting events, and other major events of the day, may suffer less than they once did as we viewers are now able to go find those missed scenes, whether they are from breaking news interruptions, or those infamous delayed starts.  (And kudos to the stations and networks that run occasional crawlers announcing what time delayed shows will actually start so viewers no longer have to guess.)

Madam Secretary started the season in a tough position, airing on Sunday nights after 60 minutes, with start times that varied widely because of televised sports.  Pairing the show about political events (national and international) centered in Washington, D.C., with 60 minutes may well have helped draw viewers… but I worried from the start that viewers might grow frustrated with it starting anywhere over the course of a one hour time-span.

Instead, the audience came to the first episode of the show, and the majority has returned week after week, even with episodes starting on the half-hour instead of the hour.  Powerful scripts, well-written and showcasing the intricacies of complex events, have drawn an audience, with a strong cast knocking them out of the park week after week.

At the end of several episodes I have found myself wishing problems could be solved so succinctly, that governments truly could find a way to work together to find solutions to problems with far more moving pieces than I had initially realized, and grateful time and again that these episodes are airing, reminding me that there is more to the operation of a nation than it might at first appear.

Tea Leoni, Tim Daly, Bebe Newirth, and the entire cast are doing a great job on CBS of showing our government at work and working.

Madam Secretary airs Sundays on CBS @ 8 PM / 7 Centeral
And has been picked up for a full season!

Madam Secretary (c) CBS, they can celebrate being picked up for a full season

Links:
Madam Secretary @ IMDB
Official CBS Website: http://www.cbs.com/shows/madam-secretary/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/MadamSecretary
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadamSecretary
Instagram: MADAMSECRETARYCBS
CBS Tweet: https://twitter.com/CBSTweet

Cast on Twitter:

Tim Daly @TimmyDaly
Patina Miller @patinamiller
Erich Bergen @erichbergen
Geoffrey Arend @GeoffreyArend
Kathrine Herzer @KathrineHerzer