The CBS political drama show "Madam Secretary" will be returning next month for its fourth season, and the synopsis is now out for its first episode. Some of the information in the synopsis may contain spoilers, which should be a treat for fans who cannot wait to catch the next chapter in the life of Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord played by Tea Leoni.
According to Cartermatt, the title of season 4 premiere is "News Cycle," which immediately implies that current events in the story will play a major role in the episode. The synopsis stated that Elizabeth will have to deal with some fake news that is thrown her way, as she is being linked by an unknown entity to the death of Timor-Leste's assistant vice minister. The assistant vice minister's death was one of the cliffhangers from season 3.
The synopsis also confirmed that Morgan Freeman will be reprising his role as Chief Justice Wilbourne. In addition, the synopsis is very telling that the creators and the writers of the show have decided to start the latest season very aggressively compared to the previous ones – as there is already a major issue that Elizabeth will have to deal with right off the bat. This begs the question if Elizabeth will be able to keep her composure under this kind of pressure and career-ending accusation, or if she will be able to take it in stride and be graceful about the situation.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the executive producer of the show. Barbara Hall, explained that the issue of the rampant spread of fake news is even an issue in the real world. She stated that "it's becoming such a confusing issue so we decided, let's just break it all down and do a story" – and hopefully, this gives the audience a better sense of responsibility when it comes to peddling information, especially with the power of social media and the internet.
It is notable to mention that the entire episode will be rife with such negativity. In an interview with the Huffington Post, executive producers Lori McCreary and Morgan Freeman expressed that the show is supposed to give audiences a break from real world politics for them to aspire on a better way of conducting political actions. With intentions such as these, audiences can expect a silver lining at the end of the day.
"Madam Secretary" season 4 will premiere on Oct. 8 at 10 p.m. EDT on CBS.
