WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Madam Secretary season 5 that may influence your enjoyment in discovering the plotlines. Read at your own risk.
Madam Secretary season 6 will be about the presidency of Elizabeth McCord (played by Tea Leoni) The new season will open with a two-year time jump that will skip the campaign trail, and one familiar character will not be part of the show as a series regular.
According to TV Line, Sara Ramirez will not be in all of the episodes of Madam Secretary season 6. The actress, who plays the political strategist Kat Sandoval, has scaled down on her appearances and has now been tagged as a guest star.
The change goes in line with the changes in the story since Madam Secretary season 6 will shift its timeline. Thus, when the show returns on CBS this fall, it will highlight the first 100 days of Elizabeth's presidency.
Initially, the showrunners thought they would be tackling the presidential primaries during the elections in Madam Secretary season 6.
"I would really like to have a parallel primary race for a while alongside the one that's happening in the real world," Barbara Hall told Deadline in April. "I find that it's interesting to be able to draft on the political vocabulary that people have because of what's happening and so that would be a fun challenge."
In response to the announcement that she has been demoted to guest star, Ramirez said on Twitter that working on Madam Secretary has been a huge honor. The actress joined the series around the fourth season as a replacement for Bebe Neuwirth's Nadine Tolliver and has been a vital figure in the series since.
As it is, Madam Secretary season 6 will only have 10 episodes compared to the usual 18 to 22 episodes from the previous seasons. The shortened season order will also be the final run.
"It's hard when a show just goes away," CBS Entertainment head Kelly Kahl explained regarding the shortened season 6, per The Hollywood Reporter. "We like to be able to do this, and send the show off with a great deal of respect and celebration."
Meanwhile, filming for Madam Secretary season 6 has been ongoing since late July. Leoni confirmed on her social media profile that they have finished filming the first episode with guest star Eric Stoltz (as Will Adams).
Madam Secretary season 6 will premiere on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 10:00 p.m. on CBS.
