It's not afraid to be feminist
All the trash-talk in the current US presidential elections makes Madam Secretary look like a utopic political sphere. That being said, Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord is not without her own political challenges.
As the only woman in the office, she is constantly having to fight to get within earshot of the President, and is often talked over and ignored, but she doesn't let it beat her down, continuing to thrive despite those who would see her fail.
This is a show that sheds light on some of the struggles faced by women in The White House. Even Madeleine Albright made a cameo.
It's not afraid to sport some pretty high ethics
Madam Secretary's good old pollies are not interested in building walls and sponsoring beauty pageants - they care about real world issues like health and education.
It could be argued that where the two current US presidential candidates lack or have questionable ethics, Elizabeth McCord's are unwavering, particularly when it comes to the use of torture as a tactic to gain information. She even left the CIA because of the torture methods they used.
It's not afraid to keep it tasteful
Instead of getting distracted by nude modelling shots of a politician’s wife from decades ago, Madam Secretary focuses on the actual people that are responsible for governing the country.
When it does turn to a politician's partner, Elizabeth McCord has a swipe at the ‘first man/ lady’ situation. And that’s the way it should be.
Not afraid to keep it real
Eric Bergen, who plays Blake Moran, told AAP that Madam Secretary doesn’t feature a Donald Trump-like character because the character would never be believable. "I think he's so unique to reality which is why he's gotten as far as he has, it's because he is so shocking," He said. "I don't know if you put it in a fictional setting, I don't know if it would be as believed."
But in our universe Donald Trump, who trolls people on Twitter, engages in petty arguments with anyone who criticises him, and issues a lot of scary threats, is very real. It’s enough to question reality.
It's not afraid to be super smart
Unlike some presidential candidates, Elizabeth McCord speaks five languages, and has expert knowledge of the Middle East. Before coming to office, she was a CIA analyst and a University Professor, proving it's cool to stay in school.
Level-headed, intelligent, and with a spine of steel, we're not likely to see this character hitting the button on the nuclear detonators just to keep out a few refugees.
When it comes to electing the most admirable female character on TV right now - Elizabeth McCord has our vote.
