Slap that “McCord 2020” campaign button on your lapel, because Madam Secretary will be back for a just-ordered Season 6, TVLine has learned. As series co-creators Barbara Hall and Lori McCreary told TVLine after the Season 5 finale, upcoming episodes likely will chronicle Elizabeth’s experiences as a candidate in a political primary and presidential election. Related stories Madam Secretary Renewed at CBS Young Sheldon Staging Biggest Bang Crossover Yet: Leonard, Penny, Amy, Raj, Howard and Bernadette to Appear in Season 2 Finale -- Find Out How! “We’ve always been about pulling back the curtain on the State Department and showing the process of diplomacy, so this is going to be pulling back the curtain on a campaign and everything that that involves,” Hall said. Viewers will recall that, after some back-and-forth with her conscience — how to leave all the good and necessary work at State behind, Elizabeth wondered? — McCord eventually announced her run for the Oval Office in the final moments of the season-ender. Madam Secretary, which has been on the bubble at the end of several of its recent seasons, wrapped Season 5 on April 21 with a 0.4 rating and 4.8 million total viewers, holding steady in the demo but bringing in its second-smallest audience ever. Its renewal has been noted on TVLine’s Renewal Scorecard. On Thursday, CBS also re-upped SEAL Team, SWAT, Bull, Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver and the news programs 60 Minutes and 48 Hours. For those of you keeping score, the scripted series that remain in limbo at CBS include The Code, Fam, Happy Together, Life in Pieces, Man With a Plan, Murphy Brown and The Red Line. How do you feel about Madam Secretary‘s renewal? Let us know in the comments! Launch Gallery: What's Renewed & Cancelled for Next Season? Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.<doc-sep>CBS has renewed Madam Secretary for a sixth season. That would be great news for fans of the show, who had been vocal in their support as the political drama found itself heavily on the bubble for the first time. Madam Secretary recently topped USA Today’ annual Save Our Shows poll. The network today also renewed SEAL Team, S.W.A.T., Bull, Hawaii-Five-O and MacGyver, and magazine shows 60 Minutes and 48 Hours, bringing the total number of series renewed for next year to 18. Created by Barbara Hall, Madam Secretary stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, the shrewd, determined secretary of state who drives international diplomacy and circumvents protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home. Tim Daly, Sara Ramirez, Željko Ivanek, Keith Carradine, Sebastian Arcelus, Patina Miller, Geoffrey Arend, Erich Bergen, Kathrine Herzer, Wallis Currie-Wood and Evan Roe also star. Madam Secretary is produced by CBS Television Studios, in association with Revelations Entertainment. Barbara Hall, Lori McCreary, David Grae, Eric Stoltz and Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman executive produce. The network also today renewed S.W.A.T., SEAL Team, Bull and MacGyver, and magazine shows 60 Minutes and 48 Hours, bringing the total number of series renewed for next year to 18. Today’s renewals join previously announced Young Sheldon, Mom, Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans and freshmen FBI, God Friended Me, The Neighborhood and Magnum P.I. 2018-19 Renewals And Cancellations For Broadcast, Cable & Streaming<doc-sep>Though it may be a consistent ratings champ, CBS has seen more than its share of controversies in recent months, most having to do with high-profile executives and stars being accused of sexual misconduct. In that context, TV-watchers have been especially curious to see what shows CBS would keep, and which ones would be ditched, in this period leading up to the network presenting its finalized 2019-2020 schedule to advertisers at the “upfronts.” Though hits such as “NCIS” have already been renewed, it wasn’t certain what would happen to “Bull,” the legal drama starring former “NCIS” favorite Michael Weatherly. But today, CBS announced that six more drama series -- including “Bull” -- have been renewed, along with news programs “48 Hours” and “60 Minutes” (that last renewal was no surprise to anyone). For the 2019-2020 season, CBS announced that, in addition to shows already renewed, the network has ordered additional seasons of “SEAL Team," “S.W.A.T.,” “Madam Secretary,” Bull," “Hawaii Five-0” and “MacGyver.” Though it wasn’t a sure thing that all those shows would get another season, the news of “Bull” is especially noteworthy, because of offscreen issues surrounding the series. As the Wrap and other industry sources reported, the show’s future was clouded by the revelation that in January of 2018, the network agreed to pay actress Eliza Dushku a $9.5 million settlement after Dushku alleged Weatherly had sexually harassed her and engaged in other misconduct. The New York Times originally reported the case, in which Dushku, who had been hired to appear on “Bull,” alleged that Weatherly made inappropriate comments about her appearance, along with jokes about rape, and engaging in a threesome. Dushku’s claim was that she was written out of the show because she spoke up about Weatherly’s conduct. Weatherly said, in a statement to the Times, that he was “mortified” to have offended Dushku, and “immediately apologized.” He added that after further reflection, he understood that his comments were “both not funny and not appropriate,” and that he regretted “the pain this caused Eliza.” After mediation, the network reached the settlement agreement with Dushku. Today, Deadline reports that Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television production company, and executives with the company, which had been executive producers of “Bull” for its first three seasons, are ending involvement in the show, “in the wake of the sexual harassment allegations against star Michael Weatherly,” as Nellie Andreeva writes. Andreeva includes a statement given to Deadline from a representative for the company, which reads: “Steven Spielberg, Amblin Television, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey are no longer attached to ‘Bull.’" The report about “Bull” and Dushku’s settlement was just one of several stories that have emerged about a pattern of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment within CBS. The network’s CEO, Leslie Moonves, was forced out following a network investigation into allegations against the executive made by several women. The flagship news program “60 Minutes” also came under fire as investigators found now-fired executive producer Jeff Fager had “engaged in certain acts of sexual misconduct” (though Fager had denied the allegations, as AdWeek reported). Charlie Rose, the cohost of “CBS This Morning” and a “60 Minutes” correspondent, was also fired in 2017 after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. CBS has, in addition to the shows mentioned above, renewed “Young Sheldon,” “Mom,” “Criminal Minds,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “Blue Bloods,” “FBI,” “God Friended Me,” “The Neighborhood” and “Magnum P.I.” for next season. -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.<doc-sep>
A day after handing out renewals to six dramas, CBS Friday canceled four comedies: "Murphy Brown," "Fam," "Life in Pieces" and "Happy Together." The revival of 1990s CBS hit "Murphy," starring Candice Bergen and created by Diane English, was an anticipated remake of the classic CBS comedy, but drew tepid ratings and middling reviews. "Life in Pieces," a family comedy led by Colin Hanks and in the midst of its fourth season, suffered from its ownership by an outside studio, 20th Century Fox Television, in an era when networks favor in-house production. And "Fam" and "Happy Together" were freshman comedies that never clicked. On Thursday, CBS renewed "Madam Secretary," which led USA TODAY's 2019 Save Our Shows poll, along with five other dramas. "Secretary," which stars Tea Leoni as the Secretary of State (and soon-to-be presidential candidate) will return for a sixth season. The drama joins another endangered series, a remake of "MacGyver," along with four more series that were considered locks to return: "SEAL Team" and "SWAT," which will see their third seasons; "Bull" (for its fourth) and "Hawaii Five-0" (for its 10th). Earlier, CBS picked up eight other dramas, including all three editions of "NCIS," "Blue Bloods," "FBI," "God Friended Me" and a final run for "Criminal Minds." And it's already renewed comedies "Young Sheldon," "Mom" and "The Neighborhood." Thursday, the network also formally renewed its newsmagazines, "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours." "Secretary" easily topped this year's Save Our Shows poll: 53% of more than 90,000 votes aimed to save it from cancellation, while just 20% wanted to drop it. Voters were less enthusiastic about "MacGyver," as an equal percentage of voters – 26% – wanted to keep and kill it. The most-watched network will unveil its new fall lineup at a presentation to advertisers on Wednesday in New York. Save Our Shows 2019: Which network series are returning, departing or 'on the bubble'