Actress Tea Leoni will be returning to the small screen to star as Secretary of State Elizabeth Faulkner McCord, in the CBS political drama Madam Secretary.

Madam Secretary, which will run after “60 Minutes” and before “The Good Wife” on Sundays, premieres on September 21. Leoni, 49, portrays a former CIA analyst turned college professor who is tapped by the president to become Secretary of State.

Commenting on her character McCord, Leoni told E!, “There was something – I adored her. I adored her by page two, there’s no sarcasm to her. Sarcasm is too slow. I want to wake up and be her every day.”

The former The Naked Truth star added, “I think in a lot of ways it’s inspiring to see women that we want to see. I think when I sort of set out to do this gal, I thought, ‘Who do I want in office?’ That’s been guiding my choices.”

Here is a first look at Madam Secretary:

Barbara Hall, who was a writer-producer for Judging Amy, and is presently a co-executive producer on Showtime’s Homeland, is the creator and executive producer of Madam Secretary, alongside Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman. Hall commented that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is excited about the series, and has met with Leoni. “She’s very eager to weigh in and help us,” Hall remarked.

Hall added that Madam Secretary is adapted from real events and will attempt to “pull back the curtain on how the State Department works.”

A shot of #MadamSecretary EP Morgan Freeman with stars Tea Leoni, Tim Daly #TCA14 pic.twitter.com/zk5Hen8dat

— The TCA (@OfficialTCA) July 17, 2014

Leoni, who is presently separated from husband David Duchovny, said that her children gave her the “go-ahead” to get back into a television gig.

“I turned to my 12-year-old son and I said, ‘It’s going to be a little tricky. I’m not going to be around as much. Are you cool with that?'” Leoni said, adding, “He said, ‘Yeah, I was getting kind of sick of you.'”

Madam Secretary also stars Tim Daly and Bebe Neuwirth.

Téa Leoni and Tim Daly from @MadamSecretary looking snazzy on the #TCA14 Party Red Carpet! #MadamSecretary pic.twitter.com/fLOTUtkZFN

— CBS TV Studios (@CBSTVStudios) July 18, 2014

Image via Wikimedia Commons