Sara Ramirez Not Returning for ‘Madam Secretary’s Final Season

Refuge
Sarah Shatz/CBS

When Madam Secretary returns for its sixth and final season on CBS this fall, it will be without one of its series regulars.

“I know there’s a lot going on in the world. So much,” Sara Ramirez tweeted Tuesday. “And for a quick moment I want to wish everyone at @MadamSecretary a fantastic final Season 6 @CBS! It was an honor to bring Kat Sandoval into your universe!”

Ramirez, who joined the cast in Season 4, then replied to a fan asking if Kat would be returning for the final 10 episodes with, “She will not but I’m sure she’ll be rooting for President McCord and the team, wherever she is!”

But we may see her again, as TVLine reported she could guest star in an episode.

But how will the series explain the absence of the political strategist? That’s likely where the time jump comes in. “We are doing about a two-year time jump,” CBS executive vice president of current affairs Amy Reisenbach revealed to The Salt Lake Tribune. “When we come back, Elizabeth will be president. It will be about 100 days into her presidency.”

Flashbacks will show what happened during Elizabeth’s campaign, which kicked off at the end of the Season 5 finale.

It’s possible that Kat simply didn’t make the move to the White House with the others and won’t be part of Elizabeth’s daily life. If she does return, it could be for one of those flashbacks or something could arise that requires her help, wherever she may be in D.C. We’ll have to wait to see if the Season 6 premiere reveals where that is.

Madam Secretary, Sixth and Final Season Premiere, Sunday, October 6, 10/9c, CBS