Here’s a challenge for even the most gifted scriptwriter—suddenly having to break both the legs of your lead character.
That’s the prospect facing the writing team of the CBS show “Madam Secretary,” after leading man Tim Daly was badly injured in a freak skiing accident at Sundance this week.
Daly, who plays the Secretary of State's husband on the show, now in its third season, broke both legs in the accident and is scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday, according to Variety.
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The team behind the show has been told that the actor is expected to need between six and eight weeks to fully recover.
However, as befits the scion of a great acting family—Tim’s father, James, co-starred in the 1970s series “Medical Center,” his mother, Hope, was a stage actress and his sister Tyne Daly was Lacey in “Cagney and Lacey”—it appears the show will go on.
Variety reports that “Madam Secretary” producers and writing staff are working out how to rewrite forthcoming episodes to incorporate Daly’s broken legs.
Variety says that Daly, who found fame playing Billy in the original slacker movie Diner, will continue to appear in every episode of the show, alongside Tea Leoni who plays the Secretary of State.
One source close to the production told Variety that the show may be far enough along in its shooting schedule that few changes could be needed.
Daly has said that he loves his role in “Madam Secretary” because his character is not a one-dimensional male goofball.
“I have guys come up to me all the time and say, ‘Thank God you are playing a competent man. Thank you for being someone who’s, you know, strong and can fix stuff where the house doesn’t burn down if his wife goes away,” he said.
Daly is known for his political activism and was seen in Washington at the weekend, protesting Donald Trump’s election as part of the Women’s March. He previously served as president of the Creative Coalition, a non-profit focused on First Amendment rights and arts advocacy.
