Kat Sandoval: Why I'll Never Get Over Sara Ramirez Leaving Madam Secretary

Summary Sara Ramirez left both Madam Secretary and And Just Like That due to changes in the storylines and time jumps in the shows.

The reduced episode order for Madam Secretary season 6 led to the removal of Ramirez's character, Kat Sandoval.

Ramirez's departure from And Just Like That was due to online backlash towards their character as a non-binary comic, Che Diaz.

Kat Sandoval left Madam Secretary, and I'm still not over Sara Ramirez departing after two seasons on the political drama. The six-season Madame Secretary follows Elizabeth McCord's (Téa Leoni's) journey from unsure United States Secretary of State to capable, though still often hesitant, POTUS. McCord is surrounded by aides like Kat Sandoval (Sara Ramirez), who appears in season 4, episode 7, "North to the Future", as a political advisor to Elizabeth.

Kat is savvy and intelligent, and immediately became my favorite character when she was first introduced. When Elizabeth demurs, Kat is ready to fight and helps Elizabeth find her backbone during tough decisions. Sara Ramirez plays Kat, adding the same captivating presence as she did on Grey's Anatomy as Doctor Callie Torres from season 2 to season 12. Ramirez has also appeared in many notable productions, including Velma, Sofia the First, and Going Under. They are a talented actor who improves every project they join, which made me wonder why they stopped appearing in Madam Secretary.

Related Madam Secretary: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Elizabeth McCord Madam Secretary has been airing for six seasons. The end is near, so here are ten secret things you didn't know about Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni).

Kat Sandoval Left Madam Secretary Due To The Season 6 Time Jump

CBS Shortened Season 6 Meaning The Story Needed To Be Changed

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The finale of Madam Secretary season 5 saw Elizabeth preparing to begin her campaign run for president. So, I naturally expected that season 6 would depict that run. Sadly for me, that was not the case. Season 6 begins with a time jump to two years after the season 5 finale, 100 days into Elizabeth's presidency, with Kat nowhere to be found.

Kat Sandoval's Madam Secretary Timeline Season Episode Event 4 7 Kat is introduced as a character 4 14 Kat comes out as bisexual to Blake 5 17 Blake and Kat secure a protection agreement for citizens displaced by global warming 5 20 Kat's final appearance

In an interview with TVLine after the season 5 finale, executive producer Lori McCreary seemed to think she would be able to have a season dedicated to the campaign,

"What we’d love to do is get her on the campaign trail. We’d love to do a primary and an election next season."

However, CBS' executive vice president of current affairs, Amy Reisenbach, later told the Salt Lake Tribune that there was a reduced episode order for Madam Secretary season 6,

"We have not announced anything, but we are doing about a two-year time jump. When we come back, Elizabeth will be president. It will be about 100 days into her presidency."

During rewrites, it appeared that Kat and Ramirez no longer had a place on the show. Bebe Neuwirth as Nadine Tolliver and Matt Meinsen as Matt also did not reappear for season 6. Madam Secretary's final season is still strong, but I feel the series lost some important representation. Sandoval is proudly bisexual and speaks up for LGBTQ+ people when they're threatened. Her empathy made her a great late-series introduction.

Also, one of my favorite plotlines in Parks and Recreation was the season 4 arc of Leslie Knope's run for political council. Everyone is forced to come together to help Leslie, so the cast is together on-screen more often, leading to some incredible moments, which could have been had with Kat Sandoval had Madam Secretary season 6 covered her presidential run. I think an arc like that would have given Ramirez a chance to show more of Kat's colors as she navigated a difficult challenge.

Sara Ramirez appeared in 241 episodes of Grey's Anatomy as Doctor Callie Torres, the attending orthopedic surgeon, making her one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ characters in TV history.

Madam Secretary Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Madam Secretary is a political drama series that aired on CBS for six seasons from 2014-2019. The series stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, who becomes the United States Secretary of State, after serving as a CIA analyst and political science professor. Cast Tea Leoni , Tim Daly Release Date September 21, 2014 Seasons 6 Network CBS

Sara Ramirez Also Won't Be Returning As Che Diaz For And Just Like That... Season 3

Che Diaz Finished Her Story In Season 2 Of The Sex And The City Spinoff

Madam Secretary isn't the only show Sara Ramirez left unceremoniously. They also left And Just Like That... after season 2, where they played Che Diaz. Che first appeared in season 1 as a non-binary comic but the character's cringy stand-up comedy and position as someone who made a fool of the beloved Steve (David Eigenberg) led to online vitriol from cis and LGBTQ+ viewers alike (via Variety). Ramirez did not let the hate bother them, saying,

"I choose what I receive, right? That’s the beauty of being grown — I don’t have to receive everything! And this is Michael’s baby. He created this role. He wrote it. Those are his and his writing team’s jokes."

While Che's reputation didn't recover much in season 2, I feel that the sophomore installment gave the character much more depth as their and Miranda's (Cynthia Nixon) relationship deteriorated, ending Che's arc on the show in a sad but resolved conclusion. While I admittedly chuckled at the "Hey, this is Che Diaz!" memes, they were a much better-developed character than people gave them credit for. I won't be surprised if come And Just Like That season 3, fans will find themselves missing Che, just like they did Kat Sandoval on Madam Secretary.