How ‘Scandal’ became the biggest drama on television

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

Rhimes’ has also been panned for not detailing Pope’s rise to power. Her characters are regarded as “underdeveloped,” thought the finale also suggests Pope’s back story will be known soon.

In an interview with the New York Times, Rhimes addressed critics saying, “I don’t think that we have to have a discussion about race when you’re watching a black woman who is having an affair with the white president of the United States. The discussion is right in front of your face.”

To that extent, Pryor agrees, noting that those who use Scandal’s melodramatic plot paths as a guidebook to life are in need of a check.

“As people of color, we haven’t had too many shows like that; how many shows out there have us leading anything on network television?” Pryor says. “I have to remind people on a daily basis, Scandal’s not a black television show…You can’t expect [Rhimes] to talk about everything black, and what’s plaguing the black dating world in terms of her choosing to deal with white dudes to help you solve your problems. That’s not what this show was made for, but that’s how personal the show has become.”

She adds, “It’s like Obama. [People say] ‘You’re a black president, why don’t you deal with black issues all the time?’…Shonda Rhimes, I kind of feel like she has to deal with that double-edged sword of being a black female that cast a strong black lead that now everybody loves.”

Washington takes a big step forward

Strong-willed, always reliable, and nothing short of bold, the character of Olivia Pope has become the pillar of Scandal’s stimulating narrative, and a relatable, intriguing figure to its black female audience. In her love life, Pope tends to go for white men (well, she did briefly date a black Congressman, but everyone knows her heart was never there). She takes orders from no one, not even the president. She lives alone; dresses in designer clothes; and most importantly, she always wins.

Always.

As emblematic as she is for all women, for African-American women, Pope represents an important step forward in entertainment, and gravitation away from the black female characters prominent in popular reality shows. At the ABC upfront this week, Jimmy Kimmel reportedly “boasted” that the show marks the “first network drama in 40 years to feature an African-American female lead.”

The impact is indisputable, and keeps the drama’s female audience busy on the social front.

“It’s the first show that really has extremely passionate love making scenes between two different races, and kind of plays into a lot of the black dating and social issues plaguing today’s women,” Pryor adds. “It plays into that whole entire black women having the highest graduation rates as opposed to black men; black women taking on more leadership roles. It plays into this whole entire theme that’s happening in real life right now. It’s the elevated fantasy of black female success versus being married to baller.”

And the critic’s are biting too

Beyond online socializing, Scandal has won over critics, many of whom weren’t as enthusiastic about the program in its initial airing. Reviews from season one deemed the characters “whiny,” goofy, and called the show “flawed on most every level.”

Part of the reason its sophomore run has done better may simply be due to some good old-fashioned growing up, or the extension of the show from a seven-episode series to 22 episodes. Characters were given pasts; the president was nearly assassinated; secret sexual rendezvous overlapped; and one very busy hit man got tangled in a web of dirty laundry.

The fluid, intimate nature of Rhimes’ first hit series, Grey’s Anatomy, made its way into a political spectacle, and complicated plot twists left viewers consistently begging for more.

“Scandal has built its reputation on an intensely serialized structure this season, using prominent mysteries and reveals as a way to entice viewers to tune in,” McNutt observes. “The show got a short order to test out its characters, find a rhythm, and then tinker with the formula for a second season. While ABC has been smart in how they’ve leveraged social media to help fuel this development, it is also a more traditional example of a show adapting as it moves into a second season.”

A new precedence

Other series could likely learn from Scandal’s achievement, and really, Rhimes’ general approach to television. Good reviews or bad, give it time to be nurtured, assemble a street team armed with hashtags, and anything could happen.

“Everyone – and I mean everyone – should look at the social media story of Scandal,” Kleinberg says. “They should study it and modify/imitate it for their show, movie, sports, events, etc. And actually, as these types of things become stories, the decision makers are going to expect a social media campaign to be worked into whatever they do because they aren’t going to want to take the risk of creating a show without it. You don’t want to push social too hard and turn off the audience, but you can’t deny the power of it.”

Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @courtgarcia