Scandal; Shonda Rhime's New Show Screens in Australia

American Political Drama, Scandal Premieres in Australia



What can I say about this show? Shonda Rhimes, creator and brainchild of Grey's Anatomy is behind Scandal and it is written and directed by the same crew who make Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Unfortunately Scandal is not the monumental hit that Grey's was in it's hey-day.

That's not to say it is not a good show. It is a very good show, the premise is a solid idea. Would we love to have someone come along and cover for us, when we get in to trouble. A white-knight who will move heaven and earth to protect us and our secrets. That's the pitch that this show is trying to sell; along with actress:  Olivia Pope, who is played by Kerry Washington is what the creators refers to as a "Gladiator" in a white hat, she and her team of fixers are hired when there is a crisis that needs to go away. At the same time there is a whole other back story of intrigue and mystery going on about some of the characters. 

In the Season 1 Finale, viewers were left wondering who this mystery woman is who calls herself Quinn Perkins? Quinn (a lawyer) came to work for Olivia in the first episode, and in episode 7 it is revealed that she is not who she appears to be. Season 1 is only seven episodes long and ABC in the US have renewed this series for a second season, however it is not clear how many episodes have been ordered, however it is assumed it will be between 10 and 13.

Olivia Pope and her fixers

Grey's Anatomy fans have been the most critical of this show, as many feel it is Shonda's main focus and over the years the writing on Grey's Anatomy has suffered a downward spiral. Many fans believe this comes down to Rhimes focusing all of her energy on her other two shows; both of which have not done well in the ratings. Scandal might succeed if all the sappy cliches disappeared from the scripts, and the focus was on what these fixers actually do and it's still hopeful that we will see this in Season 2, however at the moment many fans find the show frustrating as we are not learning enough about what these characters do and how they do it.

Creating a love affair between the main character and the US President is not going to win viewers, especially when other characters in Rhimes' other shows are portrayed as terrible people if they commit adultery. Take the character of Addison Montgomery when she was in Grey's Anatomy, she was not forgiven for cheating on Derek Shepherd and more recently on Private Practice she was beating herself up for being a cheater. Olivia Pope's love affair with the President should not get a pass either and how many times have we seen that story done on TV, hardly original. However, the portrayal of how these Gladiators go about their business and help their clients is interesting and it's my guess that the fans want to see these stories unfold.

Scandal is a great show with the material to go on for a few seasons, however if the focus does not shift to building the back-story of the characters and explaining to the audience how and why they do what they do; the ABC network in the US will axe this series after Season 2. It's very difficult to decide whether to get invested in a show that could end without a resolution. However if you are looking for something different that is a mystery, thriller, drama all rolled into one and are not to hung up on how it will end; then you may like Scandal. 

Season 1 begins airing in Australia on Monday; 15 October 2012. The Seven Network will not be fast-tracking Season 2; Scandal will probably return to Australia with Season 2 in February 2013.



Update 10 Oct 2012: The US network ABC have ordered another 13 episodes of Scandal for Season 2. It is possible that more episodes might be ordered depending on how the ratings are, however if recent numbers are anything to go by; Scandal, Season 2 has not premiered well in terms of ratings in total viewers and has not done well in the advertising demographic this show targets. And given that it follows Grey's Anatomy; on a Thursday night in the US it really should be doing better. 




Learn How To Use Your New IPAD




Please visit me at: http://janelle-coulton.suite101.com





 Copyright © 2012 Janelle Coulton