ABC 2012 Midseason Premiere: Scandal

published: 2011-05-21 12:07:34

Among the series set to premiere on ABC during Midseason 2012 is a new Shonda Rhimes drama. No surprise there as ABC seems to be fond of those, however the interesting thing about this one is that it isn’t a medical drama. Scandal follows a “professional crisis manager” and her staff.

While Scandal isn’t another medical drama featuring a bunch of dysfunctional doctors saving lives while making messes of their own, it does appear to share a common thread in some respect. Scandal is a drama about a bunch of dysfunctional public image fixers fixing images while making messes of their own lives. See the connection? I like stories about people with messy lives trying to find happiness… to an extent. Grey’s Anatomy fell apart for me when I found myself unable to like the lead character at all. Looking at the trailer for Scandal, I think there’s a good chance that won’t be an issue for this series (at least not for a while), as Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope seems strong, capable and likable.

Where Grey’s has always really shined is how patients and their sometimes strange or unique situations have an impact on the lives of the doctors. I think we can probably expect a similar dynamic in Scandal, except instead of patients with urgent medical predicaments, the clients will have urgent image issues that need fixing.

Below is ABC’s synopsis for the series and further down are a few clips from the premiere episode:

From the creator and executive producers of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice comes a drama revolving around the life and work of a professional crisis manager and her dysfunctional staff.

A former media relations consultant to the President, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) dedicates her life to protecting and defending the public images of our nation's elite. After leaving the White House, the power consultant opened her own firm, hoping to start a new chapter -- both professionally and personally -- but she can't seem to completely cut ties with her past. Slowly it becomes apparent that her staff, who specialize in fixing the lives of other people, can't quite fix the ones closest at hand -- their own.

Scandal stars Kerry Washington (Ray) as Olivia Pope, Henry Ian Cusick (Lost) as Stephen Finch, Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard) as Harrison Wright, Guillermo Diaz (Half-Baked) as Huck, Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan, Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins, Tony Goldwyn (Ghost) as President Fitzgerald Grant and Jeff Perry (Grey's Anatomy) as Cyrus.

Scandal was written by Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice). Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice) are executive producers. Paul McGuigan is the director. Scandal is produced by ABC Studios.