Scandal

:

Season 1
  • Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 5, 2012
Season #: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 205 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 148 out of 205
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 205
  3. Negative: 42 out of 205
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User Reviews

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  1. EludiumQ36
    Apr 6, 2012
    2
    This show had a lot of promise and decent production values but the writing and acting are simply horrible, on the caliber of high school. The characters are unimaginative stereotypes which allows you to know what's going to happen in every scene without any effort. After slogging through this premiere ep I couldn't delete it fast enough and to unschedule all future recordings of it - thisThis show had a lot of promise and decent production values but the writing and acting are simply horrible, on the caliber of high school. The characters are unimaginative stereotypes which allows you to know what's going to happen in every scene without any effort. After slogging through this premiere ep I couldn't delete it fast enough and to unschedule all future recordings of it - this show needs to be cancelled asap.… Expand
  2. denison
    Apr 8, 2012
    1
    Very disappointing. Unbelievable storyline, no depth to the acting. I lasted 20 minutes and could not continue. I particularly didn't like the lead character who so seemed somewhat vacuous.
  3. NathTV
    Apr 8, 2012
    3
    Based only in the pilot, this show was a bad mix of unbelievable characters, bad dialogs and cliché stories. We have a great and powerful lobbyist and a group of lawyers that could do anything for their clients, because they solve crisis, so they don't have to play by the rules.
    It sounded decent in paper, but there is no good reason to watch the show unless they add some    Based only in the pilot, this show was a bad mix of unbelievable characters, bad dialogs and cliché stories. We have a great and powerful lobbyist and a group of lawyers that could do anything for their clients, because they solve crisis, so they don't have to play by the rules.
    It sounded decent in paper, but there is no good reason to watch the show unless they add some depth to the characters, make them believable and improve the stories a lot. I really hope S.R. can improve, being a fan of some of her other shows.    … Expand
  4. AyHy
    Nov 30, 2013
    3
    Scandal would be more appropriately titled "The Adventures of Mary Sue." Olivia Pope is the worst Mary Sue character since Wesley Crusher. But in this show, it's worse, because she's not some minor character--she's in the starring role. Pope is so brilliant that she's semi-psychic and can immediately deduce whether someone is telling the truth. She's so beautiful and charming that theScandal would be more appropriately titled "The Adventures of Mary Sue." Olivia Pope is the worst Mary Sue character since Wesley Crusher. But in this show, it's worse, because she's not some minor character--she's in the starring role. Pope is so brilliant that she's semi-psychic and can immediately deduce whether someone is telling the truth. She's so beautiful and charming that the President of the United States falls in love with her literally within five minutes of meeting her. People threaten to quit their jobs if she's mistreated. She can bully the U.S. Attorney General around and he'll still call her his friend at the end of the day.

    It's not in the show, but I'm pretty sure she also has nine Olympic gold medals and once saved some orphans by knocking out a grizzly bear with an uppercut to its testicles.

    The Mary Sue problem destroys the show. It makes it borderline unwatchable. There can be no genuine conflict in a show centered around the idea of "Look how AMAZING this woman is!! No, seriously, keep watching, we're going to keep telling you she's BRILLIANT AND SEXY AND PERFECT."    … Expand
  5. lil_gay_hitler
    Apr 5, 2012
    0
    Wow, this show is painful to watch. If you like **** manipulative lawyers, being as awful as possible, then go ahead and watch it. Grey's Anatomy but they specialize in being terrible human beings.
  6. JabbaTheSlush
    Apr 12, 2012
    1
    Watched for about eight minutes. Not exactly sure why stuff like this gets made, it is like watching a mashup of the worst parts of ten different shows. Very poor.
  7. Bowimbiri
    Mar 22, 2016
    3
    Bad acting, over acted, Kerry Washington looks like she is going to have an asthma attack every time, most characters are obnoxious. Good plot, good setting but this thing needs better actors ASAP
  8. Shiftyeyeddog
    Apr 9, 2015
    3
    I can't hack the utterly ridiculous self-righteous and overheated speeches being spouted every five seconds. They are beyond tiresome and my eyes started to hurt from excessive rolling. I think they are going for a comic book, Justice League-with-lawyers-style here, but the lectures are just too long and too frequent. Superheroes take action, they don't sermonize.
  9. Patrick94
    Apr 1, 2014
    0
    So I've only watched the first episode of the first season, and I am really disappointed. It's a miracle it even has a score higher than 6/10. It just throws a whole bunch of stuff in your face and expects you to sit back and enjoy it. I don't get it. It's an irritating show, with irritating characters, and a ridiculous over-the-top plot that somehow manages to be boring. I'm going toSo I've only watched the first episode of the first season, and I am really disappointed. It's a miracle it even has a score higher than 6/10. It just throws a whole bunch of stuff in your face and expects you to sit back and enjoy it. I don't get it. It's an irritating show, with irritating characters, and a ridiculous over-the-top plot that somehow manages to be boring. I'm going to watch the second episode, and if I don't like that either, I'm done with this show.… Expand
  10. otstrel
    Mar 23, 2014
    0
    Kerry Washington totally ruins this otherwise pretty good series. I don't think I ever saw such poor acting anywhere else. Every single scene she plays is overacted and fake.
  11. aprice6
    Mar 29, 2014
    1
    The acting by the major characters is absolutely terrible, the worst culprit being the lead character, "Olivia Pope," who seems to think acrobatic facial twitches while yelling at people is acting. The main characters are unlikable. The President is a putz and the aforementioned lead character is a moron. The supporting characters are great, but they have too much idiocy to overcome. IThe acting by the major characters is absolutely terrible, the worst culprit being the lead character, "Olivia Pope," who seems to think acrobatic facial twitches while yelling at people is acting. The main characters are unlikable. The President is a putz and the aforementioned lead character is a moron. The supporting characters are great, but they have too much idiocy to overcome. I powered through 6 shows because this was recommended to me and I thought there must be more to it. I can pretty safely say I tried. Don't waste precious hours of your life on this.… Expand
  12. Irishknight
    Sep 4, 2014
    1
    I've just finished the first season and for every episode I thought how pathetic is this show. Kerry Washington is beautiful but her acting is fake. How can be possible she was nominated at the last Emmys?!?
  13. sanrus1958
    Sep 21, 2014
    0
    Well first, the show is a bad reflection and demeaning of US politics. Second Olivia Pope Played by Kerry Washington has sex with multiple men (a slut with no moral , she watches her dad kill, she knows that Jake is sicko Jake serial killer and has sex and hangs out with him and the creepy Huck the psycho dude who is having sex in the streets and open places with Quinn. Cyrus is a reallyWell first, the show is a bad reflection and demeaning of US politics. Second Olivia Pope Played by Kerry Washington has sex with multiple men (a slut with no moral , she watches her dad kill, she knows that Jake is sicko Jake serial killer and has sex and hangs out with him and the creepy Huck the psycho dude who is having sex in the streets and open places with Quinn. Cyrus is a really creepy psycho dude to. Blow to morality in the United States!… Expand
  14. mythruth
    Nov 11, 2014
    0
    I do not even know where to start. Does anybody in the cast know how to act? Or is the director simply craycray. The script is ridiculous, seriously, make it real, when we watch a show we want to immerse in it and do not even notice if its acting or reality, they just do not get it, the dumb repetition, the completely long and fake monologues, just a minute makes you feel lime you areI do not even know where to start. Does anybody in the cast know how to act? Or is the director simply craycray. The script is ridiculous, seriously, make it real, when we watch a show we want to immerse in it and do not even notice if its acting or reality, they just do not get it, the dumb repetition, the completely long and fake monologues, just a minute makes you feel lime you are watching a 7th grade drama project. And what is going on with the way they speak, paused and like they are on meth. I. WILL. SOLVE. THIS. THIS. IS. MY. FAULT. KILLING. IS. GOOD. ITS. WHO. I. AM. Really? I usually watch these series to see what happens with the dialogues, whit the actors, maybe to see some improvement but Scandal was a burden to watch, i could not make it after season 3, enough is enough. I do not recommend it even if you are looking for something dull to see. The characters are very bad, nonsensical, the plot is even worse, the acting (if you can call it that) makes me want to cry, Kerry Washington should seriously consider another career.… Expand
  15. Texassturedman
    Jun 19, 2015
    0
    As with lots of series it starts off great and loses steam each season. To me season 4 loses its way and the writers are out of ideas with filler stories just to have something on. Don't watch past season 2.
  16. charlie33
    Aug 20, 2015
    1
    James Perry saves this show with his flawless acting. There are some other good actors but I am so, so sady with how Kerry Washington, one of my favorites, over-acts, has two faces---1. puppy dog eyes and 2. screaming like crazy. And the whole affair with the President is disturbing on many levels. First of all, it is basically ALL the President thinks of...isn't our country worth aJames Perry saves this show with his flawless acting. There are some other good actors but I am so, so sady with how Kerry Washington, one of my favorites, over-acts, has two faces---1. puppy dog eyes and 2. screaming like crazy. And the whole affair with the President is disturbing on many levels. First of all, it is basically ALL the President thinks of...isn't our country worth a thought? Secondly, every single sex scene with them is the same, build up....passionate kiss...push him away....kiss again...then either sex or run away.
    And Gladiators, seriously? All this takes away from some great story lines, like James Perry's.    … Expand
  17. noonesfo
    Oct 26, 2017
    2
    This show used to be good, but has gone downhill the last season and this. They have made Olivia into an easily disliked character; power hungry about who she is, disrespectful to almost anyone, a user. It's gotten to where wondering what is going to happen, often unbelievable stuff, is overwhelmed by dislike for what the show has become.
  18. jtmason3
    Feb 3, 2018
    1
    How can a show so good have fallen so much in just a couple of years. The Quinn kidnap/death/etc, not only is a rehash of what happened to Huck, its just too damn ridiculous now, and exposes a bigger problem with the writing. It's like they are out of options, and all they can do is make Olivia and her Father the worse people on the planet. The problem with this is that the show wasHow can a show so good have fallen so much in just a couple of years. The Quinn kidnap/death/etc, not only is a rehash of what happened to Huck, its just too damn ridiculous now, and exposes a bigger problem with the writing. It's like they are out of options, and all they can do is make Olivia and her Father the worse people on the planet. The problem with this is that the show was built around Olivia as ultimately the hero, even when she got her hands dirty, but now it's like they want to shred the decency of the Black characters. Wait... is Donald Trump head writer now?!?… Expand

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best TV Season of 2012
13
#13 Most Discussed TV Season of 2012
3
#3 Most Shared TV Season of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 29
  3. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Apr 9, 2012
    60
    It's the new Revenge, but so much goofier and more shameless that it makes Revenge look comparatively measured.
    Read full review
  2. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Nancy DeWolf Smith
    Apr 6, 2012
    70
    It's still a fun, fast ride, with lots of twists and turns, murder and menace, and after only a few episodes we know enough back story about most of the main characters to care what happens to them.
    Read full review
  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Apr 5, 2012
    70
    Rhimes hustles the audience into episodes in the middle of things. Pope and her colleagues speak at a clip suggesting years of study at the West Wing School of Elocution and Composition. In the rush, I scarcely had time to scoff at the over-the-top content of the pilot.
    Read full review
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