Starring Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, Scandal is one of Shonda Rhimes’ best TV shows. The political thriller centers around Pope as she and her team try to fix the scandals of Washington’s elite. Each Gladiator had a skill set that helped ensure their high-profile clients avoided scandals that would ruin their professional and personal lives.

During its run, it became apparent that the later seasons of Scandal had a different tone from its first and second seasons. But the TV show still remained popular despite these changes. Washington is enchanting as Olivia, and so is the rest of the cast, who do an incredible job of capturing each intense moment in the series. The intricate storytelling featured in Scandal sets it apart from other political thrillers, but not every change made in Rhimes’ TV show worked.

Scandal Shifted Its Focus After Season 2

The Later Seasons Of Scandal Had A Different Tone

Any show that runs for several seasons needs to keep its premise intriguing to maintain audience interest. However, some changes to the original storyline of a series can be so much that they create some controversy, as was the case with Scandal. Scandal season 1 had a pretty straightforward plot. Olivia Pope & Associates dedicated their lives to ensuring their clients’ problems were fixed. This premise worked because Pope and her employees were complex characters with intriguing backstories.

However, after Scandal season 2, it became obvious that the show was losing its essence. While the first and second seasons focused on Pope & Associates, the rest of Scandal centered around different storylines. For instance, the show introduced Olivia’s father, who was the head of a secret government agency called B613. Scandal’s later seasons also put Olivia and Fitz's relationship and White House politics at the forefront, and altogether abandoned Olivia’s crisis management firm. As Shonda Rhimes’ show went on, it became a little bit darker and abandoned what made audiences like it in the first place.

Scandal Wasn't As Interesting After It Abandoned Its Original Premise

Scandal Lost Its Spark

What made Scandal seasons 1 and 2 so good was Olivia and the Gladiators' dynamic. The way they fought the good fight and put on white hats was inspiring. But after the team started disbanding following Stephen’s departure from the show, Scandal fell apart. The show lost its heart and was instead a shadow of itself. Granted, the new storylines were interesting and enough to keep fans of the show engaged, especially because of Fitz and Olivia’s relationship, but the series became too dramatic.

Scandal seasons 1 and 2 had an identity, which was essentially Olivia Pope using her skills for good. The series’ later seasons seemed lost and tried to incorporate too many genres. Some storylines just didn’t seem to have a place in the show. Fortunately, fans of the series had a chance to see Olivia work her magic as she got Mellie elected as president later on in the series, but it just wasn’t the same as her running Washington’s most respected crisis management company.

Scandal Is Still Worth Watching Despite The Major Changes After Season 1

Scandal Is An Entertaining TV Show

Scandal has all the markings of a great Shonda Rhimes TV show. It has a remarkable female lead, witty dialogue, and an intense love story. The series did change a lot after season 1, but some aspects of its storyline were intriguing. Particularly when it came to Fitz and Olivia’s will-they-won’t-they relationship. The couple held the show down until it eventually concluded, and seeing their dynamic and how they evolved both as partners and individuals is one of Scandal's redeeming qualities.

Washington is incredible in every season of Scandal, and her portrayal of Olivia Pope is one of the highlights of the series.

It can be argued that Scandal season 1 is when the Shonda Rhimes political thriller was at its best, but that doesn’t mean the show itself or its later seasons are not worth watching. The introduction of a secret government agency no one has ever heard of was interesting, and seeing its characters morph from good guys to people doing morally questionable things proved that they were capable of nuance. Washington is incredible in every season of Scandal, and her portrayal of Olivia Pope is one of the highlights of the series.