Scripted series · ABC
Scandal
Dirty little secrets always come out.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Kerry Washington
Olivia Pope
124 eps
Henry Ian Cusick
Stephen Finch
8 eps
Columbus Short
Harrison Wright
47 eps
Darby Stanchfield
Abby Whelan
124 eps
Katie Lowes
Quinn Perkins
124 eps
Guillermo Díaz
Huck
124 eps
Jeff Perry
Cyrus Beene
124 eps
Tony Goldwyn
President Fitzgerald Grant
124 eps
Joshua Malina
David Rosen
124 eps
Bellamy Young
Mellie Grant
124 eps
George Newbern
Charlie
69 eps
Scott Foley
Jake Ballard
104 eps
Portia De Rossi
Elizabeth North
49 eps
Cornelius Smith, Jr.
Marcus Walker
57 eps
Joe Morton
Eli 'Rowan' Pope
88 eps
Norm Lewis
Edison Davis
16 eps
Jay Hernandez
Curtis Pryce
7 eps
Samantha Sloyan
Jeannine Locke
8 eps
Artemis Pebdani
Susan Ross
19 eps
Asante Jones
Reporter Martin
11 eps
Whitney Hice
Hannah
10 eps
Kimrie Lewis
Ashley Davidson
24 eps
Erica Shaffer
Reporter Julia
38 eps
Debra Mooney
Verna Thornton
11 eps
Susan Pourfar
Becky Flynn
8 eps
Joe Holt
Defense Secretary
8 eps
Matt Letscher
Billy Chambers
8 eps
Stoney Westmoreland
Hal Rimbeau
8 eps
Dan Bucatinsky
James Novak
29 eps
Gregg Henry
Hollis Doyle
23 eps
Mackenzie Astin
Noah Baker
11 eps
Sharmila Devar
Lauren Wellman
15 eps
Molly Baker
Rachel Moss
20 eps
Tom Amandes
Samuel Reston
7 eps
Nazanin Boniadi
Adnan Salif
7 eps
Vanya Asher
Ethan
17 eps
Kristin Carey
Brooke Foster
8 eps
Kate Burton
Sally Langston
42 eps
Khandi Alexander
Maya Lewis
20 eps
Brian Letscher
Tom Larsen
34 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Scandal actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Scandal reads strongest on Character Depth, Emotional Weight and Bingeability.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Everyone has secrets and Olivia Pope has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the elite by keeping those secrets under wraps. Pope and her team are at the top of their game when it comes to getting the job done for their clients, but it becomes apparent that these "gladiators in suits," who specialize in fixing the lives of other people, have trouble fixing those closest at hand -- their own.
The run
Seasons
7 seasons · 124 episodes.
Season 0 · Unannounced
Specials
4 episodes
Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
20127 episodes
7.6IMDbWith a sharp mind -- and an impressive consulting the president -- crisis management expert Olivia Pope has a knack for solving her clients' problems.
Best episode · S01E06 The Trail
Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
201222 episodes
8.0IMDbCrisis management expert Olivia Pope and her team of Washington, D.C., lawyers continue to smooth over scandals for their powerful government clients.
Best episode · S02E13 Nobody Likes Babies
Season 3 · Complete
Season 3
201318 episodes
7.9IMDbOlivia and her crew at Pope and Associates continue to guide White House staff through damage control even as suspicion falls on a member of her team.
Best episode · S03E08 Vermont is for Lovers, Too
Season 4 · Complete
Season 4
201422 episodes
7.9IMDbIn Season 4, Olivia returns from overseas exile and tries to reconstitute her scattered firm, while Jake faces judgment for a murder he didn't commit.
Best episode · S04E09 Where the Sun Don't Shine
Season 5 · Complete
Season 5
201521 episodes
7.8IMDbFollowing major upheaval at the White House and beyond, Olivia must shore up her decimated team and move forward in a changed landscape.
Best episode · S05E05 You Got Served
Season 6 · Complete
Season 6
201716 episodes
8.4IMDbThe work of Olivia Pope's crisis management firm continues in Season 6 as Fitz leaves office and a new president steps in.
Best episode · S06E04 The Belt
Season 7 · Complete
Season 7
201718 episodes
8.1IMDbThe award-winning drama's final season begins 100 days into Mellie Grant's administration, with Olivia by her side -- and on top of the world.
Best episode · S07E17 Standing in the Sun
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S02E13
Nobody Likes Babies
As David uncovers the truth about the Cytron case, things come to a head for Olivia, Cyrus, Mellie, Hollis and Verna. Backed into a corner, the five conspirators go to extremes and, in some cases, unconscionable lengths to protect themselves and/or the ones they love.
S07E12
Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself (I)
Olivia, in the midst of moving on from the White House and gets an unexpected visitor — criminal defense attorney Annalise Keating, who seeks her help in fast-tracking a judicial reform class action to the United States Supreme Court. However, after Olivia’s recent fall from political grace, it’s going to be more challenging than ever to get the support they need. The crossover continues on How How to Get Away with Murder S04E12 Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (II).
- Directed by Tony Goldwyn
- Written by Raamla Mohamed
S02E22
White Hat's Back On
With the identity of the mole now closer than ever, Olivia and her team are in very real danger. Meanwhile, the latest White House scandal pushes Cyrus to his limits.
S02E19
Seven Fifty-Two
While Olivia engages in an emotion-filled conversation with Fitz, her team works to help one of their own. Cyrus becomes skeptic towards his husband and Mellie is near to bringing the white house down.
S02E21
Any Questions?
The White House is in the middle of its biggest scandal to date and Cyrus is in the eye of the storm. Meanwhile, someone close to Olivia betrays her and the team.
- Written by Matt Byrne
S03E08
Vermont is for Lovers, Too
Olivia and the team try to handle both uncovering the truth behind Operation Remington, while also managing a potential crisis with the Josie Marcus campaign. Meanwhile, Quinn falls further down the rabbit hole with Charlie, and Cyrus creates a plan to take down Sally, but doesn't think of the possible harm he could inflict on himself.
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S07E17
Standing in the Sun
- Directed by Jann Turner
- Written by Mark Fish, Matt Byrne
S07E15
The Noise
- Directed by Darby Stanchfield
- Written by Raamla Mohamed, Jeremy Gordon
S07E14
The List
- Directed by Greg Evans
- Written by Jess Brownell, Juan Carlos Fernandez
S07E13
Air Force Two
- Directed by Valerie Weiss
- Written by Severiano Canales
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Shonda Rhimes
Showrunner
- Photo unavailable
Tia Napolitano
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Raamla Mohamed
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Heather Mitchell
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Jenna Bans
Writer
Zahir McGhee
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Austin Guzman
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Alison Schapker
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Ameni Rozsa
Writer
Tom Verica
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Nicholas Nardini
Writer
Mark Fish
Writer
Michelle Lirtzman
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Johanna Lee
Writer
Jess Brownell
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Jeremy Gordon
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Matt Byrne
Writer
Chris Van Dusen
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Severiano Canales
Writer
Paul William Davies
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Juan Carlos Fernandez
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Betsy BeersProducer
- Shonda RhimesExecutive Producer
Writing
- Tia NapolitanoWriter
- Raamla MohamedWriter
- Heather MitchellWriter
- Jenna BansWriter
- Zahir McGheeWriter
- Austin GuzmanWriter
Direction
- Nicole Cummins-RubioDirector
- Oliver BokelbergDirector
- Joe MortonDirector
- Allison Liddi-BrownDirector
- Valerie WeissDirector
- Nzingha StewartDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- NetflixStreaming
- HuluStreaming
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- Netflix Standard with AdsStreaming
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