Scandal season 1 explained

Season Number:	1
Bgcolour:	463537
Num Episodes:	7
Network:	ABC
Next Season:	Season 2
Episode List:	List of Scandal episodes

The first season of the ABC American television drama series Scandal premiered on April 5, 2012 and concluded on May 17, 2012, with a total of 7 episodes.^[1]

Plot

This season introduces Olivia Pope and the various members of her firm, as well as President of the United States Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) and Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry), his chief of staff. The season focused on the lives of the team members, the relationship between Olivia and the president (her former employer), and the mystery surrounding Amanda Tanner's (Liza Weil) involvement with the White House, among other cases the team solved.

Cast and characters

Main

• • Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope Henry Ian Cusick as Stephen Finch
• Columbus Short as Harrison Wright
  • • Darby Stanchfield as Abigail "Abby" Whelan Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins Guillermo Diaz as Huck
• Jeff Perry as White House Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene
• Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald "Fitz" Thomas Grant III

Recurring

• Joshua Malina as David Rosen
• Bellamy Young as First Lady Melody "Mellie" Grant
• Brendan Hines as Gideon Wallace
• Matt Letscher as Billy Chambers
• Liza Weil as Amanda Tanner
• Dan Bucatinsky as James Novak
• Kate Burton as Vice President Sally Langston
• Brian Letscher as Tom Larsen
• George Newbern as Charlie

Guest stars

• Mimi Kennedy as Sharon Marquette
• JoBeth Williams as Sandra Harding
• Valerie Cruz as Carolina Flores
• Brenda Song as Alissa
• Samantha Sloyan as Jeannine Locke
• Wes Brown as Lieutenant Sully St. James

Episodes

See also: List of Scandal episodes.

Reception

The series has been met with a generally favorable response from critics, with many being intrigued by the mysteries on the show and praised the show for having an African-American lead role. The series started with generally positive reviews from critics.^{[2] [3]} The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 87% approval rating with an average rating of 6.60/10 based on 31 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Scandal is a soapy show about work and love that's over the top but never boring."^[4] Metacritic gave the show a rating of 66 out of 100 based on 33 reviews.^[5]

Ratings

Live + SD ratings

No. in series	No. in season	Episode	Air date	Time slot (EST)	Rating/Share (18–49)	Viewers (m)
1	1	"Sweet Baby"		Thursday 10:00 P.M.	2.0/6	7.33
2	2	"Dirty Little Secrets"		2.0/6	7.28
3	3	"Hell Hath No Fury"		2.0/6	7.21
4	4	"Enemy of the State"		2.0/6	6.86
5	5	"Crash and Burn"		1.9/5	6.69
6	6	"The Trail"		1.9/6	6.43
7	7	"Grant: For the People"		2.3/7	7.33

Live + 7 Day (DVR) ratings

No. in Series	No. in Season	Episode	Air Date	Timeslot (EST)	18–49 rating increase	Viewers (millions) increase	Total 18-49	Total viewers (millions)	Ref
1	1	"Sweet Baby"		Thursdays 10:00 P.M.	0.7	1.84	2.7	9.21	^[6]
2	2	"Dirty Little Secrets"
3	3	"Hell Hath No Fury"			1.69		8.90	^[7]
4	4	"Enemy of the State"
5	5	"Crash and Burn"
6	6	"The Trail"
7	7	"Grant: For the People"			1.74		9.07	^[8]

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Nominee	Result
ALMA Award	Favorite TV Actor – Supporting Role in a Drama	Guillermo Díaz
NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series	Shonda Rhimes ("Sweet Baby")

DVD release

Scandal: The Complete First Season
Set Details			Special Features
7 Episodes 2-Disc Set English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround) English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles			Scandal: Setting The Pace Gladiators in Suits: Casting a Series Scripting Scandal
Release Dates
Region 1			Region 2
June 12, 2012			October 7, 2013

Notes and References

1. Web site: Scandal (2012–) Episode List. imdb.com. imdb. 18 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171016182654/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1837576/episodes?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1. 16 October 2017. live.
2. Web site: Scandal: Scandal. McGee. Ryan. . September 25, 2014. April 5, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140828042050/http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/scandal-scandal-71777. August 28, 2014. live.
3. Web site: Scandal Premiere Review: Gladiators. In Suits.. TV Fanatic. Wicker. Miranda. September 25, 2014. April 6, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20140323091559/http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/04/scandal-premiere-review-gladiators-in-suits/. March 23, 2014. live.
4. Web site: SCANDAL: SEASON 1 (2012). Rotten Tomatoes. September 25, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150201143832/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scandal/s01/. February 1, 2015. live.
5. Web site: Scandal : Season 1. Metacritic. September 25, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20120819095158/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/scandal. August 19, 2012. live.
6. Web site: Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'New Girl' Tops Absolute Ratings Gain, 'Fringe' Tops % Gains, 'The Mentalist' Tops Total Viewer Gains in Week 29. TV by the Numbers. Kondolojy. Amanda. September 30, 2014. April 23, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20141011182823/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/04/23/live7-dvr-ratings-new-girl-tops-absolute-ratings-gain-fringe-tops-gains-the-mentalist-tops-total-viewer-gains-in-week-29/130300/. October 11, 2014. dead.
7. Web site: Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'Modern Family' Tops Absolute Ratings & Total Viewer Gains, 'Firm' Tops % Gains in Week 31. TV by the Numbers. May 7, 2012. September 30, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20120814184650/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/07/live7-dvr-ratings-modern-family-tops-absolute-ratings-total-viewer-gains-firm-tops-gains-in-week-31/132706/. August 14, 2012. dead.
8. Web site: Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'Modern Family' Again Leads Ratings and Viewership Gains,'Grimm' Ranks Number One In Percentage Increases. TV by the Numbers. Kondolojy. Amanda. September 30, 2014. June 4, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120613172438/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/06/04/live7-dvr-ratings-modern-family-again-leads-ratings-and-viewership-gainsgrimm-ranks-number-one-in-percentage-increases/136698/. June 13, 2012. dead.