Today ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey announced that season seven will be the final season for the hit Shondaland drama Scandal. Reports surfaced last week thatScandal Season 7would be the show’s last, but the network confirmed the news during its upfront presentation. Here’s what Channing Dungey, president, ABC Entertainment, had to say in a statement aboutScandalcoming to an end.
“Shonda has decided the series needs to come to a close, and while this is definitely a bittersweet moment for all of usgladiators, I have no doubt what she has in store for the final season will be as powerful as what’s come before, and we will be sure to honor that every step of the way.”
As a staple in the Shonda Rhimes programming block known as “TGIT,” the Washington, D.C., drama about a political fixer namedOlivia Pope(Kerry Washington) and her team of associates who sacrifice their time, and often their morals, to “handle” unimaginable crises affecting the nation’s elite, is getting a proper send-off. Throughout the last six seasons,Scandalhas used OMG storytelling to explore political culture, gender disparities, sexual politics and race in America. Here’s what Patrick Moran, president,ABCStudios, had to say in his statement.
“ABC Studios is so proud ofScandal, and the Shondaland TGIT franchise, which have been so important to our studio’s success. It’s hard to imagine Thursday nights without Olivia Pope and company and the roller-coaster ride of the last six seasons.”
Debuting in April 2012 the show broke barriers withKerry Washingtonstarring as the first African American female lead in a drama series in over thiry seven years. Scandal quickly emerged as the #1 show in its Thursday time slot across all key Women demographics proving that inclusion in television was long overdue. Here’s what series creator Shonda Rhimes had to say in a statement.
“Deciding how to end a show is easy. Deciding when to finish is quite simple when the end date is years away. But actually going through with it? Actually standing up to say: ‘This is it?’ Not so much. So, next year we are going all out. Leaving nothing on the table. Creating this world in celebration. We are going to handle the end the way we like to handle the important things in ourScandalfamily: all together, white hats on, gladiators running full speed over a cliff.”
One year afterScandal’s debut, the ABC drama became the first-ever program to build onGrey’s Anatomy. By its third season, “Scandal” became a social dynamo, generating a massive 7.0 million tweets in a single season and redefining what it meant to be a social-media powerhouse.Scandalranks as ABC’s #2 most social drama this season with 2.6 million total interactions across Facebook and Twitter. Helping to re-invigorate ABC’s Thursday night,Scandalhas won its 9 p.m. hour in all 14 weeks since its January return.
Over the course of the past six seasons,Scandalhas been awarded an AFI Award, two NAACP Image Awards, a Peabody Award, a Gracie Award, a WIN Award and many other accolades. For three years in a row, Kerry Washington received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama. Washington also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Olivia Pope. In addition, Joe Morton and Dan Bucatinsky have both received Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Scandalstars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, Guillermo Diaz as Huck, Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan, Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins, Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Grant, Jeff Perry as Cyrus Beene,Joshua Malinaas David Rosen, Bellamy Young as Mellie Grant, Scott Foley as Jake Ballard, Joe Morton as Rowan Pope, George Newbern as Charlie and Cornelius Smith Jr. as Marcus Walker.Scandalwas created by Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy,How to Get Away with Murder). Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers (Grey’s Anatomy,How to Get Away with Murder), Mark Fish and Tom Verica are executive producers.Scandalis produced by ABC Studios.
