News of the reduction comes with enough time for the Shonda Rhimes-created political drama to do the necessary plot trimming and corner cutting necessary to fit the second arc of the season into the allotted number of episodes. Generally, shows like this are 5-6 episodes ahead in production, so there are still episodes left to complete this season and enough time for the necessary tweaks to be made to those that were already completed. While this means that more of what happens this season could carry over into next, it’s not as if the drama is in any danger of being cut, considering that the show is now the number one drama on television in C3 ratings, number eight in high-income adults, and outpacing its second season by 58%, making it the fastest growing series on television. Additionally, with its last original episode, the show outdrew Grey’s Anatomy by its biggest margin yet.

The winter finale of Scandal is set to air Thursday at 10:00 on ABC. The series was originally scheduled to return from hiatus on February 27th, but with the episode order reduction, there’s a chance that its return could be delayed.

Have you been enjoying this season of Scandal? Do you think that the episode reduction will be good for the show’s storytelling? What do you expect to happen during the upcoming winter finale?

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Creator of the most popular shows, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and Private Practice, Shonda Rhimes will now be writing a book, based on her own life. Rhimes just signed the deal with publisher Simon & Schuster for her memoir which will be published and released in 2015.

The veteran show-runner will be exploring her life prior to venturing into Hollywood, when she decided to build a family, faced hardships being a single mother, along with trying hard in her professional life. The book is said to be a combination of memoir, inspiration and prescription by Rhimes. On the book announcement, Shonda kidded that S & S are crazy to sign the deal with her as she is no way, in the position to impart wisdom. But then on a thoughtful note she shared that she has had her share of mistakes, playing different roles of a single, working, dating and sleepless mother and add to that, working on a couple of TV shows, that’s got to be tough!

The Vice President and Chief Editor of S & S, Marysue Rucci further said that none knows storytelling better than Rhimes and with her memoir her fans would relish reading her life’s story in her own words. He also said that Shonda’s fans would love to read how exceptionally well she handled her life’s situations and excelled in her career bringing out successful shows which have a huge fan following around the world.

In her successful career, Shonda has been honored with the Television Producer of the Year award by the Producers Guild of America, along with a Lucy Award for Television Excellence and a GLAAD Golden Gate Award. Quite recently, President Barack Obama appointed Shonda Rhimes as a Trustee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

We wonder how is Shonda going to take out time for her book, when she is busy running ABC’s most viewed shows – Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. Grey’s Anatomy Season 10 is being aired at present and the show recently celebrated its 200 episodes.

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After last week’s twist, Khandi Alexander (Treme, CSI: Miami) has been announced to be playing the recurring role of Maya Lewis, Olivia Pope’s late mother.  She will begin appearing in flashbacks starting this week’s episode (November 7th), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

On last week’s episode of Scandal, Huck (Guillermo Diaz) and Jake (Scott Foley) uncovered the mystery…or part of it, behind Operation Remington and President Fitzgerald Grant’s (Tony Goldwyn) involvement.  While in service, and under orders from Olivia’s father, he shot down a civilian airliner carrying more than 300 passengers, Olivia’s mother being one of them.

Cue, the upcoming unraveling of this story thread with Alexander’s casting, and hopefully some insight into her life…and death, Olivia’s family past, and more about the mysterious B613.

Alexander currently stars in HBO’s Treme, which begins its fourth and final season on December 1st.

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On tonight’s episode of Scandal, Cyrus and Mellie have called in Leo Bergen, who they hope to be Fitz’s campaign manager for the coming reelection bid. However, rather than being taken in by the promise of endless funds at his disposal and a well-oiled machine behind him, Leo decides that managing Fitz isn’t the thing for him; in his words, he doesn’t work with losers and Fitz, no matter what he’s been through or how many congenial primetime interviews he does with Mellie, has become a political loser in recent times. He’s someone a manager will have to pull up from the depths of political hell in order to give him a sniff of the Oval Office and he might be too far down in the court of public opinion to where spending months on a campaign would be a fool’s errand. No matter why Leo has decided to run from the opportunity of working with the President, Mellie and Cyrus have their work cut out for them if they want to retain the power they’ve enjoyed since they rigged the last election and worked their guy into the White House.

Elsewhere on Scandal, the team investigates Congresswoman Josie Marcus, while Mellie and Olivia have a run-in at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and Jake and Huck get closer to uncovering the truth about Operation Remington.

Scandal airs tonight at 10:00 on ABC.

Is Leo correct in his assessment of Fitz? Considering the President’s recent scandals and sullied reputation, will Mellie and Cyrus find the campaign manager to lead him to reelection? What will happen at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with Mellie and Olivia?

The post Scandal 3.05 Sneak Peek: Mellie and Cyrus Go on the Hunt for a Campaign Manager appeared first on TVHackr.

Adelstein, once Private Practice doctor, will be joining Season 3 of the DC-set drama in what is as of yet a secret role.  But, really, is anything ever not a secret in Shonda Rhimes’ world?

His role on Scandal will be Adelstein’s first primetime role on television since Private Practice ended its run back in January – CBS pilot Mother’s Day, which he played opposite Debra Messing, did not make the 2013-14 schedule.  Paul Adelstein’s credits also include Prison Break, Cupid, and Law & Order: SVU.  He is also lead singer and guitarist of the band Doris.

Scandal premieres on Thursday, October 3^rd at 10PM ET.

The post Which Private Practice Doctor Is Joining Scandal Season 3? appeared first on TVHackr.

Olivia is so used to separating herself from the cases (and lives) that she fixes that it should be interesting to see how she deals with not only being her own client, but having to control a scandal that could break her professional reputation. Through the run of Scandal, we’ve both seen the political fixer in action and witnessed other people expounding on the virtues of her abilities and the aura the mention of her name brings to any room, but she might not be in the best place when we pick up with season three, particularly since she met her father immediately after learning of the leak. As a result, the noted control freak will have to let one of her colleagues take the reins and help deliver her from the jaws of the political shark threatening to sink its teeth into her, something that will shift the dynamic of Pope & Associates and leave Olivia more comfortable with the idea of reducing her role in some capacity. Olivia Pope eats and breathes being a gladiator, the one who rides up on their white horse and makes all problems go away for their client, but right now, she’ll have to hope she’s assembled a team strong enough to get her out of this situation (mostly) unscathed.

The third season of Scandal is set to premiere Thursday, October 3rd at 10:00 on ABC. Set to guest star this season is Cynthia Stevenson (Dead Like Me, Life Unexpected), who will be one of the first clients that Olivia has to deal with following the reveal of her deepest personal secret.

Will you be watching Scandal this season? How do you think Olivia will handle having her biggest secret become the topic of gossip fodder? Can she find a way to kill the story and shift the narrative like she has countless times for her clients?

The post Scandal Season 3 Poster: Everybody Knows appeared first on TVHackr.

“We’re thrilled to be joining forces with ABC in airing this dynamic series,” said Debra Lee, Chairman, BET Networks. “Scandal is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with viewers for the past two seasons and we’re excited to be part of its continued journey.”

This could potentially be a great thing for both the show and BET. Scandal, which exploded in the ratings last season amid an arc about an assassination attempt and election rigging, will get even more exposure that could help it keep the momentum it had at the end of season two, while BET gets a hot property that might help their original programming. If the arrangement between the networks goes well, Scandal should keep its stranglehold on its Thursday time slot, since it’ll likely pick up some BET eyes and people won’t be able to fall that far behind thanks to the reairings; there’s a slight chance, though, that the reairings could fragment the audience and have people watching strictly on BET rather than keeping up live. That might not end up mattering, since Scandal has gotten quite a jolt from social media and its frenetic storytelling. Simply put, people like to watch Scandal live and that urgency could offset whatever live audience it would lose through the new arrangement with BET.

Scandal returns for a third season this fall on ABC. You can check out ABC’s full fall 2013 schedule here.

What do you think about the move by BET? Does this all but guarantee a fourth season of Scandal? What do you expect to happen during the show’s third season?

The post BET to Broadcast Scandal’s First Two Seasons This Summer, Season 3 in Fall appeared first on TVHackr.

Given the nature of where he ended it, it seemed as if we said goodbye to Jake in the second season finale, so the promotion is a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. Foley quickly gelled into the world of Scandal and exemplified the show’s commitment to the gray area in morality, but you have to wonder how they’re going to plausibly bring him back while giving him enough to do to justify his new status. There’s a chance they could pull another time jump in the early part of the season and land after the shady organization freed him from captivity, making Jake’s arc about reassimilating into society and figuring out whether he’ll flee or fall in line with B613’s ideals. Another possibility is that the show decides to show his time in the hole, warts and all, considering that Huck’s own sentence was fit into one episode; mostly intriguingly, though, is the idea that Olivia could “fix” her father into letting Jake go, putting him back on the streets and potentially setting up a rekindling of their romance. Jake did Olivia a major solid in not turning on her when he had the opportunity to do so and she could want to do whatever she has to pay him back, even if it means getting closer to the man she thought she had left behind long ago.

Most known for his role as Noel Crane on The WB’s Felicity, Foley has also appeared on the likes of True Blood, Scrubs, and The Unit. He currently stars on FOX’s summer burn-off The Goodwin Games, which the network ordered at the 2012 upfronts before cutting its episode order from 13 to 7 and delaying its airing until summer.

Scandal returns this fall on ABC. You can check out the network’s full fall 2013 schedule here.

What do you think Foley’s promotion means for Jake’s third season arc? Will the character make it through the entire season? Is there a chance that, should he escape captivity, he and Olivia could rekindle their romance?

The post Scandal: Scott Foley Promoted to Series Regular for Season 3 appeared first on TVHackr.

On the next episode of Scandal, Cyrus is trying to convince Fitz to go back to Mellie and save the White House. He doesn’t care if the President remains faithful or treats Mellie with any amount of respect behind closed doors (heck, he even offers to clean Olivia’s lipstick from Fitz’s collar and whisk her in and out of the motorcade); he merely wants the man he helped get elected to not ruin his place in history by trying to impress his mistress. However, after a lifetime of doing what other people want him to do and letting decisions be made for him, Fitz seems to be sticking by his choice this time. He loves Olivia and this time, he’s going to get the quiet, normal life that he so desperately craves – or die trying.

Elsewhere on Scandal, the other gladiators inform Olivia of the latest developments in the hunt for the mole. While she’s relieved for it not to be Cyrus, there’s still the fact that someone else knows about the election rigging to be dealt with.

Scandal airs Thursdays at 10:00 on ABC.

Who do you think is the mole on Scandal? (My money is on VP Langston, but this is a show that goes anywhere and does anything, so it could very well be Zombie!Amanda Tanner, for all I know.) Did Fitz make the right decision in essentially giving up his political career in order to go legitimate with Olivia? Just how much fallout will the White House have to deal with as a result of Fitz’s actions (or, well, inaction)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ0zUr7m54k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66ZXknF3AtQ

The post Scandal 2.21 Sneak Peeks: Can Cyrus Convince Fitz to Remain President? appeared first on TVHackr.

On the next episode of Scandal, Mellie has made her demands clear. She’s giving her husband 36 hours to convince her that he’s truly sorry for his actions and willing to rededicate himself to their relationship and children. The punishment if he fails to persuade her? She goes on national television and tells the world that the man she married is a “whore-loving bastard”, thereby dealing the final blow to the administration and Fitz’s reelection hopes. Nothing else can get her to back down, especially not Cyrus, so if Fitz wants to show that he can get elected without the help of a mysterious cabal, he’ll appear before his wife and do what needs to be done. But is the recent apathy he’s shown toward his career, fueled by the Defiance reveal, a sign that he won’t take this threat seriously?

Elsewhere on Scandal, Olivia’s safety is still compromised and Fitz sends Jake to protect her for the time being, while the team continues their investigation into the mole and makes a shocking discovery.

Scandal airs tonight at 10:00 on ABC.

Is Mellie right for leaving Fitz over Olivia? If she exposed him on national television, would anything be able to stop her rise to power? Do you think that Cyrus is really the mole?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffkHte1W2TI

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