When Scandal debuted on ABC back in 2012, no one could have predicted the impact that it would have on the television space and pop culture at large. The Shonda Rhimes-helmed series followed a former presidential consultant's influence within the Washington D.C. political space, with every season cementing Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) as a household name. Two years after its series finale, gladiators will soon be able to relive the excitement of the Scandal universe episode after episode on Hulu.
Scandal aired on ABC for six long years, sharing a primetime Thursday evening slot with fellow Shondaland productions Grey's Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder. The series premiere made Washington the first Black woman to lead a network drama in almost forty years, her protagonist (and sometimes anti-hero) Olivia inspiring fans at home to take on the title of gladiators proudly.
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If you're missing Olivia and her comrades of former spies, lawyers, and criminals — anybody can be a gladiator — you'll be able to obsess over the group of fixers once again very soon. Deadline reports that once ABC Studios' exclusive deal with Netflix ends this month, Hulu's new agreement with the network grants the platform's subscribers full access to all seven seasons of the ABC political thriller series.
Rhimes fans may be confused as to why Netflix has given up the rights to Scandal, especially since the triple threat creative recently signed a major multi-year deal with the streaming giant to produce Netflix original content. To enter into that contract with Netflix, Rhimes had to cut ties with ABC Studios. Once she did that, the network was able to do what it pleased with the showrunner's projects, even if that meant distributing them to the competition.
With all that's going on in the world, sitting down to binge-watch every single episode of Scandal for a third time doesn't sound half bad. Gladiators, I'll meet you on the couch, wine, and popcorn in hand.