Scandal is an American television political drama series created by Shonda Rhimes, and broadcast by ABC.
The show features an ensemble cast of regular characters, with eight main characters in its first season. Since the first season, two characters have left the show or have been written out, and several new main characters have been written in or upgraded in the series. Following is a list of characters who have appeared over the various seasons since the drama's premiere.
Main characters
Cast Notes
Olivia Pope
Olivia Carolyn Pope, portrayed by Kerry Washington, is a former White House Communications Director who is widely regarded as the best "fixer" in Washington. Olivia worked on the presidential campaign of then-Governor Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III, with whom she began an affair. After Fitz became President, and named Olivia Director of Communications, they continued the affair. Although she still had feelings for him, Olivia knew that it would be best to resign from her position and as a result, she started "Pope & Associates", a crisis management company. Throughout Season One, Olivia demonstrates that she is very dedicated to her work and to the people she helps and that she's surrounded by staff who are very loyal to her due to her saving each of them a problem in their past. At the beginning of Season Two, it is revealed that Olivia had something to do with Quinn Perkins's past and that she made a call that eventually got Quinn's case thrown out of court, saving her from the death penalty. Olivia is shown to have a contentious relationship with Mellie, the First Lady; the two women cannot stand each other, but tolerate each other for the sake of the presidency. Olivia's father, Eli Pope, was the leader of a secret government organization titled B613. At the beginning of season five, it is leaked to the public that Mellie was thrown out of the White House and Olivia is in fact Fitz' mistress. She eventually makes a deal with her father and Mellie to keep the Senate from impeaching Fitz. However, she leaves Fitz by the end of the fall finale and moves on. She's currently running Mellie's bid for president. At the end of season 7, she and Fitz come back together
Stephen Finch
Stephen Finch, portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick, is a litigator who worked with Olivia and is one of her good friends. He is Scottish-born and became a U.S. citizen in 1995 shortly after graduating first in his class from Yale Law School. He was a top litigator for a firm called Chase and Howard, but suffered a nervous breakdown in the middle of defending a client in a class action lawsuit against Bromquest, a chemical manufacturer that poisoned children in West Virginia. He spent two months recovering in a facility in Florida before quitting the firm and then began working with Olivia. He is shown to be a womanizer, even though he gets engaged to his girlfriend, Georgia, in the first season. By the second season he left the firm and moved to Boston, "married Georgia and is living a normal life". In the fourth season, he is revealed to be living in St. Petersburg and working for the Russian oligarchy.
Harrison Wright
Harrison Wright, portrayed by Columbus Short, was a litigator who worked with Olivia. He was bright and loyal to her. He worked in Takoma Park before he started working for Adnan Salif, making himself wealthy. When Salif went down for insider trading, Harrison received only a sentence of six months in jail because Olivia defended him pro bono. Harrison had a brotherly relationship with Quinn and he looked out for her. He calls Olivia's team "gladiators in suits". In the season two premiere, he is working on Quinn's case and although he knows it will be hard to win, he believes in her innocence. He is shocked when the judge rules in their favor and the case is dismissed. He becomes closer to Quinn and the two become good friends, having drinks together in the office. He was murdered by B613 in the season three finale after working out that it was responsible for the murder of President Grant's son, Jerry, to ensure his re-election and the reactivation of B613.