Season 3 of SCANDAL didn’t live up to the hype created by the previous two seasons. In an effort to outdo herself, Ms Rhimes, the brain behind the TV show SCANDAL, blew it big time. To be fair, season 3 of SCANDAL is your average “I will watch if I have the time” or “I have other things to do” or “No big deal if I miss an episode” type of show on TV. In other words, it may still be entertaining, but don’t expect anything as exciting as Seasons One and Two.

Where did Ms. Rhimes go wrong? Most TV shows that “fail” have one thing in common: the “ENDING” is a moving target. In other words, the ending will come when it comes.

Before the premiering of any TV series, a few episodes are created; the first three are a good gauge for its success or failure. Following those few episodes created before the premiering, the continued success requires a constant theme and a story line that evolves (not changes). Otherwise, the viewers are condemned to watch a series of disconnected scenes that only make sense in the producer’s mind. Season 3 of SCANDAL is exactly that.

The secret to a good TV series (however many seasons long) is to already have an ending in the beginning. The approach will force the script writers to conceive scenes that fit nicely within the story line; it’s guaranteed to grab and keep your attention for a while such as in Nikita, the next review.

So, if Ms. Rhimes wants to bring SCANDAL back to the acclaimed success of Seasons one and two, here are a few tips:

The Olivia Pope of the previous two seasons must be back; she was completely missing in Season 3 (Read “Is Season 3 the End of SCANDAL?”); B-6-13 must become and remain that untouchable secret organization; Rowan must remain the character he was in those successful seasons. Mellie needs to continue to be that conniving, power hungry wife who has a love hate relation with Olivia. And of course, the president must continue to use Secret Service to wisk Olivia away in secrecy for a fling. Most importantly, every episode must fit within the boundaries of a “preset ending”. It’s guaranteed to bring scandals back to SCANDAL. Otherwise, SCANDAL will be just another TV series that deserves no more ink than the others.

Follow Mike Ducheine on Twitter: @mducheiney
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