Scandal: The Barrier-Breaker

If you haven't been watching Scandal on ABC, you've been missing out on a piece of TV history. Not that the show is the end-all of amazingness on TV, but it is breaking a number of barriers.

For example, it's the first show in 40 years that has a black female as the lead. The last show to do so was "Get Christie Love" in 1974 about an undercover cop.

The NYT has an interesting article profiling the rise and continued success of scandal, and how it's putting up big numbers in the African-American demographic. A full 10% of black households are watching the show every week.

Why? Supposedly because the show treats Kerry Washington's Olivia as a true character not defined by her race. She's a black woman, but a well rounded character in an interesting and complex show. The latter two reasons are why people are tuning in.

“There’s an audience of African-Americans who just want to see themselves in a good story, not necessarily a race-specific show,” said Joan Morgan, a fan of the series and the author of “When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost,” a book about black women and feminism today. “It’s not about this being a black show,” Ms. Morgan said. “It’s about seeing the show where black women and other women are represented less about race and more about who they are.”

Are you watching Scandal? What do you like or dislike about it?

Scandal airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.