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When Kerry Washington<\/a><\/strong> first walked onscreen as Olivia Pope on April 5, 2012, she did more than kick off one of the most compulsively watchable dramas in network TV<\/a> history; she ended a 38-year wait.<\/p>\n When Scandal<\/em><\/a>debuted on ABC<\/a>, Washington became the first Black woman to lead a network drama since Teresa Graves<\/strong> starred inGet Christie Love!<\/em><\/em><\/a>in 1974. In the 38 years between Graves and Washington, not a single broadcast network centered a Black woman in a drama. Not one.<\/p>\n That gap didn’t happen by accident, and Washington knew exactly what she was stepping into.<\/p>\n Washington has been candid<\/a> about the weight of the moment.<\/p>\n “When Scandal<\/em> first aired, everybody talked about it, literally talked about it as ‘a risk,’ to have a Black woman as the lead of a network drama because it hadn’t happened in almost 40 years,” she’s said. The character was inspired by real-life crisis manager Judy Smith<\/a><\/strong>, herself a Black woman, which made the casting relatively non-negotiable. Still, Washington understood the stakes went far beyond her own career. “If I didn’t give it my all and do the best work I was capable of,” she has said, “they weren’t gonna put another Black woman in the number one role on a TV drama for another 40 years.”<\/p>\n She gave it her all.<\/p>\n Related: Viola Davis Has Fiery Response To Heated \u2018The View\u2019 Debate Involving Whoopi Goldberg<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Scandal<\/em>, created byShonda Rhimes<\/strong><\/a>, ran for seven seasons and became genuine appointment television at a time when that was getting harder to achieve.<\/p>\n Washington was only the third Black woman in American TV history to lead a network drama, after Diahann Carroll<\/a><\/strong> in Julia<\/em> (1968) and Graves, but Scandal<\/em>‘s success<\/a> triggered what NBC<\/a> News<\/em> dubbed the “Kerry Washington Effect.” Within a few seasons, Viola Davis<\/a><\/strong> was leading How to Get Away With Murder<\/em> (also Rhimes), and networks across the board were scrambling to cast women of color in dramatic leads.<\/p>\n Washington has since said at a Bloomberg Screentime conference that the show would “100 percent” not be made today \u2014 a sobering coda to a story otherwise full of triumph. A more risk-averse industry, she suggested, would never greenlight it. That makes what Scandal<\/em> actually accomplished feel even more remarkable in retrospect.<\/p>\n All seven seasons are now streaming on Netflix<\/a>. If you’ve never watched Olivia Pope take on Washington, D.C., this month feels like exactly the right time.<\/p>\n Next: Iconic \u201880s Hit Premiered 38 Years Ago Today, Bringing a Major Star Back to TV<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on Mar 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n‘Everybody Called It a Risk’<\/h2>\n
The Ripple Effect<\/h2>\n