ABC Cuts "Scandal's" Third Season from 22 to 18 Episodes

[JamesG]

ABC Reduces "Scandal" Order to 18 Episodes
by NELLIE ANDREEVA
December 6, 2013


There will be less "Scandal" on ABC‘s schedule this season than originally planned. The network has reduced the order for the hot Shonda Rhimes drama from 22 to 18 episodes.

The network wouldn’t give a reason for the cutback but, of course, it is not because ABC doesn’t want a full season of "Scandal" — it would gladly take 40 episodes a season from its new flagship drama series if it could.

But "Scandal" star Kerry Washington is pregnant, and it’s getting hard to hide the pregnancy in loose-fitting clothes for the normally super stylish and elegant Olivia Pope — and it’s hard to reduce Washington’s workload as Pope is the show and in most scenes.





The episode reduction would probably be an unexpected but welcome relief for "Scandal‘s" writers as it is extremely hard to sustain a dense serialized drama like "Scandal" for a 22-episode season. (The show did seven episodes in Season 1 and 22 in Season 2.)

"Scandal" cannot be hotter — season-to-date, the series is up 57% in adults 18-49 (4.4) and 50% in total viewers (12.6 million) vs. last year. It is the fastest-growing returning series this season and in the so-important C3 ratings that determine ad revenues,

"Scandal" just moved ahead of NBC’s breakout "The Blacklist" (3.58 rating vs. 3.55). "Scandal" also has been regularly building on its "Grey’s Anatomy" lead-in, by a best-ever 29% last night.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/scan...r-reduced-abc/