As Olivia Pope likes to remind us, she has “handled” many high-profile and life-altering situations on “Scandal.”
But now, everybody’s favorite fictional fixer, played by Emmy-nominated actress Kerry Washington, has taken care of something else: the lingering void in the TV landscape for more characters like her.
For the first time in TV history, four African-American actresses have landed dynamic starring roles on broadcast network shows at the same time — all of them either Oscar winners or nominees.
Some are calling it the Kerry Washington Effect.
On Fox’s “Red Band Society,” Octavia Spencer will play a no-nonsense nurse in charge of a pediatric ward where sick children live, while Taraji P. Henson plays a paroled drug dealer and mother on “Empire.” ABC has cast Viola Davis as a tough, mysterious criminal defense professor in “How to Get Away With Murder.” On NBC’s “State of Affairs,” Alfre Woodard is playing president of the United States, a ground-breaking role that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago.
“I can tell you that it’s so exciting to hear people say, ‘Madame President,’” Woodard told NBC News in an interview.
Halle Berry, an Oscar winner, will beat them all to the small screen in July, starring in CBS’ series “Extant.” Berry plays an astronaut who returns home to her husband and son after a year-long solo mission.
Academy Award winners and nominees Halle Berry, Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Alfre Woodard will light up your TV’s this summer and fall headlining shows on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
Washington’s intense portrayal of Olivia Pope, a brilliant strategist having an affair with the married president, has propelled ABC’s “Scandal” to ratings success and made her one of Hollywood’s most sought-after A-list stars. It would be a challenging feat for a television actress in any era, but it’s even more noteworthy in light of the fact that Washington is the first African-American actress to lead a network drama series since 1974.
Read the rest of this article in its entirety at NBCNews.com.
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