31 TV Characters Trumps America Needs Right Now

Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) in Scandal, Screencap via ABC

9. Olivia Pope- Scandal

Okay, hear me out on this one. Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington). Is Olivia Pope having an affair with the President of the United States? Maybe. Is Olivia Pope a murderer? Maybe. Details, people! Olivia Pope is still one of the most insanely amazing characters on television. As the main lead on ABC’s six-season strong Scandal, she’s a layered women, a powerful POC, and holds a controlling, influential, and important position in Washington D.C. And she happens to be a killer trendsetter with a closet made of gold. Emphasis on killer.

I’m not saying she’s perfect. But who is? Who wants to be? We need imperfect characters on our screens more than ever. The more imperfect, the better. Washington says Olivia Pope is certainly not a role model, but she’s a character on screen that was once lacking. In an interview with Harpers Bazaar, she explains Pope’s imperfections:

"“One of the things that Shonda does, and [How to Get Away With Murder creator] Pete [Nowalk] does, is all of these characters are complicated characters. There are no good guys and bad guys in Shondaland. You have three-dimensional, messy human beings. Nothing is perfect.”"