With shows like “Being Mary Jane”, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and “Scandal” bringing in top ratings, there’s lots of competition when it comes what Black America watches on the small screen. According to recent Nielsen data, “Scandal” is sitting in top when it comes to African American viewers. The show has 3.6 million viewers total each week.
NPR Television Critic Eric Deggans gave his reasons as to why the Black community loves “Scandal” so much.
“I think black viewers, especially black female viewers, often respond well to seeing someone who looks like them in a starring role on a TV series. Because black women make so many purchasing decisions in black households, they are an important group for advertisers to target as well. And because Scandal is considered a mainstream hit, I also think it means a lot to black viewers to see that a show starring a black woman can be successful in the mainstream of show business, outside the specialized world where shows targeted to black viewers often live. Black audiences aren’t used to seeing such a fierce, take-charge character who looks like them on television,” Thompson said. ”Olivia Pope is the ideal for so many black women, a successful career woman who not didn’t just reach the so-called ‘glass ceiling,’ but smashed through it. The beauty of Olivia is that Kerry Washington has made her a three-dimensional character, a woman who also has tremendous flaws.”
(Source: EURWeb)
Well said! Check out a new trailer for the winter premiere of “Scandal” below:
