3. The Cast
I'm gonna talk about Kerry Washington's lead turn as Olivia later on but for now, my next reason to watch the show is that, quite simply, the casting on this show is so, so good. From the key members of Pope & Associates to the White House and everyone inbetween, their roles are so sublimely cast that it's hard to believe. The key team are extremely good - Guillermo Diaz's former CIA assassin/hacker Huck has transformed from IT analyst into complex, dark anti-hero (this is especially good considering he once doused himself in milk in a Britney Spears video with abandon) with relish, while regulars Columbus Short and Darby Stanchfield as Harrison and Abby are smooth and sparky respectively. Particularly exciting is Katie Lowes as series surrogate/new girl Quinn who proves to be much more than the team reckoned with or that the team thought she was. The White House staff prove to be just as effective - Tony Goldwyn is a success in his role as President 'Fitz' Grant while Bellamy Young plays his scheming wife Mellie with the cool menace that makes their love/hate relationship so entertaining. Other players such as Jeff Perry as the gay Chief of Staff Cyrus and Kate Burton as Vice President Sally Langston are equally wonderful, the former a snarky delight and the latter a venomous ice queen embued with sweet Southern charm, making her seem like the evil stepmother of Leigh Anne Touhy from
The Blind Side.