Fans of ABC's political soap opera Scandal will be tuning in for the Season 5 finale at 9 p.m. today. It promises to be extra juicy. This is, after all, the middle of May sweeps, which lasts from April 28 through May 25.
In the episode, "That's My Girl," Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) "may be in a dire situation," according to the network, "as the presidential candidates get ready to announce their running mates."
Meanwhile, Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) "has damaging information that could alter the presidential race."
That's not much to go on and I won't speculate. I haven't kept up with this popular, but convoluted series.
I do know that in the April 7 episode Olivia killed -- yes, whacked with a chair -- former Vice President Andrew Nichols (Jon Tenney), who had threatened to spill the beans on President Fitz Grant (Tony Goldwyn) and take everybody down.
This is not your daddy's West Wing.
Fans need not fear, Scandal has already been given the green light for a sixth season, although there won't be as many episodes.
Washington is expecting her second child, so ABC has trimmed the episode order from the usual 22 to 16. As of last report, the network is still mulling over whether to delay Season 6 to midseason so as to have an uninterrupted run.
That would be preferable to what the network did with Washington's first pregnancy two years ago. Scandal spent the season hiding Washington's "baby bump" behind giant purses and shooting her from the chest up. After a while, I'm told, fans began having fun counting all the ways Olivia was kept un-pregnant on screen.
We should find out the network's plans when ABC holds its upfront presentations for the fall schedule on Tuesday.
OTHER FINALES
• Big Bang. TV's No. 1 comedy, The Big Bang Theory, wraps up Season 9 at 7 p.m. today on CBS. In "The Convergence Convergence," the gang gets a visit from Leonard's parents and Sheldon's mother.
The series is averaging 20.3 million viewers each week. Nielsen now counts live plus seven-day delayed viewing (DVR, On Demand) for its ratings. The series has been renewed for a 10th season.
• 2 Broke Girls. The curtain falls on Season 5 at 8:30 p.m. today on CBS. The series has already been renewed for a sixth season.
• The Amazing Race. See who finishes first in the Season 28 final leg from Shenzhen, China, to Santa Barbara, Calif., at 7 p.m. Friday on CBS. The teams face the daunting task of synchronized mountaineering.
• Aloha. Hawaii Five-0 will have a two-episode Season 6 finale at 8 p.m. Friday on CBS.
In the first episode, "Pa'a Ka 'Ipuka i Ka 'Upena Nananana," CBS tells us that "Five-0 tries to protect a wounded Gabriel and plan an escape when enemy gunmen storm the dilapidated building in which Gabriel is trapped."
Trivia: "Pa'a ka 'ipuka i ka 'upena nananana" is Hawaiian for "The entrance is stopped with a spider's web." Say it quickly three times.
In the 9 p.m. closer, "O Ke Ali'I Wale No Ka'u Makemake," the network synopsis reads, "McGarrett and Danny pose as drug pilots in a plan to stop a meth epidemic on the island; Danny is forced to break cover and land the plane when McGarrett is seriously wounded."
Bonus round: "O ke ali'i wale no ka'u makemake" translates to "My desire is only for the chief."
Hawaii Five-0 will be back for Season 7.
• Vamps out. The Vampire Diaries wraps up Season 7 with "Gods & Monsters" at 7 p.m. Friday on The CW. In the episode, "Damon, Enzo and Caroline realize they must take drastic measures if they hope to save Bonnie; Stefan tells Caroline that they may need to bring Alaric and the twins into their plan; Damon must make a sacrifice."
Season 8 has already received a green light from the network.
• New season. Mountain Men returns for a fifth season at 9 p.m. today on the History Channel. The series follows the adventures of seven manly men living off the grid (or close to off) in rugged locations that include the remote wilderness of Alaska and northern Maine, Montana's Yaak River and Idaho's Snake River.
• Premiere date. For those who keep sending me emails, USA's highly anticipated drama Queen of the South will debut at 9 p.m. June 21. The hour drama is based on the best-seller La Reina del Sur by Arturo Perez-Reverte.
The drama stars Brazilian actress Alice Braga (I Am Legend, Elysium) as Teresa Mendoza, who is forced to seek refuge in America after her drug-dealing boyfriend is murdered in Mexico.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Weekend on 05/12/2016