Grey's Anatomy legend Shonda Rhimes says "Scandal could not have existed in this moment in time"

However, looking back at the series at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Rhimes was asked about the US political situation and how that is impacting the stories that are told.

She said: "I really used to pride myself on feeling like if I love something, the audience is going to love it, because I'm writing something that I want to watch. If I felt passionate, then that passion translates.

"And generally, I have my finger on the pulse of what's going on. That, for me, really changed [after the] election, just because I felt like, I don't know what's going on anymore. Do I know what's going on anymore? It was a question, so I'm still trying to figure it out."

Rhimes added: "It's a very different world we're living in now. Scandal could not have existed in this moment in time. It wouldn't have been that interesting. But Scandal could exist when everything was good.

"When the lights are on, everybody loves a ghost story, but when the lights are out permanently, people want a warm campfire. So I feel like we're working in that area right now, trying to tell things that are more escapist."

She went on to say that her show Bridgerton was such a huge hit partly because it was released during the Covid-19 pandemic and "everybody was trapped in their homes searching for something to let them escape".

However, she added: "I still think, fundamentally, everybody wants to be told a great story. It's truly that simple. You have to tell a really good story."

Scandal began in 2012, running for seven seasons and following 'fixer' Olivia Pope as she and her team attempted to protect their clients' reputations – while grappling with secrets of their own.

Read more:

• Bridgerton boss responds to show being criticised as "woke": "That's so cute"
• Bridgerton star reveals how season 4 episodes will have "very different tone" to previous seasons

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