Scandal is probably a show you’ve heard about for a long time. It’s probably a show you’ve heard about, and didn’t even know people were talking about, because it’s been called a few different names, like Damage Control and In Crisis. But Scandal it is, and Scandal is (almost) finally here, and trust me, this is a scandal you want to be part of.

The series, which was created by Shonda Rhimes from Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, takes a look at the life of Olivia Pope and all of the people she interacts with, including her team of “professional fixers.” They’re lawyers, but it’s not a law firm, as Olivia is sure to point out early within the first episode, penned by Rhimes herself. Instead, Pope and her team take the crises of the rich and famous and make them disappear, fixing what needs to be fixed. The series uses one character’s first day as its launching pad, but viewers are immediately thrown into the action of the scandalous lives of those in Washington, DC.

ABC made the first three episodes of this new series available to watch to the press, and we jumped at the chance to take a look at this long-awaited project from Shonda Rhimes, which marks her first television venture outside the realm of not only Seattle Grace Hospital, but medicine as well. However, if you are expecting to tune in to find Grey’s Anatomy set in Washington, you will be sorely disappointed. This series is the furthest thing from Grey’s Anatomy or Private Practice, yet I see absolutely no reason why fans of either wouldn’t love it, because it still has all of the classic, fantastic Shonda Rhimes trademarks that have made her other series not only so popular, but so well-loved as well.

Scandal is instantly addictive. The characters are smart, and they talk fast. Like, really fast. The dialogue is quippy and, at times, even witty, and it all blends to a make a fascinating mix of characters and dialogue as the entire cast effortlessly step into their respective roles and create a great group of people. Of course, none of them stand out more than Kerry Washington, who assumes the lead role of Olivia Pope. She’s a tough woman, and maybe be among some of the most badass women I’ve ever seen on television, but don’t let that fool you. As smart and tough as Olivia is, she still has a soft side, a side that is damaged and mysterious and makes you wonder just what her whole story is.

The rest of the cast is just as good as Washington, and it is very easy to instantly fall in love with the entire cast, which can become quite problematic when some of the characters start doing things you may not agree with. By all intents and purposes, we should all theoretically really dislike Scandal‘s President of the United States, but I just can’t bring myself to. Tony Goldwyn plays the character with a quiet intensity that really just had me rooting for the guy, despite the fact that I couldn’t think of any discernible reason to actually do that.

Because, you see, Olivia Pope had a whole life before Scandal even began and that life involved working for the White House, and working directly with not only the President, but his wife and his right-hand man as well. But after a series of unfortunate events, Olivia left the White House and started “Olivia Pope & Associates,” which is where we find her when Scandal begins. So Olivia has a whole string of ties to the White House, and is constantly getting called back to help out with something there. And believe me when I say that the White House is where the real juicy scandals take place.

There’s an obvious direction the writers seemed to be headed in when I was watching the White House scenes during the pilot episode, and I wondered how it would be handled, if at all. I can’t quite tell you what it is, though I’m sure you will be able to guess it like I did when watching the episode, but I can tell you that the way this situation gets handled is actually really well done. I was afraid this particular story would be dragged out and kept in secret for some big, season-ending twist that wouldn’t have been so shocking. Thankfully, this is not the case. Instead, the pilot episode tackles this particular story head-on, which opens up a whole range of incredibly interesting stories to be told in the subsequent episodes.

And let me just say that the sets for Scandal are pretty darn convincing. It actually looks like the characters are in Washington, DC, and the scenes that take place within the White House look authentic enough to please me, as someone who’s never really looked much into what the actual White House looks like. I’m sure the sets were modeled after the real thing, and they did a great job. It’s not hard to escape into Scandal‘s universe, which is just different enough that you can accept their President, but just similar enough that you feel like you are still in the same United States.

The White House also seems to have a scandal on their hands involving Amanda Tanner, who is played by Liza Weil, whom many of you will know as Paris Gellar from Gilmore Girls. It was a pleasant surprise to find that Weil was in all three of the episodes I watched, and I have a sneaking suspicion that she is going to be in most of, if not the entire, first season of the show, as she continues to figure more and more largely into the show’s overarching plot.

And that’s the thing about Scandal: it’s a procedural in the sense that there are definitely “cases of the week,” but everything gets tied back down by the main plotline that would appear to be running through the show. Plus, as much as this show is about the cases that Olivia Pope & Associates tackle, it’s also about the characters, and there are many great character moments thrown in, and many of them when you least expect it. In great Shonda Rhimes fashion, characters will be talking about a case one second and then talking about engagements the next, all within the span of an elevator ride. Like so many procedurals before it, I can see Scandal easily growing out of its “case of the week” format into something more serialized, such as what happened with Supernatural. But unlike so many procedurals before it, Scandal is very much character-driven, and there are lots of seeds planted within the first few episodes that hint at potential future relationships and sexual tension.

I had an absolutely fantastic time watching the first three episodes of Scandal, but I was scratching my head the entire time wondering why ABC has held off on it for so long. It has all the makings of a hit and it’s a great show. The third episode ended on such a dramatic cliffhanger that it pains me to have to wait an unspecified amount of time before I get to see what happens next.

I can honestly say that Scandal is my new favorite series of the 2011-2012 broadcast season, and I promise I’m not just saying that because I love the work of Shonda Rhimes. It’s a completely new experience for both viewers and Rhimes alike, and it is one that pays off. There’s a lot to love about Scandal, and I can only hope that it connects with many other viewers like it has with me. It’s juicy, it’s definitely scandalous, but at the same time, it’s a series that is a lot of fun and isn’t afraid to hold back. It’s a fantastic new series that you won’t want to miss.

Scandal will premiere Thursday, April 5 after Grey’s Anatomy

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