Mere weeks after the season finale aired on television, the complete first season of Scandal has been released on DVD and can now be yours to cherish for all eternity. And, trust me, this is the kind of show you’ll want to cherish for all eternity.

The Show

Though the first season of the series only contains seven episodes, clocking in at just around five hours of viewing time, the show is completely wall-to-wall jam-packed with juicy stories, high tension, and thrilling twists. We’re introduced to Olivia Pope and her team, who are professional “fixers,” or, more officially, “crisis managers.” They make the problems of the rich and famous disappear, and Pope is in charge of it all. But Olivia has her own ties to the White House that keep pulling her back in for more as the President gets ensnared in a scandal that could ruin his presidency.

It’s juicy, it’s addictive, and it’s exactly the kind of show that leaves you always wanting more. Told at a whiplash-fast pace with dialogue that is reminiscent of The West Wing or Gilmore Girls, Scandal became somewhat of a phenomenon in the seven weeks it aired, managing to hang on to the same exact audience each week as viewers continually wanted to see more.

Well now is your chance to own the complete first season and relive all seven episodes, or even get a friend hooked on the show as well. There’s even a few cool bonus features for added enticement. Let’s take a look, shall we?

The DVD

Scandal: The Complete First Season comes housed in a normal-width DVD case with a pretty gorgeous slipcover that’s embossed. I know a lot of people, myself included, were skeptical when they saw the first image of the DVD cover, and while the image still doesn’t really work in just two-dimensions, the slipcover itself actually looks incredibly nice, with a glossy finished and embossed elements to make the title “pop” and the “ripped-away” portion revealing “The Complete First Season” look more three-dimensional. The set is  in a clear case, allowing for an attractive look at the cast and a list of the seven episodes to poke through behind the discs. Speaking of which, there are two discs to speak of, which continues Disney|ABC’s recent tradition of shiny disc art for television series. We see a repeat of Kerry Washington’s cover art pose on disc one, and a view of some Washington, DC buildings on disc two.

The disc breakdown is as follows:

Disc One

• 1. Sweet Baby
• 2. Dirty Little Secrets
• 3. Hell Hath No Fury
• 4. Enemy of the State

Disc Two

• 5. Crash and Burn
• 6. The Trail
• 7. Grant: For the People
• Bonus Features
• Scandal: Setting the Pace
• Gladiators in Suits: Casting a Series
• Scripting Scandal

Of course, for many people, buying TV shows on DVD is something they are interested in only for the bonus features included. When it comes to Scandal‘s first season, unfortunately the load remains pretty light, but thankfully the material that is included remains pretty cool.

Unfortunately, no commentaries are included on the set, as I was hoping to be able to hear from series creator Shonda Rhimes at least talk about the first episode, “Sweet Baby.” However, three featurettes are included on disc two that provide some neat insight into the series.

“Scandal: Setting the Pace” takes a look at what goes on behind-the-scenes to get things (namely, the talking) moving so quickly at Scandal. “Gladiators in Suits” gives us glimpses at some of the actors’ auditions, including a pretty fantastic video of when Shonda called Katie Lowes (who plays Quinn Perkins on the series) back in to tell her she had won the part. “Scripting Scandal” is a fascinating little featurette on what goes on in the writer’s room at Scandal, and there’s even interviews with a lot of the writers from the series, including Off the Map creator Jenna Bans and Grey’s Anatomy writer Mark Wilding.

Though it isn’t much, each featurette is actually pretty entertaining to watch and they aren’t very long either, meaning you won’t find your interest waning. There’s lots of interviews included in each one with several different people, including most of the cast, series creator Shonda Rhimes and her right-hand man Betsy Beers, as well as Judy Smith, who served as inspiration for the series. They’re most definitely worth a look.

It was amazing to me just how quickly I got addicted to Scandal and how much that addiction never let up over the course of the seven episodes that followed. There’s a lot of material here, and a lot of great story. And with just seven episodes and two discs, the set makes for a great buy because it is so cheap. Scandal: The Complete First Season comes Highly Recommended, and you should make sure to add it to your collection as soon as possible.

Click here to buy Scandal: The Complete First Season on DVD now!