‘Scandal' gets a spin-off web series ahead of season six

THE show, starring Kerry Washington, is branching out with a web series called Scandal: Gladiator Wanted, showing exclusively on American TV network ABC's website. The spin-off follows certain members of Olivia Pope's team, specialising in defending the public image of the elite.
Initially due Jan 19, the return of Scandal has since been pushed back a week to Jan 26 due to the inauguration ceremony of the new American President, Donald Trump. To keep fans entertained in the meantime, ABC has launched an online-only series as a tie-in with the upcoming sixth season.
Comprising six two- to three-minute episodes, Scandal: Gladiator Wanted features three of Olivia Pope's "gladiators" – Huck Finn, Quinn Perkins and Marcus Walker. These characters – well known to fans of the original show and played respectively by Guillermo Diaz, Kaite Lowes and Cornelius Smith Jr – have been asked to find an intern for Olivia Pope & Associates.
The spin-off doesn't feature the star of the show, Kerry Washington, but it's still very much a family affair. Produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios, like the original, it is directed by Darby Stanchfield, the actress who plays Abby Whelan in the main show.
Making web series that tie in with main shows is an increasingly common tactic in the world of TV. February sees CBS launch The Good Fight, a spin-off from its legal drama The Good Wife. The first episode airs Feb 19 on the CBS TV channel, with the following nine available on the network's CBS All Access platform. The spin-off focuses on lawyer Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), one of the main characters from the original series.
Whether to accompany or fill in for well-established shows, to keep audiences interested between seasons, or to bring supporting characters to the forefront without breaking the bank, there are plenty of reasons for TV networks to explore this avenue. Showtime was a pioneer in the field with 2009's Dexter Early Cuts, an animated web series set in the Dexter universe. Weeds also got a companion web series in its fifth season called University of Andy, offering tutorial-style missives from Andy Botwin, the colourful character played by Justin Kirk.
More recently, in 2015, AMC released Flight 462 to tie in with Fear The Walking Dead, its The Walking Dead spin-off. The web series focused on a group of passengers travelling onboard a commercial flight during the early moments of the outbreak. Passengers on board flight 462 soon realise that their lives are in danger when they discover they're trapped at 35,000 feet with an infected passenger. — AFP Relaxnews