9 Shows to Watch When You're Jonesing For Scandal

This Netflix original series is seriously low on morality but extremely high in intrigue and thrills. It's got the same "oh no they didn't" vibes as Scandal but with a lot more R-rated stuff. Kevin Spacey plays political juggernaut Frank Underwood, and if it weren't for that Southern accent, you might think he is Satan himself.

This show also features a badass female boss, played by the immaculate Julianna Margulies. Although the title suggests a story about a husband and wife, it veers into such smart, savvy cultural commentary, you'll wonder how it even got its name. Margulies plays Alicia Florrick, wife to scandalized and shamed State's Attorney Peter Florrick (Mr. Big himself, Chris Noth). It follows Alicia as she comes back from the humiliation of being cheated on and pretty much goes on to rule the entire city of Chicago. The Good Wife aired its last episode earlier this year, but you can catch up on all seasons on Amazon.

Another Shonda Rhimes joint, HTGAWM features Viola Davis as a rock star attorney who seems to have been born with all the cool and collected traits one woman will ever need. Davis plays Professor Annalise Keating, who teaches at a prestigious university but also has a lot of shady stuff going in and around her life. I couldn't begin to pin down all the plot points, but Annalise is so kickass, she could have been Olivia Pope's mentor. Season three of How to Get Away With Murder airs on ABC on Sept. 22!

What more do I have to say besides Matt Bomer? Bomer plays handsome-to-death con artist Neal Caffrey, who forms an unlikely alliance with the FBI to catch other white-collar criminals. The FBI agent is played by Tiffani Thiessen, and the sexual tension is thick AF. White Collar no longer airs new episodes, but you can catch up on Netflix. Also, USA airs throwback episodes every Monday!

Quantico is another show with a gaggle of gorgeous folks doing improbable stunts and hooking up with one another . . . over and over. Season one follows a dual timeline that toggles between the handful of superpretty FBI trainees in their early days at the training camp and the later investigation of a 9/11-type bombing. Priyanka Chopra steals the show as Alex Parrish, the tough, smart, and crafty protagonist who may or may not also be the antagonist. Season two of Quantico premieres Sept. 25!

Expensive suits, power-hungry lawyers, New York City, and all the intrigue you can stomach for an hour at at time, Suits has enough drama to carry you through the Scandal drought. But it's also cheeky enough to solicit the occasional eye roll and the often "there's no freakin' way" from audiences. Gabriel Macht plays Harvey Specter, the ruthless attorney in a high-profile firm in New York City. Specter takes a chance on plucky genius, Mike Ross, played by Patrick J. Adams, who faked his way through passing the bar and has fooled everyone into thinking he went to Harvard.

Technically considered a miniseries, Political Animals was so far ahead of its time when it aired in 2012. Sigourney Weaver, the queen herself, plays Hillary Clinton-esque politician Elaine Barrish, whose political career has run the gamut of senator to governor to secretary of state. Barrish's husband, Bud, is a philandering ex-president and is a hapless and greasy caricature of a politician, but she rises above to create a political empire that rivals any of her male counterparts. It's got a very 2016 election vibe, for sure.

Now in its second season, the ABC anthology pretty much gives away its premise right in the title. Season one features a very self-serious Ryan Phillippe as the prime suspect in the death of young boy. Expect a lot of pensive looks from Phillippe and a ton of plot twists that are designed to keep you off kilter. Season two, starring Michael Ealy, premieres Sept. 25 and has a little more of a Dateline feel, but you get Juliette Lewis in a tight bun in both seasons.

Another anthology from ABC, the network might just be in the business of drama overload. American Crime is a little more "eat your veggies" than Scandal, but it's worth the watch. We're two seasons in, and it's garnered several Emmy nominations and has some major star power (looking at you, Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton), mostly for the deft and practical way it handles American issues like race, sexual assault, and privilege.