Spin-Off Goals: Will ‘Scandal’ season 5 lead to something more for Scott Foley’s Jake?

At times, we feel almost like “Scandal” is a pair of different shows. You’ve got at one angle everything that Olivia Pope is doing fixing clients in Washington DC, and then on the other hand everything that is going on with the likes of Jake, Rowan, and a variety of other secret government operations.

In a way both are intriguing, but we wonder if they would each be better if you were to separate them in some other way in order to give each of them some more time to shine individually. Ultimately, this is what the latest chapter in our ongoing Spin-Off Goals article series is all about.

Why Jake? – As we mentioned, he is a character somewhat of the periphery of things at the moment given that he is not always so involved with Olivia’s operations or what is going on with the White House. Yet, he is a powerful guy, and with his new position at the NSA, could be a significant mover and shaker in the entire country. There ultimately feels like so much that could be done with him, and one of the primary orders of business at the moment should be trying to separate him from Olivia Pope, given that it doesn’t quite seem like there is that much good that is coming from the relationship between the two of them at the moment. Also, we’ve seen it so many times before.

The idea – Bring Jake (and occasionally Rowan) onto their own show, where they can tackle matters of national security in a way that uses their considerable skill. There are so many hot-button issues such as interrogations, wire-tapping, and espionage in general that can be discussed further here than there is time for on “Scandal.” Also, this gives you a chance to learn more about Ballard’s past and introduce some new faces. You can cross over with “Scandal” here and there, just so that you can still get some of those interactions while allowing for the story to be more about Olivia Pope.

Could it happen? – We just made the idea up, so we’re not sure the odds are that great. Shonda Rhimes already has a ton on her plate for one, and there has been zero talk about spinning off any of her shows ever since “Private Practice” ended. Also working against this idea is the drop in “Scandal” ratings; if this was season 4 rather than season 5, maybe the odds would have been a little higher of this actually happening.