A Guide To Scandal And The Washington, D.C. TV Shows Of 2014

by Emily Exton 2/27/2014

Scandal

[Photo Credit: ABC]
House of Cards

[Photo Credit: Netflix]
Homeland

[Photo Credit: Showtime]
Veep

[Photo Credit: HBO]
Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope in Scandal

[Photo Credit: ABC]
House of Cards Robin Wright as Claire Underwood

[Photo Credit: Netflix]
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Homeland

[Photo Credit: Showtime]
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer in Veep

[Photo Credit: HBO]
Tony Goldwyn and Kerry Washington in Scandal

[Photo Credit: ABC]
Kevin Spacey and Kate Mara in House of Cards

[Photo Credit: Netflix]
Claire Danes and Damian Lewis in Homeland

[Photo Credit: Showtime]
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Pasquesi in Veep

[Photo Credit: HBO]
Scandal President Fitzgerald Grant

[Photo Credit: ABC]
House of Cards President Walker

[Photo Credit: Netflix]
Veep Jonah

[Photo Credit: HBO]
Homeland Vice President Wiliam Walden

[Photo Credit: Showtime]
Scandal James Novak

[Photo Credit: ABC]
House of Cards Zoe Barnes

[Photo Credit: Netflix]
Homeland Roya Hammad

[Photo Credit: Showtime]
Veep Allison Janney

[Photo Credit: HBO]
Scandal’s Olivia Pope Drinks Wine

[Photo Credit: ABC]
House of Cards’ Claire Underwood drinks wine

[Photo Credit: Netflix]
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Homeland
Veep Selina Meyer

[Photo Credit: HBO]
Scandal Fitz and Olivia

[Photo Credit: ABC]
House of Cards Frank and Zoe

[Photo Credit: Netflix]
Homeland’s Carrie Mathison haivng sex

[Photo Credit: Showtime]
Veep Selina Meyer and ex-husband Andrew

[Photo Credit: HBO]

After the coldest winter, Scandal returns tonight–hopefully with much more of Scott Foley in a towel. With a new season of House of Cards now available on Netflix and Homeland and Veep continually in the TV conversation, D.C.-centric shows are taking over our DVR. And we’re not exactly mad about that.

Whether it’s a chance to escape into a world of manipulation or live out your high school Model UN dreams, political plots and District-based drama have proven to be just as juicy as soaps set in fictional towns. Scandal is back after a nearly two-month hiatus, forced to reveal how it plans on handling Kerry Washington’s pregnancy. House of Cards Season 2 has been available for less than two weeks, and yet we totally understand if you couldn’t resist binging all 13 new episodes in one sitting. Veep returns on HBO this April and Homeland returns for a fourth season later this year, minus one character Jennifer Lawrence is very upset about.

Each show has its own tropes and memorable dialogue, but in terms of conflict, character traits and the overuse of cheesy patriotic terms, they’re very similar. (Don’t believe us? Try drinking whenever someone says “leader of the free world” on any of the four shows–and call us when you’ve sobered up). Use the gallery above as a guide to help keep your gladiators and your Jonads straight.

But which Washington-set drama is for you? Here are a few personality questions crafted to find out what should be put at the top of your Netflix queue. For example, what should you watch if you love wine? Trick question: all of them.

Spoilers to follow!

1. If you have some daddy issues…