Are you ready for TGIT? 'Scandal,' 'How to Get Away with Murder' set to return for new seasons

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The return of ABC's TGIT lineup is one of those rare reasons to be happy that summer is over, and on September 26, "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder" are back with all new episodes.

The fifth season of "Scandal" picks up shortly after the memorable scene that finally brought Fitz and Olivia back together at the White House.

"And you get to see what that moment on the balcony led to and how they're dealing with it, and how some of the people around them are dealing with it," star Kerry Washington said. "I can't say much more than that, but it's really fun."

Yes, but there's also a risk the show won't be quite so interesting now that they are together, which is an issue Washington raised with her boss, show creator Shonda Rimes.

"I turned to Shonda, and it was like, 'Where do we go from here? I don't understand how, if there's no tension,'" she said. "She said, 'It''s OK.' And I have to say, coming back in the first episode, how the writers handled it really surprised me."

But expecting the unexpected has become part of her job description.

"All the drugs in the world could not make my brain as creative as the writers on our show," she said.

The chance to be even more creative helped lure two-time Oscar nominee Viola Davis to show audiences "How to Get Away with Murder," and she saw her role playing a defense attorney as a chance to stretch beyond her parts in "Doubt" and "The Help."

"Analise was something completely different," she said. "She was mysterious. She was messy. She was all those things people don't accept in people like me."

In fact, Davis feared she would not be accepted.

"For a moment," she said. "I don't have any fear now. I'm good."

TGIT kicks off next Thursday on Channel 7, with "Grey's Anatomy at 8 p.m., followed by "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder."