Network television needs Olivia Pope. The networks faced their worst numbers ever this season, and it has become basic knowledge that if you want daring, top-notch television, you go to cable. In this state of decay, network TV could certainly use Olivia Pope, the spin-wizard at the center of ABC’s “Scandal,” drumming up good press and changing its image. And in a way, it does: As “Scandal” closes out its second season, it’s all the more clear that Pope (Kerry Washington, “Peeples”) and her universe are glimmering signs that smart, risk-taking drama can still be found on network TV.

By undertaking an ambitious season-long arc after its fun but inconsistent first season, “Scandal” made leaps and bounds to become the cable-ready behemoth that it is. The showrunner behind it all is Shonda Rhimes, who knows a thing or two about how to build a successful show, having created network megahits “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice.” This season, Rhimes and her team of gladiators in suits seem fearless in their attempts to shock and seduce viewers with their explosion of a show. Rhimes has created an America run by a megalomanic first lady, an African-American fixer who’s sleeping with the president and a gay chief-of-staff. In this world, presidents are shot; presidents murder; former spies attend Narcotics Anonymous because they’re addicted to slicing people up and unlikely co-conspirators rig a national election. And it all feels wonderfully over-the-top but never silly.

Most importantly, it’s TV you shouldn’t feel guilty about loving. Sure, “Scandal” is undeniably a primetime soap among a TV season of sudsy indulgence, but it’s got more intelligence than “Nashville,” more stability than “Revenge” and more life than “House of Cards.” Only in a brief stretch midseason did the show lose some of its edge, getting too wrapped up in its own conspiracies. And by the end, all the red herrings and suspense about who the goddamn mole was went stale. But by then, it didn’t really matter much, because the plot still touched each and every character in different, exciting ways.

Despite sprinkling in plenty of soapy tropes, “Scandal” breaks conventions and expectations. The smartest move the show made was letting its main character take off her white hat; while the Olivia of season one was hardly a saint, here, she’s wrapped up in a stolen presidency, with plenty of blood on her gloved fingertips. Fitz (Tony Goldwyn, “The Good Wife”) — or President Grant, as he’s referred to by virtually no one — most strikingly defies expectations. He’s hardly the powerful, clever leading man. If he resembles any stock character at all, it’s a damsel in distress. His wife Mellie (Bellamy Young, “Criminal Minds”), his chief-of-staff Cyrus (Jeff Perry, “Grey's Anatomy”) and his lover Olivia are basically always telling him to go to the Oval Office and play while the grownups figure out how to fix the free world.

“Scandal” is loud, from its signature camera shutter sound effects during scene transitions to its bold story maneuvers. Its scripts burst at the seams with dialogue, because these characters have a whole lot to say and they say it so damn well. But unlike Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom,” where a bunch of white dudes kept screaming about nothing, every word these characters utter — whether it be in one of the many closeup shout-a-thons or in a rare but potent whisper — drips with meaning.

Washington is a clear stronghold for the cast, but she’s supported by an army of fierce performers who give life to the page. All season, Perry knocks us out with his manic energy, storming through tunnels, huffing down halls as Fitz’s bulldog Cyrus, finally reaching a boiling point in the finale.