As midseason nears and the biggest shows get a break for the holidays, we couldn’t wait to highlight two of our favorite ladies this week for Hypable Honors.

It’s that time of the year. TGIT is on break until January while The Newsroom just kicked off its 6 episode final season, and there will be a million and one Christmas specials coming in the very near future. Winter is an interesting and ever-changing time of the year for television, and we are here to honor two incredibly different, but very deserving performances from two of our favorite ladies for Hypable Honors.

Hypable Honors

Show: ‘Scandal’

Actor: Kerry Washington

There are not a whole lot of ways to praise Kerry Washington’s portrayal of Olivia Pope that haven’t been used before, but this week’s winter finale of Scandal was some of her best work yet.

Whether Olivia Pope is saving the day, dancing her worries away, or hosting a show down with her father, Kerry Washington never ceases to impress. This week, as she shocked Cyrus Beane back to life and refused to let him drift off into political obscurity, we cheered. As she danced her worries away with Jake, we made noises only acceptable to hear from 14 year old girls. And when she disappeared, leaving behind only a spilled glass of red wine, we all gasped.

Kerry Washington keeps us on our toes, never disappointing and always making us think twice about how we see Olivia. She may make a few mistakes, but she never stops trying to figure out how to do the right thing. That’s why she wears the white hat. Why she will always wear the white hat.

Show: ‘The Newsroom’

Actor: Olivia Munn

Let’s face it, as far as funny performances go, it’s hard to get any recognition if you are the comedic relief of a spectacular drama. The Newsroom wouldn’t be the same without it’s nerd-tastic economic guru, Sloan Sabbith, and the woman behind her brilliance, Olivia Munn.

This past week, The Newsroom was better than ever before, hitting the funny, the serious, and the dramatic notes all in stride. Sloan Sabbith was a huge reason why this episode worked so well. Her waffle talk may seem like it’s all for laughs, but establishing Sloan as more than just a talking economic advisor is incredibly important. Sloan is more than just a talking head for ACN, and way more than just another pretty face.

This writer basically sees her as our nerd-girl queen, and we can’t wait to see what Sorkin has in store for her in The Newsroom‘s final 4 episodes.