Rumors about the cancellation of "Scandal" continue to emerge, but the production for the show's sixth season is expected to push forward after lead star Kerry Washington gave birth to her second child early this month.
The speculations about the cancellation of the political drama series surfaced after ABC opted to move the airing of the season 6 premiere in early 2017 as part of the network's midseason lineup. Although, the changes in the show's airing schedule were caused by Washington's pregnancy.
Other rumors claim that Shondaland's executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers will introduce a new legal drama that will replace "Scandal." According to reports, the new one-hour-long legal drama will tackle high-profile and controversial cases that are expected to cause a lot of drama on the courts. This will reportedly take over the time slot of "Scandal." But Rhimes has yet to address if the rumors are true.
Early reports claim that the sixth season of "Scandal" will center on the events that happened after the election. This means viewers will finally learn if Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) and her vice-presidential candidate, Jake Ballard (Scott Foley), will win against their opponents Francisco Vargas (Ricardo Chavira) and his vice-presidential running mate, Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry).
The sixth season of "Scandal" is also expected to shed light on Olivia Pope's (Washington) complicated love life, after she declared that she is still in love with Jake even though he broke up with him because of Rowan Pope's (Joe Morton) threats. However, outgoing president Fitz Grant (Tony Goldwyn) seems to be determined to win her heart back, especially since he no longer has to spend all his time leading the country after he steps down from the White House in season 6.
ABC is expected to release the premiere episode of "Scandal" season 6 in January 2017.
