ABC's "Scandal" Season 6 hasn't returned to television yet, much to the disappointment of fans of the Shonda Rhimes political drama and thriller. Filming and production for the series has been delayed because of "Scandal" star Kerry Washington's pregnancy. Her character, Olivia Pope, is not pregnant in the series, leading to complications about whether to write her pregnancy into the show.
Now that the "Scandal" star has recently given birth to her second child, what's next for "Scandal" Season 6? And how is the new mother of two faring during the first few weeks of new parenthood?
How 'Scandal' Season 6 handled Kerry's pregnancy
Having a hugely pregnant character on set--and the leading actress at that--can be a bit of a headache for "Scandal" Season 6 writers, who must make the choice between writing in their pregnancy into the show's universe, or hiding it completely. Initially, it was thought that "Scandal" Season 6 will incorporate Kerry Washington's pregnancy into her character, Olivia Pope, and that she'll be pregnant with President Fitz Grant (Tony Goldwyn).
In the end, however, "Scandal" Season 6 chose to not make things complicated for the show and hid Washington's pregnancy instead. In an interview with The Ellen Show, the "Scandal" star revealed that hiding her baby bump had been nothing short of strategic: big coats, big bags, even hiding behind other actors.
What to expect from 'Scandal' Season 6
Now that Kerry Washington and her husband welcomed their healthy baby boy, it can be expected that they'll start filming the last remaining episodes for "Scandal" Season 6 in a few months. The political drama had started filming and production for its 16-episode order for its sixth season.
"Scandal" Season 6 will pick up right on Election Day, where Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) and Frankie Vargas (Ricardo Chavira) go head to head for the US Presidency. Meanwhile, Olivia Pope and Fitz Grant work together to make sure Mellie wins to avert a potential disaster from Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry), who's currently running for the Vice Presidency.
Luckily for Washington's top crisis manager, "Scandal" Season 6 will also be more merciful towards her. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Shonda Rhimes said things are looking up for her, especially since she'd just gotten an abortion in Season 5.
"Scandal" Season 6 will return to ABC next year. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for more "Scandal" Season 6 spoilers, news and updates!
