'Scandal' Season 7 Will Hit Netflix Sooner Than You Think, So Get Your Popcorn Ready

Gladiators might already be feeling the loss of their beloved Scandal, but when it comes to making sure entertainment situations are handled — there's always Netflix. The ABC hit just had its pivotal series finale on April 19, leaving a massive hole in the TGIT lineup. There won't be new episodes to look forward to, though audiences can always revisit Olivia Pope and company via the trusty streaming service. So, when will Scandal Season 7 hit Netflix? Get ready to binge the show sooner than you thought.

It's almost time to break out the wine and popcorn again. Scandal Season 6 made its way to Netflix last year in June, just about a month following the season finale. Now it looks as though 2018 is following similar schedule, as Scandal Season 7 landed on the streaming service's recently-released roster of upcoming titles for May 2018. Rejoice! Scandal's latest and last chapter is slated to hit Netflix on May 19, so you have less than a month to wait until it's at your fingertips any time you want. For those who missed the last season, it's the perfect way to catch up. And for those who just don't want to say goodbye... it's never too soon for a re-watch, right?

Scandal might be gone, but the Shondaland hit will certainly not be forgotten. The drama has had a groundbreaking influence on the TV landscape since it premiered.

“She’s been a very three-dimensional, independent woman at a time when female characters really weren’t antiheroes,” creator Shonda Rhimes reflected on Olivia Pope's impact, speaking with Variety. “I hope that’s something that’s happened and now feels very normal and obvious — that female characters can be antiheroes — and [that] it feels normal and obvious that women of color can be leads of shows. …Hopefully that is something that the show has done.”

Scandal was not only embraced by its loyal audience — the cast overflowed with palpable chemistry and harmonized in way that translated on screen week after week. It felt like they became a real family over the years, which was why bidding adieu to the show was so emotional for them and for viewers. Kerry Washington revealed to EW:

“For our very final shot, we had every single cast member come back to set, except for Scott Foley, who was shooting in Europe and called in on FaceTime. Even my parents were there until three in the morning. It was really beautiful and special; it was poignant.”

With all the television revivals giving ended shows new life, fans are obviously hoping Scandal will be blessed with some sort of resurrection, be it a spin-off or a reboot. “I don’t know if Scandal would be Scandal without Shonda,” ABC president Channing Dungey said of the show's prospective fate on the network. “It’s so wrapped up in her DNA… I guess anything’s theoretically possible.”

Shonda Rhimes is heading to Netflix for a multi-production deal, which does not appear to include any Scandal-centric programming. Rhimes discussed her future creative endeavors last fall, explaining that she's ready to take on new areas of storytelling at this phase in her prolific career:

There is a brand that people assume that I am, and the kinds of stories that I can tell, and they have nothing to do with me as a writer, but simply have to do with the fact that we were on ABC… I’m excited to tell other stories. I’m excited to tell stories in different ways. I’m excited to be able to just do things in a different way. It’s just time.

I'm personally looking forward to Shonda's next chapter. Thankfully, there are plenty of old eps of Scandal, Grey's, and more to dive into if we're feeling nostalgic for OG TGIT.