What Does Scandal's Delay Mean for the Show?

The series was left off of the network's new fall schedule, which was announced Tuesday, breaking up Shonda Rhimes' #TGIT lineup (new drama Notorious will take over its Thursdays-at-9 timeslot) and sending Gladiators into a tizzy.

[...] a midseason premiere means that Scandal's presidential election -- which pits the Republican ticket of Mellie (Bellamy Young) and Jake (Scott Foley) against the Democratic ticket of Vargas (Ricardo Chavira) and Cyrus (Jeff Perry) -- won't coincide with the real one in November.

The drama mined a lot of storylines and material from real-life politics last season, including introducing a Donald Trump-like candidate with the return of Hollis Doyle (Gregg Henry) -- although Rhimes has claimed that his offensive bluster was in the works before Trump gained momentum.

"[...] wherever we come back, if we come back on the campaign trail, it will feel through-the-looking-glass to find out that [Mellie's] in bed with Papa Pope (Joe Morton)," she said, referring to the finale reveal that Rowan had planned for Jake to run with Mellie all along.

Scandal seemingly has two options here: carry on with its election when the show returns -- which would let Rhimes & Co. tailor their episodes with even more pointed commentary depending on what happens IRL -- or do a time-jump and come back with the POTUS- and VP-elect (perhaps timed with next January's inauguration?).

[...] that would also deprive viewers of campaign fun and backstabbery, debates -- you know the ShondaLand crew wants to write some mile-a-minute debate Shondalogues -- and the drama of election night itself.