5 Things Every Scandal Fan Should Know About Season 6

Break out your white hat — we're talking Scandal. The series didn't return this Fall with all its other primetime pals, but it's finally coming back next Thursday! It's been a long time since we've caught up with Olivia and her comrades, so if you've forgotten a few things, I don't blame you. That said, here's a quick refresher on what you need to know about the next season, including where we left off. Read on to find out everything we know!

According to Entertainment Weekly, the season will kick off with a very important event: election night. Remember, Mellie and Jake are running against Hollis Doyle, so it'll be one for the books.

While Hollis Doyle was originally suppose to take a storyline that would get him even closer to Donald Trump's real-life campaign persona, Rhimes confirmed in January that the writers wouldn't be taking inspiration from the 2016 election results: "I don't really equate the two. I mean, that's not really the goal, obviously. If that were the goal, we would have waited until after the election to write about the election."

While Joelle Carter played Jake's new wife, Vanessa, in season five, Glee alum Jessalyn Gilsig has signed on to take over the role. A possible reason for the swap is that Carter is a regular on Chicago Justice, which also airs midseason and will film at the same time as Scandal this year.

The trailer promises that we won't know what hit us within the first 10 minutes:

If you're of the opinion that Scandal has lost its original spark in recent seasons, first of all, you're in excellent company. Secondly, ABC President Channing Dungey gave us hope during ABC's presentation at the Television Critics Association in August. "Long-running shows, there's always a little bit of ebb and flow," she said, referring to Scandal. "We have read the first script for the new season and it's fantastic. It feels very much like a return to form." Great! Because we really just want more of this: