ABC’s ‘Scandal’ season 4: Will Columbus Short be replaced on cast?

The news is now official for “Scandal” fans that Columbus Short is no longer a part of the equation, but what does this mean for the entire series moving forward? That is what we hope to answer now.

Thanks to the exit of Short and the Harrison character, our official list of Gladiators is now down to Olivia, Huck, Quinn (if you still consider her one), and Abby. That’s not a whole lot of Gladiators still out there to do battle.

So what are the best solutions moving forward? We’ve compiled what are some possibilities floating around Twitter, just to begin the discussion from here.

1. Stephen (Henry Ian Cusick) – We’ve seen people talk about him and raise questions as to if he could come back (the character was a part of the first season), and the simple answer is “doesn’t seem likely.” He may work well as a one-episode guest, but since he is a regular on The CW’s “The 100,” he cannot really be counted on, since the future of that show is up in the air.

2. Someone from outside OPA – Could Jake Ballard become a full-time Gladiator and stay in the job? What about David Rosen? It takes (to quote Liam Neeson) a particular set of skills to do this job, but he probably has quite a few of those at his disposal.

3. Someone brand-new – Given the show’s ratings, they could easily afford another regular, and we’d much prefer seeing the story of how a new Gladiator enters the fold versus people getting tossed around like a salad. Let them recur for a year with an option to become a regular, that way you can test them out.

If you want to read what Short specifically had to say in regards to leaving “Scandal,” you can do so over at the link here. Also, be sure to sign up to get some other great “Scandal” updates sent right to your email inbox.

Photo: ABC