It may come as a shock to fans of the series that Scandal will eventually end its run at some point. I know – it’s hard to even imagine when that will be, and it probably feels like it’ll go on forever. At least, I gather many of you would love for it to continue on for as long as possible.

But it won’t. And Shonda Rhimes knows that very well. 

In a recent interview with NPR (embedded below) she shared that she she already knows exactly how Scandal will end, and when it’ll end, although, she certainly doesn’t give any specifics to the interviewer. You’ll just have to imagine what both situations would look like – how and when you’ll have to say goodbye to Olivia Pope and company. 

Given how popular it is, and the ratings its drawing, I can’t see ABC or Shonda wanting to bring the series to a close anytime soon. Although, as you might remember, the network waited until the proverbial last minute to finally order a 3rd season earlier this year. Given that the series is enjoying its best ratings ever, I assume ABC won’t wait until May 2014 to decide whether it’ll renew Scandal for a 4th season.

But it might not be entirely up to the network. Shonda already knows how and when she wants to end the series, so I could envision a scenario in which she decides that it’s over, even though ABC might want to continue with it. 

Does it have a similar life ahead of it as Shonda’s other ABC series, Grey’s Anatomy, which is now in its 10th season? 

What do you think – if you’re a fan of the series? Do you see 10 seasons in Scandal’s future? Obviously, the storylines would have to evolve over time. I’m sure even the die-hard fans of the series will eventually tire of the ongoing relationship between Olivia Pope and the president (which is really at the heart of the series), after a few seasons, and will long for much more. Although I could be certainly wrong about that. 

But if you were to predict Scandal’s future, what would it look like to you? Shonda says she knows how exactly it’ll end, and when. Put yourself in her head and paint a portrait of what you see: How do you think it’ll all come to an end? And when do you think that’ll happen? Also, how would you like to see it end? What would you like to see happen to the individual characters and stories over time, if say the series continued on for another 7 seasons?

Listen to the NPR interview with Shonda Rhimes below: