ABC’s most reliable hitmaker Shonda Rhimes has jumped ship, moving her longtime juggernaut production company Shondaland over to Netflix with a rich new overall deal, marking a huge shift in the television landscape.
Rhimes’ stated reason for leaving ABC Studios after 15 years is a desire for the creative freedom offered by Netflix, including fewer restrictions, more flexible episode orders and variable run times.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the producer voiced a desire to escape the “necessary grind of network television,” including the arduous task of producing 22-24 episodes per season.
For the time being, Rhimes remains attached as an executive producer on all of the Shondaland shows currently airing and in the pipeline at ABC, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” this fall’s upcoming legal drama “For the People” and a firefighter-centric “Grey’s” spinoff.