Shonda Rhimes signed a “a multi-year deal to produce new series and other projects” with Netflix, Variety reports, which ends her 15-year long run with ABC.
Betsy Beers, her longtime producer, will join Rhimes at Netflix. Those panicking at the thought of #TGIT perishing at the hands of another auteur can rest easy: Rhimes will still be involved with her shows on ABC. It’s just that any new show, movie, comedy sketch, commercial, or YouTube promposal will run on Netflix, drawing from what I can only assume is a vast and endless coffer of money.
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in a statement: “Her work is gripping, inventive, pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, taboo-breaking television at its best. I’ve gotten the chance to know Shonda and she’s a true Netflixer at heart—she loves TV and films, she cares passionately about her work, and she delivers for her audience.” About her new home at Netflix and of Sarandos himself, Rhimes said, “He understood what I was looking for — the opportunity to build a vibrant new storytelling home for writers with the unique creative freedom and instantaneous global reach provided by Netflix’s singular sense of innovation. The future of Shondaland at Netflix has limitless possibilities.”
