A Guide to Shonda Rhimes’s Netflix Shows
In August 2017 longtime ABC showrunner and producer Shonda Rhimes—the genius behind Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal—shocked her fans and the industry when she announced she was leaving the network to create a slew of new shows for Netflix.
Rhimes, who signed a $300 million deal with the streaming powerhouse, didn’t reveal any details about the shows she was working on for almost a full year, before finally announcing eight projects in The New York Times—all of which felt quite different from what we’ve seen from her in the past.
“Everybody thinks that there’s a ‘Shondaland show,’” Rhimes told the Times. “No. There’s a Shondaland show that we made for ABC. Now I can’t wait to show everybody what a Shondaland show is that we make for the world.”
And what does a Shondaland show for the world look like? Bridgerton, for one. The historical romance was the fifth biggest premiere for Netflix and to date has been watched by 63 million households.
Another example: Shondaland and Netflix acquired the rights to New York magazine’s viral story of ultra-scammer Anna Delvey and have adapted it into a forthcoming television show.
“I knew exactly what the show was, which is a very clear indicator,” Ms. Rhimes told The New York Times after reading the Delvey story while on vacation in Arizona. She said she starting writing it “almost immediately.”
Below, a list of all the Shonda Rhimes shows and movies on Netflix—some available for streaming, some still to come—and everything we know about them so far.
Hot Chocolate Nutcracker
This moving documentary about Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s take on the world-famous Nutcracker ballet came out in November 2020.
Bridgerton
This hit series, which premiered on Netflix in December 2020, is inspired by author Julia Quinn’s collections of eight fiction novels set between 1813 and 1825. Each novel is from the perspective of one of the Bridgerton children who make up the wealthy and influential British family. The series was executive-produced by Rhimes alongside creator, executive producer, and showrunner Chris Van Dusen (a Scandal vet!).
Notes on Love
“Shondaland’s Notes on Love is an episodic anthology series that ranges across genres and explores the unexpected, life-changing, euphoric, hilarious, surreal, and all-consuming places where love intersects with our lives,” per a Netflix press release. Each installment will come from a different visionary creative, including Jenny Han, Diane Warren, Lindy West and Ahamefule J. Oluo, Norman Lear, Steve Martin, and Shonda Rhimes herself.
Inventing Anna
This series is based on Jessica Pressler’s viral New York magazine article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” and will star Ozark‘s Julia Garner in the title role. The series was filmed in New York City, as seen below, though a premiere date remains unknown.
