Shonda Rhimes is leaving her familiar home at ABC Studios for a new one at Netflix. The mega TV producer is heading to the popular streaming service with a fresh new deal.
Heading to Netflix with Rhimes is her Shondaland, which over the past year she had built into a full-fledged production company with its own infrastructure. Shondaland, in which Rhimes is partnered with Betsy Beers, will function as a division of Netflix’s in-house studio.
Rhimes had one more year under her four-year deal at ABC Studios. It’s rumored she negotiated an early exit so she can go to Netflix. The deal with Netflix has a length similar to the four-year ABC Studios pact and is richer.
While Netflix has been very aggressive, bringing in series from A-list showrunners like Jenji Kohan, Marta Kauffman, and Chuck Lorre, this is one of the boldest poaching moves by the deep-pocketed streaming network, luring away from network television one of its top writer-producers at the top of her game.
Rhimes will continue to work on the ABC/ABC shows Shondaland has on the air, the returning Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal — heading into its final season — and How To Get Away with Murder, and the upcoming For The People and a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff. ABC Studios also has pilot Adult Behavior with Allan Heinberg, and several other projects in various stages of development. It also has the creators and showrunners of the non-Rhimes created Shondaland series under overall deals.
