Shonda Rhimes is undisputed TV royalty.
She knows how to make hits, and Shondaland is proof.
Her most famous creations include:
- Grey’s Anatomy
- Bridgerton
- Scandal
- How to Get Away With Murder
- Station 19
- Private Practice
While her filmography rivals the best in the business, her career hasn’t been the smoothest.
Why Shonda Rhimes Left ABC
Contrary to what some believe, she didn’t leave ABC because of a big fat Netflix paycheck.
Instead, she was tired of jumping through hoops at ABC.
The showrunner had netted ABC $2 billion, and she was responsible for 70 hours of TV content in 256 territories.
Despite her evident success–she had earned her title of the ‘Queen of Network TV’–ABC bickered with her over content and budget.
The network even disagreed with Rhimes over an ad she made for Hillary Clinton with the stars of her most famous shows.
In early 2017, Rhimes and ABC were negotiating over her contract.
Even though Shonda Rhimes was the network’s biggest money-maker, they were still trying to lowball her.
With all the tension, the showrunner soon reached her breaking point.
Rhimes had received an all-inclusive Disneyland pass for herself and her nanny.
However, she urgently needed an additional pass for her sister since the tokens were not interchangeable.
After several back-and-forth conversations, she finally got the extra pass.
However, when her daughters arrived at Disneyland, only one pass worked.
Sure this was a minor issue, Rhimes called an ABC to help sort it out.
However, the response she received was the straw that broke the camel’s back: “Don’t you have enough?”
Rhimes hung up, called her representatives, and gave them an ultimatum: find a way to make the Netflix deal happen, or she’d hire new representatives.
Along Came Netflix
When Shonda Rhimes was still in discussions with ABC, Netflix was naturally sniffing around.
However, they hastily obliged when they learned she was seeking greener pastures.
That August, Rhimes left her 15-year hub for a multi-year, first-of-its-kind $100 million Netflix deal.
It was that simple.
Rhimes’s move to Netflix soon inspired an exodus of talented, profitable, but underappreciated showrunners.
Fox TV Group’s most-valuable showrunner, Ryan Murphy, moved to Netflix shortly after Rhimes for the improved terms and increased creative freedom.
Rhimes’ Move Was A Resounding Success
Even though Shonda Rhimes was successful at ABC, she reached a new level on Netflix.
Bridgerton, a revisionist period drama, became a global hit, breaking viewership records and garnering critical acclaim.
Recently, Netflix improved their offer with a whopping $300 million deal.
Rhimes has more shows planned for Netflix, and unlike ABC, they show her the respect she deserves.
