Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes is parting ways with TV network ABC to start a new partnership with streaming giant Netflix.
The 47-year-old executive producer of hit shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder has inked a lucrative new multi-year deal for her ShondaLandproduction company to produce new series and projects for the streaming behemoth.
According to editors at Variety, Shonda Rhimes, who founded her production company in 2005, will be joined at Netflix by fellow executive producer Betsy Beers.
“ShondaLand’s move to Netflix is the result of a shared plan Ted Sarandos and I built based on my vision for myself as a storyteller and for the evolution of my company,” Shonda said in a statement released by Netflix, Variety reported.
“Ted provides a clear, fearless space for creators at Netflix. 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,” she added.
According to the Wall Street Journal story that first broke the news of the deal, Shonda Rhimes’s productions have made ABC over $2 billion.
The producer paid tribute to her former TV home, assuring fans she will continue to maintain her shows already on ABC, with the network also airing the final season of Scandal.
“Our current shows will continue to thrive on ABC and ShondaLand will be there every step of the way,” Shonda Rhimes continued. “I could not have asked for a better home to begin my career.”
