Shonda Rhimes is staying put at Netflix, with the superproducer and her Shondaland production banner renewing their overall deal with the streamer for a further five years.
Rhimes and her producing partner, Betsy Beers, has been based at Netflix since 2017.
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, said of the renewal, “I am thrilled to extend our partnership with the incomparable Shonda Rhimes. Few creative partnerships have shown what’s possible when a singular vision meets a global stage: stories that become genuine phenomena, shaping fashion, music and culture far beyond the screen. Nearly a decade in, this partnership keeps proving that Shonda’s instincts aren’t just brilliant storytelling — they’re a blueprint for what a hit can become. We couldn’t be prouder to remain the home where Shondaland continues to surprise and entertain audiences around the world.”
Shondaland’s biggest show to date on Netflix is “Bridgerton,” which recently aired its fourth season and has already been renewed for a fifth. It is one of the most popular show’s in Netflix history, with Seasons 1 and 3 ranking in the Top 10 Netflix shows of all time with 113.3 million views and 106 million views respectively. Per Netflix, Season 4 pulled in over 100 million views, while the streamer also previously aired the popular prequel series “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.”
“I am excited to extend our relationship with Netflix. For almost a decade, Netflix has provided Shondaland with the autonomy and support to tell our kind of stories—stories that both entertain and reflect diversity and humanity in a way that resonates with audiences around the world,” Rhimes said. “I am so thankful to Ted, Bela and the entire Netflix team for their continued partnership, trust and enthusiasm. Let’s GO!”
In addition to serving as the exclusive home to Shondaland film and TV projects, the overall deal also covers gaming, merchandise, and live events connected to the IP. Netflix will also continue to support Shondaland’s inclusion initiatives like Ladder Program, to help train underrepresented below the line creatives.
In addition to “Bridgerton,” Shondaland’s other projects with Netflix include the hit limited series “Inventing Anna” starring Julia Garner as Anna Delvey, the murder mystery “The Residence” starring Uzo Aduba, the Emmy-winning documentary “Black Barbie,” and “Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker,” Shondaland’s documentary chronicling legendary choreographer and director Debbie Allen.
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
From Variety US