Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Shonda Rhimes
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Shonda Rhimes made an impact.
Shonda Rhimes is a prominent American television producer, screenwriter, and founder of Shondaland. As showrunner, she is best known for creating and executive producing hit television dramas like Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal. Rhimes achieved the distinction of being the first woman to create three television dramas exceeding 100 episodes. She has been inducted into both the Television Hall of Fame and the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame recognizing her significant contributions to the television industry.
1995: Hank Aaron Documentary
In 1995, Shonda Rhimes worked as research director on the documentary "Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream", which won the 1995 Peabody Award.
1998: Blossoms and Veils Short Film
In 1998, Shonda Rhimes made a short film, "Blossoms and Veils", starring Jada Pinkett-Smith and Jeffrey Wright, which is her only credit as a film director.
1999: Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
In 1999, Shonda Rhimes co-wrote the HBO movie "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge", which earned numerous awards for its star, Halle Berry.
2001: The Princess Diaries Sequel
In 2001, Shonda Rhimes worked on writing Disney's sequel to its popular movie "The Princess Diaries".
2001: Crossroads Film
In 2001, Shonda Rhimes wrote "Crossroads", the debut film of pop singer Britney Spears.
2003: Failed TV Pilot
In 2003, Shonda Rhimes wrote her first TV pilot for ABC about young female war correspondents, but the network turned it down.
2004: The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
In 2004, Shonda Rhimes wrote "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement".
March 27, 2005: Grey's Anatomy Debut
On March 27, 2005, "Grey's Anatomy" debuted as a mid-season replacement.
2005: Grey's Anatomy Premiere
In 2005, Shonda Rhimes became the showrunner of the medical drama "Grey's Anatomy".
2006: Golden Globe Award for Grey's Anatomy
In 2006, Shonda Rhimes won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama for Grey's Anatomy.
September 26, 2007: Private Practice Debut
On September 26, 2007, "Private Practice", a spin-off series from "Grey's Anatomy" created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, debuted on ABC.
2007: Private Practice Spin-Off
In 2007, Shonda Rhimes created "Private Practice", a spin-off of "Grey's Anatomy".
2010: Inside the Box Pilot
In 2010, Shonda Rhimes created a new pilot for ABC called "Inside the Box", a female-centric ensemble drama set in a Washington, D.C. network news bureau, which was not picked up by the network.
May 13, 2011: Off the Map Cancellation
On May 13, 2011, the medical drama "Off the Map", for which Shonda Rhimes served as executive producer, was officially cancelled by the ABC network.
May 2011: Scandal Pilot Ordered
In May 2011, ABC ordered Shonda Rhimes' pilot script "Scandal" to series.
April 5, 2012: Scandal Debut
On April 5, 2012, "Scandal" debuted with Kerry Washington starring as Olivia Pope.
May 2012: Private Practice Renewal
In May 2012, ABC picked up "Private Practice" for the 2012–13 television season with 13 episodes.
2012: Scandal Premiere
In 2012, Shonda Rhimes created the political thriller "Scandal".
2012: Gilded Lilys Pilot
In 2012, Shonda Rhimes developed a pilot for a period drama, "Gilded Lilys", but it was not picked up to series.
January 22, 2013: Private Practice Finale
On January 22, 2013, the series finale of "Private Practice" aired.
December 2013: How to Get Away with Murder Pilot
In December 2013, ABC ordered a pilot for a new Shonda Rhimes series, "How to Get Away with Murder".
2013: Private Practice Ended
In 2013, the television show "Private Practice" ended.
February 2014: Viola Davis Joins How to Get Away with Murder
In February 2014, Viola Davis joined the cast of "How to Get Away with Murder" as the lead character.
May 8, 2014: How to Get Away with Murder Picked Up
On May 8, 2014, "How to Get Away with Murder" was officially picked up to series.
2014: How to Get Away with Murder
In 2014, Shonda Rhimes served as the executive producer of the ABC thriller series "How to Get Away with Murder".
2015: Year of Yes Book
In 2015, Shonda Rhimes published her first book, a memoir, "Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person".
March 2016: The Catch Premiere
In March 2016, ABC premiered "The Catch", a comedy-drama led by Shonda Rhimes based on a treatment by British author Kate Atkinson.
2016: The Rhimes Family Foundation Formed
In 2016, Shonda Rhimes formed The Rhimes Family Foundation whose mission is to support arts, education, and activism.
April 2017: Planned Parenthood Board
In April 2017, Shonda Rhimes joined the national board of Planned Parenthood.
August 14, 2017: Netflix Deal
On August 14, 2017, Netflix announced that it had entered into an exclusive multi-year development deal with Shonda Rhimes, under which all of her future productions will be Netflix Original series.
2017: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Appointment
In 2017, Shonda Rhimes was inducted as a Chair's Appointee of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences‘s executive committee.
2019: Joins When We All Vote
In 2019, Shonda Rhimes joined the organization When We All Vote as a co-chair.
October 2020: Working on Netflix Projects
As of October 2020, Shonda Rhimes was working on more than 12 projects for Netflix.
2020: When We All Vote
In 2020, Rhimes was co-chair of the organization When We All Vote to get out the vote prior to the 2020 general election.
2020: Bridgerton Series
In 2020, Shonda Rhimes served as the executive producer of the Netflix period series "Bridgerton".
July 2021: Netflix Deal Extended
In July 2021, Shonda Rhimes extended her deal with Netflix.
April 2022: Queen Charlotte Announced
In April 2022, the production of "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" conceived by Shonda Rhimes was announced, as a spin-off of "Bridgerton".
2022: Inventing Anna
In 2022, Shonda Rhimes served as the executive producer of "Inventing Anna".
2023: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
In 2023, Shonda Rhimes served as executive producer of "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story".
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