Shonda Rhimes and her company Shondaland, which she runs with Betsy Beers, have signed a new five-year deal with Netflix, the streamer she has called home since 2017. The agreement, described in Netflix's terminology as a "creative partnership," will run through 2031 and covers development of series, feature films and games, along with live events and merchandise tied to Shondaland's intellectual property.
Netflix will also continue backing Shondaland's inclusion efforts, including the Ladder Program, which trains underrepresented below-the-line creatives.
"I am excited to extend our relationship with Netflix," Rhimes said in a statement. "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. I am so thankful to Ted [Sarandos], Bela [Bajaria] and the entire Netflix team for their continued partnership, trust and enthusiasm. Let's go!"
Rhimes' original Netflix deal in 2017 marked her departure from her longtime home at Disney and was seen as a landmark moment in the Peak TV era, as streamers began competing — and paying — for exclusive access to top creative talent. She re-signed with Netflix in 2021, and with that agreement now sunsetting, has inked the new pact through 2031.
The partnership has proven lucrative for Netflix. Shondaland produces Bridgerton, whose first and third seasons rank among the most-viewed English-language series in Netflix history. The show's fourth season debuted to strong numbers earlier this year, and a fifth season is currently filming. Together with the prequel series Queen Charlotte, the Bridgerton universe generated 180 million worldwide views — calculated as total hours watched divided by run time — in the first half of the year.
Shondaland's other Netflix titles include Inventing Anna, which also spent time in the platform's all-time top 10, along with The Residence and the documentaries Black Barbie and Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. Rhimes' long-running Grey's Anatomy, entering its 23rd season on ABC with a Texas-set spinoff due in 2027, also streams on Netflix and Hulu and remains a regular presence on Nielsen's U.S. streaming charts.
"I am thrilled to extend our partnership with the incomparable Shonda Rhimes," said Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer. "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."
Photo: Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
