The story
Founded by Shonda Rhimes in 2005.1
Programming block
In 2014, the ABC network programmed its entire Thursday primetime lineup with television series produced by Shondaland, then branded the Shondaland-filled programming block as "Thank God It's Thursday," also referred to in its shortened form, TGIT. This echoes ABC's former TGIF branding of its Friday night family sitcoms and NBC's Must See TV promotion of formidable Thursday night television hits in the 1990s. Thursday is an especially important night for American television networks because it is the last chance for advertisers of weekend purchases, like movies and cars, to reach a large TV audience, and networks schedule highly rated programming for the night to attract those advertising dollars. The Associated Press called Rhimes' reign of an entire night of network television "unmatched in TV history."
Productions
The first series produced by Shondaland is Grey's Anatomy, which premiered on March 27, 2005, and was recently renewed for its 22nd season. In 2007, Private Practice premiered, and lasted for six seasons, until its final broadcast, on January 22, 2013. The third installment, Off the Map, was created by Jenna Bans and lasted for only one season, in 2011. Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, premiered in 2012 and 2014, respectively, with Scandal airing its final episode on April 19, 2018, and How to Get Away with Murder airing its final episode on May 14, 2020. The comedy-driven crime drama The Catch aired for two seasons and received generally positive reviews from critics. The period drama Still Star-Crossed premiered on May 29, 2017, and was cancelled after one season. The legal drama For the People, created by Paul William Davies and set to premiere in the 2017–18 television season, is the eighth television series produced by Shondaland. In May 2019, it was cancelled after two seasons.
It was announced on January 3, 2018, that Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder would crossover with one another in Shondaland's first crossover event (excluding spin-offs). In March 22, 2018, a second Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Station 19, premiered. This firefighter procedural drama lasted for seven seasons, broadcasting its final episode on May 30, 2024. On May 19, 2026, ABC ordered a new Grey's Anatomy spinoff that will be set in Texas. It is slated to premiere in 2027.
From Wikipedia’s article on Shondaland, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4