Famous for the TV series Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton, Shonda Rhimes has her opinion on ABC and Netflix. Let’s find out
Among the TV series that have made modern history, one cannot fail to mention Grey’s Anatomy. The series, which has collected many successes, sees as a creator Shonda Rhimes. The American screenwriter and producer has achieved enormous success also thanks to the costume series Bridgerton. Both shows are very popular, but do not belong to the same television station. If Grey’s Anatomy belongs to ABC, Bridgerton belongs to the Netflix streaming platform. Having worked for both, who better than Rhimes could know and list the main differences between the two stations? In fact, that’s exactly what the producer did in a recent interview with Deadline. Here are his words.
Two opposing realities | Shonda Rhimes: Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton and the comparison between ABC and Netflix
Even without going into detail, it is easy to understand how the US television station ABC and the more recent Netflix streaming platform are different from each other. The former is certainly used to moving in a more traditional multimedia fieldwhile the second achieved the desired success with the arrival of the streaming. According to the words of the producer, the two companies would have opposing ways of thinking and working. Here are his statements:
They are two completely different machines. ABC used to be a very powerful and multilayered institution, but there’s a sea of bureaucracy to navigate. The proceedings always started with a ‘No’ as an initial response, and then you had to find a way to make it a ‘Yes’. Netflix on the other hand, works the other way around. It starts with a ‘Yes‘, and then trying to figure out how to make that happen. Saying ‘Yes’ right from the start has a lot to do with the enthusiasm that is shown towards the project.
It therefore seems clear what Shonda’s preferences are, certainly it would be to understand if that initial enthusiasm is often rewarded by successful shows, or if it is a matter of rare cases. Some might think that that vigorous “yes” is destined to diminish, if you think of the multiple shows launched and then cancelled; others might see it as a positive company policy, which leaves the door open to a thousand possibilities and to always new and particular plots. What do you think?
Shonda’s experience
In addition to speaking in general terms of the method of the two companies, the screenwriter then focused on hers personal experience quoting Scandal, series of 2012, broadcast by the ABC channel. In the interview Shonda Rhimes cited the series she created as an example of the broadcaster’s working method. Here’s what she had to say, referring to ABC leaving with a flat no:
It was like that for Scandal too, at the beginning they said ‘Why should they do something like this? No!’ Then, finally, we came to ‘Yes’, but we did everything ourselves, until they saw it.
She then underlined how much the realization of her projects has been a victory for her that goes beyond the simple creation of a project. The success in her intent was, perhaps even unconsciously, one revenge in the ability of a woman in her work. Given the success achieved with his productions, we can really say that the latter can be seen as a great victory. And you, have you ever seen a show by this screenwriter? If yes, which one did you prefer? Let us know!
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