Shondaland, a production company named after star creator and producer Shonda Rhimes, put its first show on the air in 2005 with Grey’s Anatomy. Since then, Shondaland has produced a total of 12 series, all of which aired on either ABC or Netflix. These Power Rankings do not necessarily rank shows by ratings. Rather, they serve as a look back on all 12 series’ impact and relative strength, both to the network/streamer airing the series and to television as a whole. Let me know what your rankings are in the comments!
12. Off the Map (2011)
On paper, Off the Map should have been a hit. Like Grey’s Anatomy and its spin-off Private Practice, it was a medical drama from Shondaland airing on ABC. It wasn’t created by Shonda Rhimes herself, though; she was attached to the series as an executive producer. ABC took these positive signals for granted and premiered Off the Map in the Wednesdays at 10 pm time slot. Arguably, it’d be a much better fit airing on Thursdays alongside Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. Instead, ABC scheduled Wipeout to lead off Thursday nights, leaving Off the Map to air behind incompatible sitcoms; first Cougar Town and then the ill-fated Mr. Robinson, which got pulled from the schedule around the same time Off the Map’s first and only season wrapped.
Off the Map premiered to a 2.3 in the key Adults 18-49 demo, and dropped only modestly to a 2.1 in its second week; 88% retention from its Cougar Town lead-in. By its finale, its retention was a similarly-solid 81%, but Mr. Robinson’s 1.6 demo rating that night meant Off the Map only notched a 1.3. In Live +7, it averaged a 2.2 demo rating, ranking 18th on ABC in the 2010-11 season and 71st overall, coming in just behind Wipeout.
ABC’s overconfidence in Off the Map as an automatic success goes beyond the questionable scheduling. Much like a recent example in CBS’s NCIS: Hawai’i, Off the Map used the same production facilities in Hawai’i and Puerto Rico that Lost had previously used. As a one-and-done show with ratings that declined sharply, Off the Map is perceived as a show that failed simply because it wasn’t good. However, with its 7.2 IMDb rating not being far off from Grey’s Anatomy’s 7.6, one has to wonder if its run would have been extended by a Thursday time slot and its own production facilities. Instead, Off the Map will be remembered as prime example of a show that should have succeeded, but ultimately did not. That earns it its last place position in the Power Rankings.
11. Still Star-Crossed (2017)
Still Star-Crossed escapes last place in the Power Rankings for one reason: with this one, at least the expectations were low to begin with. When Still Star-Crossed premiered in late May 2017, ABC was deep into their love with Shondaland. The ‘TGIT’ block had just wrapped its third season as a brand and was announced to enter a fourth. While they had just canceled The Catch, that show arguably didn’t deserve a Season 2 to begin with, and they were set to premiere two new Shondaland series in the 2017-18 TV season. Despite all this, Still Star-Crossed’s cancelation was announced only three episodes into its run. It was moved to Saturdays to air the final four episodes of its seven-episode season, where it dipped from a 0.3 in the A18-49 demo to a 0.2. These were abysmal ratings that despite coming from Shondaland, even mid-2010s-era ABC could not justify renewing it.
10. The Catch (2016-17)
ABC had undeniable success early on with their ‘TGIT’ block, which they saw as interchangeable with Shondaland. With How To Get Away With Murder having shorter seasons than Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, ABC gave themselves two options: pick up another Shondaland series and air it in the spring, or temporarily retire the ‘TGIT’ brand. They chose the former, airing dramedy The Catch at 10 pm on Thursdays in spring 2016. It premiered passably enough, notching a 1.2 Adults 18-49 demo rating out of Scandal’s 1.6. As the series progressed, it started to look a lot weaker. The same day it was renewed, it notched a 1.0 demo rating; a solid hold from the premiere, but a clear weak link compared to Grey’s Anatomy’s 2.1 and Scandal’s 1.8. The two-hour finale performed abysmally, down to a 0.8 demo rating out of Grey’s Anatomy’s 2.3 rating; just 35% retention from a fellow Shondaland series.
Despite its ratings, ABC acted as if all was well with The Catch. Season 2 aired in the same Thursdays at 10 pm time slot after Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal that Season 1 did, allowing them to keep the ‘TGIT’ branding. Its second season premiered with a 0.8 demo rating out of Scandal’s 1.4; by the finale, it was at a 0.6 demo rating while Scandal stayed steady. ABC canceled The Catch just hours before the Season 2 finale aired. It averaged a 1.0 for the season in the Live + 7 demo, enough for only 115th place overall and tied for 28th on ABC. For comparison, Shondaland’s other non-summer shows that season all ranked in the top 6 for the network. Drama Notorious, which ABC paused the ‘TGIT’ branding for when it took a fall Thursdays time slot, came in 19th place; it was canceled after one season and promoted as an alternative to airing color bars.
The Catch wasn’t just a flop; it was a liability. As much success as Shondaland had provided for ABC, it probably would’ve been for the best if they didn’t make the ‘TGIT’ brand exclusive to its series. Being more flexible with the branding may not have stopped The Catch from being picked up and flopping, but probably could have avoided the Season 2 fiasco.
9. For the People (2018-19)
Like The Catch, For the People aired two 10-episode seasons before getting canceled. A legal drama, For the People aired on Tuesdays after a two-hour comedy block. It premiered to a paltry 0.8 Adults 18-49 demo rating, slightly below its black-ish lead-in’s 0.9. By its third week, For the People was airing on the same night as the Roseanne revival, but it didn’t make much of a difference for its ratings. In fact, the night of Roseanne’s premiere, For the People notched a 0.8 demo rating out of a 2.1 for the series premiere of sitcom Splitting Up Together. By its season finale, For the People was down to just a 0.5 demo rating, half of Splitting Up Together’s 1.0. For the People averaged a 1.0 in the Live + 7 demo, tying for 109th on broadcast television and 29th on ABC. Unsurprisingly, it was ABC’s lowest-rated scripted renewal in that demo, and performed worse than a few fellow new shows that were canceled. There was really no reason to renew For the People on a ratings basis, but, much like a FOX cartoon today, a series from Shondaland on ABC in the late 2010s was almost always given a second chance.
Unlike with The Catch’s second season, ABC didn’t pretend like For the People was a hit and return it to the same time slot. Rather, it premiered for another 10-episode midseason run on Thursdays, allowing them to technically keep ‘TGIT’ intact. Its performance wasn’t any better after a lineup that included Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, earning it the moniker ‘0.4 the People.’ Its finale’s 0.4 had the same 50% retention from its lead-in as the Season 1 finale; this time, fellow Shondaland show Station 19 instead of a short-lived sitcom. It tied for 114th on broadcast and 33rd on ABC in Live + 7, tying The Fix and coming in behind Whiskey Cavalier, both one-and-done dramas.
8. Inventing Anna (2022)
Part of Shonda Rhimes’ massive Netflix deal came 2022’s miniseries Inventing Anna, so far the only series not set in the Bridgerton universe. Inventing Anna was an immediate hit for Netflix, even breaking a ratings record for most hours viewed for an English language series. The fact it’s ranked #8 in the Power Rankings is a testament to just how successful Shondaland is as a whole, excluding Off The Map and a trio of flops on ABC in the mid to late 2010s. Power Rankings are not all about ratings, though; they’re about overall impact. Inventing Anna only had nine episodes, and wasn’t particularly well-received per its 5.9 IMDb score despite being well-sampled. Award shows liked it at least, with a nomination at both the Emmys and Golden Globes. It’s simply hard to justify ranking a miniseries ahead of something that lasted 100 episodes, no matter how many people watched it.
7. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)
Like Inventing Anna, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’s lower-than-average ranking comes for two non-ratings reasons: Shondaland’s depth and the fact it only aired six episodes. Sure, the latter is by design, but is it really justifiable to rank a show with less episodes than Still Star-Crossed ahead of something with 6+ seasons? Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a prequel to Shondaland’s first Netflix series, Bridgerton, proving the worth Bridgerton has to the streamer. It aired in 2023 in lieu of a third season of Bridgerton, which was pushed to 2024. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story was a ratings success, debuting at #1 across 91 different countries. This makes it an undeniable hit, proving the Bridgerton IP can have success beyond the original series. In fact, one could argue Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is Shondaland’s most popular spin-off for the time it aired. However, a miniseries with just six episodes is simply unable to compete in overall impact with a traditional series with six seasons.
6. Private Practice (2007-13)
The first spinoff of Grey’s Anatomy and second overall show from Shondaland, Private Practice aired 111 episodes over the course of six seasons. It was at its most popular during its nine-episode first season, where it was ABC’s fourth-highest-rated scripted series in the Adults 18-49 Live + 7 demo with a 4.0 rating. It aired its first and began its second season in the Wednesdays at 9 pm time slot, in between fellow new dramas Pushing Daises and Dirty Sexy Money.
Midway through Season 2, ABC moved Private Practice to Thursdays at 10 pm, airing directly after Grey’s Anatomy and avoiding having to go up against American Idol. This helped its spring ratings improve from its fall ratings, but its retention from Grey’s Anatomy was typically only around 60-65%. Its average rating fell to a 3.29 in Season 2, which was still enough for Private Practice to be ABC’s fifth-highest-rated scripted series in 2008-09.
Private Practice would remain in the Thursdays at 10 pm time slot behind Grey’s Anatomy for its third and fourth seasons, becoming ABC’s fifth-highest-rated scripted show in its third season and seventh-highest-rated in its fourth season. These are certainly strong ratings by themselves, but look a bit weaker when you consider it’s a spinoff of one of the network’s highest-rated series — a series that also serves as its lead-in. ABC took a risk and moved Private Practice to the Tuesdays at 10 pm time slot for the final four episodes of its fifth season, where it put up a mix of solid and ugly ratings performances.
Private Practice may have been remembered better had it ended after its fifth season. Instead, it was renewed for a sixth, which aired in its entirety in that same Tuesdays at 10 pm time slot. It was announced to be in its final season after airing three episodes, and the 13-episode season as a whole was down 42% in Live + Same Day ratings from the fifth season. Its delayed ratings were better, buoying the show from a 1.33 in Live + Same Day to a 2.4 in Live + 7, enough for ninth place among ABC scripted series in the latter metric. While still a fairly popular show when taking everything into account, Private Practice was well past its peak at the time it ended, and wasn’t doing much to strengthen the growing brand of Shondaland. 11 years after it ended, it’s pretty safe to say Private Practice is more remembered than the average series, but doesn’t quite deserve more than a mid-tier ranking.
5. Station 19 (2018-24)
Grey’s Anatomy’s second spinoff, firefighter action drama Station 19, lasted roughly the same amount of time as Private Practice. The former aired 105 episodes over the course seven seasons, while the latter aired 111 episodes in six seasons. Unlike Private Practice, Station 19 was always paired up with Grey’s Anatomy, whether that be in the time slot before or following the flagship medical drama. In a sense, the Station 19/Grey’s Anatomy duo was ABC’s answer to NBC’s Chicago Med/Chicago Fire. While Station 19 was clearly its own, distinct show from Grey’s Anatomy, its time slot and the fact both shows took place in Seattle allowed it to do several seamless crossovers with Grey’s Anatomy. Counting the backdoor pilot, there were 20 crossovers between the two series, ranging from single character crossovers to highly-promoted multi-character crossover events.
Station 19’s best ratings came when it aired in the Thursdays at 8 pm time slot, slotted in between the now-lucrative local lead-in and Grey’s Anatomy. This was its time slot for most of Season 3 as well as the entirety of Seasons 4, 5, and 6. In its fifth season, Station 19 was ABC’s second-highest-rated scripted show in the Adults 18-49 Live + Same Day demo, edged out only by Grey’s Anatomy (and behind several unscripted series). This is a vast improvement in ranking from its first season, where it was ABC’s ninth-highest-rated scripted series and bested by three other Shondaland dramas. That short spring season, along with its 17-episode second season, aired Thursdays at 9 pm behind Grey’s Anatomy.
Like Private Practice, Station 19 would probably be remembered a bit better from a ratings perspective had it ended one season earlier. The pre-announced final season was stuffed away in the Thursdays at 10 pm time slot for the first time ever, a slot that was getting increasingly tougher to find an audience for a scripted show. While Station 19 had been doing well at 8 pm in its sixth season, even averaging higher ratings than Grey’s Anatomy in Live + Same Day viewing, a move to 10 pm in its seventh season hurt it drastically. With very limited space allotted for scripted on ABC’s schedule in 2024, 9-1-1 landed a prime spot on Thursdays. Much like Private Practice, Station 19 looked like an afterthought on ABC’s schedule in its final season, and the ratings reflected it. Station 19 fell 40% in the Adults 18-49 demo in Live + Same Day viewing in its final season, plummeting to seventh out of ninth place overall among scripted series. By comparison, it came in third place out of fifteen scripted shows in its fifth season.
Its ratings trajectory indicated Station 19 to be a time slot hit; one that could perform really well in a strong time slot, but struggled elsewhere. Still, Station 19 has proven to have a passionate audience, with a widespread ‘Save Our Show’ campaign that time slot hits simply don’t get. It did still show some promise in multi-platform viewing for its seventh season premiere; while it rated far behind its fellow Thursday night shows in that metric, it did perform a little better than Will Trent, which ABC renewed, and far better than fellow exiting drama The Good Doctor. Overall, Station 19 was a worthwhile investment for ABC and one of the more successful shows to come out of Shondaland — but not quite top-tier.
4. How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020)
, , , w, , , jf, How to Get Away with Murder premiered on ABC in fall 2014 in the Thursdays at 10 pm time slot, following fellow Shondaland shows Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. Marketed as ‘TGIT’, the block was highly successful at its launch and branding was paused in the occasion a non-Shondaland show made its way onto the night. Lasting 6 seasons and 90 episodes, How to Get Away with Murder actually ended its run with less episodes overall than Private Practice and Station 19. Its legacy lies in its accolades along with it helping complete the TGIT block, one that ascended Shonda Rhimes to one of the most successful creators and producers in the industry. The Viola Davis-led legal drama earned 10 Emmy nominations across six ceremonies, including one win for Davis’ performance in the show’s first season.
Up until How to Get Away with Murder premiered, ABC often found themselves with a hole on their Thursday night schedule. By shifting Grey’s Anatomy to 8 pm and Scandal to 9 pm while premiering How to Get Away with Murder at 10 pm, ABC solved their issues with their newly-created all-Shondaland night. Such a scheduling move and the subsequent creation of the TGIT brand would eventually be emulated by NBC, who found great success pairing up their utility Chicago series into the Wednesday night ‘One Chicago’ block.
How to Get Away with Murder premiered at a time where Scandal was reaching its ratings peak, and having Viola Davis attached as the star certainly helped with the curiosity factor leading into the premiere. How to Get Away with Murder was an instant hit in both same-day and 7-day viewing, averaging a 3.8 rating in the Adults 18-49 demo in the latter metric. That was enough for it to tie Grey’s Anatomy for ABC’s third-highest-rated scripted show in the 2014-15 TV season.
However, having someone on the caliber of Viola Davis as the star also meant that How to Get Away with Murder wouldn’t be able to air throughout the entire traditional broadcast TV season. With episode orders capped at 15 per season, the series typically aired 8-9 episodes in the fall, go on a roughly two month hiatus, and then return for another 6-7 episodes before wrapping for the season some time in late February or the middle of March. While there’s not much else ABC could have done, that kind of scheduling does not keep viewers hooked in the age of peak TV. On average, its final season tied the ratings of short-lived dramas For Life and Stumptown.
How to Get Away with Murder was certainly a successful show, yet one that didn’t really fit the broadcast TV model all too well. On paper, a well-regarded drama starring Viola Davis with limited episode counts and 10 Emmy nominations to its name sounds like something that would hail from Netflix or HBO.
3. Bridgerton (2020-Present)
Bridgerton is the first Shondaland show created for Netflix, and so far the only one to not be a miniseries. Even then, episode drops are sparse; 20 have aired between its series premiere on Christmas Day 2020 and its third season premiere in May 2024. In fact, Bridgerton has not yet aired original episodes in two consecutive calendar years. This is one of the luxuries of streaming as a creative, and likely part of why Shonda Rhimes left ABC for Netflix.
Let’s face it — being a period drama based off a book series, Bridgerton probably would have flopped on ABC. There is precedent for this, seeing how poorly Still Star-Crossed performed in summer 2017. Netflix, however, found a hit in Bridgerton. Its premiere was the most-viewed in Netflix history after one month of viewing, with 82 million households sampling the series. Season 2 managed to top this, breaking another record for most-viewed English-language series in a given week. Bridgerton’s third season notched over 45 million views in its opening weekend alone and dominated the Nielsen streaming charts, proving its sustained popularity. The third season also helped the first two seasons as well as Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story find their way back into Netflix’s top 10 ratings charts. According to data provided by JustWatch, Season 2 remains the most popular season, with it peaking ahead of Seasons 1 and 3 in 93 countries.
It’s unclear how many more seasons are in the pipeline for Bridgerton; the third season covered the fourth book of eight, with the show skipping the third book. When the time comes, the decision to end Bridgerton will likely be purely from a creative standpoint, signaling a massive success for Shondaland and a risk paid off for Netflix. Unlike How to Get Away with Murder, it is not showing signs of slowing down as the seasons progress, further earning Bridgerton a ranking ahead of the ABC series.
2. Scandal (2012-2018)
Scandal premiered in spring 2012 for a seven-episode season, where it aired Thursdays at 10 pm following Grey’s Anatomy, sending Private Practice to Tuesdays. Scandal performed worse in its first season than Private Practice did that same season in the Adults 18-49 demo in 7-day viewing, with Private Practice averaging a 2.97 demo rating and Scandal a 2.45. That put Scandal just 0.03 ahead of fellow new drama Pan Am, which was canceled that season.
Scandal’s second season had the same sluggish start as the first. With Private Practice simultaneously ending on a whimper, Scandal’s ratings growth in the latter half of its second season was conveniently timed to keep Shondaland alive and well beyond Grey’s Anatomy. It would go on to be ABC’s sixth-highest-rated series in its second season in Live + 7 Day ratings, averaging a 2.8 Adults 18-49 demo rating.
Scandal had its real breakthrough in its third season, where it surged to a 5.37 Live + 7 average in the Adults 18-49 demo. That was enough for third place on ABC, almost catching Grey’s Anatomy, which itself surged in the demo from the year prior. In same-day viewing, Scandal would oftentimes notch higher ratings than Grey’s Anatomy, despite airing at 10 pm.
With Shondaland’s How to Get Away with Murder on the way in fall 2014, ABC created the ‘TGIT’ block devoted to shows from Shonda Rhimes and her production company. While Grey’s Anatomy would be entering its 11th season, one may argue that the biggest draw to the TGIT block initially was Scandal. ABC rearranged the lineup so that Scandal could air at 9 pm. It would also provide the lead-in for How to Get Away with Murder. Upon the premiere of the block, Scandal did indeed far out-rate Grey’s Anatomy and provided a strong launching pad to How to Get Away with Murder. On average, Scandal tied for ABC’s highest-rated show in its fourth season, finishing above both its TGIT counterparts.
Scandal did have some trouble holding onto its audience in its later seasons, yet remained one of ABC’s highest-rated shows. The first sign of this came in its fifth season, the second of the TGIT block. While Scandal was still ABC’s fourth-highest-rated show in the Adults 18-49 demo in 7-day viewing, it came in slightly behind Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder. Lead Kerry Washington’s pregnancy would cause the show — and the TGIT branding — to go on hiatus in fall 2016, with a 16-episode sixth season premiering in January 2017. It dipped again to ABC’s sixth-highest-rated show in 7-day viewing, well behind Grey’s Anatomy and slightly behind How to Get Away with Murder. It remained in sixth place in its seventh and pre-announced final season, edging out How to Get Away with Murder but still far behind Grey’s Anatomy.
There truly would be no TGIT had it not been for Scandal. How to Get Away with Murder may still have been ordered to series, but ABC simply would not have the infrastructure to create an all-Shondaland night. Ironically, Netflix also arguably played a role in the creation of TGIT; Scandal was one of the notable examples of a currently-airing broadcast series finding an audience on Netflix and having it reflect in the linear ratings. Scandal was a mainstay on ABC’s Thursday night lineup throughout the better part of the 2010s, and even managed to out-rate Grey’s Anatomy for part of it. It easily goes down as one of the most impactful Shondaland series.
1. Grey’s Anatomy (2005-Present)
It should be no surprise that Grey’s Anatomy is #1 in the Shondaland Power Rankings. The medical drama is the reason Shondaland exists in the first place. The drama has aired 430 episodes between its premiere as a midseason show in 2005 and its season 20 finale in 2024. It’s been on for so long that only two main cast members from Season 1 remained so through Season 20; and that doesn’t include the title character. Heroes has been put on the air, ended, and rebooted in the time that Grey’s Anatomy has been on the air. Its 21st season will put it above the total season count of Gunsmoke, previous record holder until recently. It will pass Bonanza and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in total episode count shortly into the season. Having more episodes than the latter will make it ABC’s longest-running prime time series of all time, both in seasons and episode count. It has two fairly successful spinoffs to its name as well; while no Law & Order: SVU or NCIS: LA, Private Practice and Station 19 were hits in their own rights for several seasons each. Plus, much like Scandal was the anchor of TGIT and How to Get Away with Murder completed it, Grey’s Anatomy provided the basic foundation. It’s now older than some viewers in the key Adults 18-49 demo, many of whom are still discovering the show today on Netflix, as has been the case for years.
Grey’s Anatomy’s first season aired in the once-coveted Sundays at 10 pm time slot and averaged an 8.2 demo rating in Live + 7, coming in 2nd place for ABC (DVR was not a widespread method of viewing at the time). It premiered to a season low 7.2 demo rating before surging to a 9.8 for the season finale. It retained roughly 70% of its Desperate Housewives lead-in, mediocre on paper but no small feat when considering how huge the latter show was at the time, itself notching demo ratings in the low double digits.
Grey’s Anatomy would remain in the post-Desperate Housewives time slot in its second season, where it remained one of ABC’s highest-rated shows — yet still no match for Desperate Housewives itself. On the rare occasions it didn’t air after a new episode, it did tend to drop a bit in the ratings, but this was to be expected given how monstrous of a hit Desperate Housewives was at the time. The true test was Grey’s Anatomy’s two-hour Season 2 finale airing out-of-time slot on a Monday. The result was a 9.9 demo rating out of its lead-in’s then-measly 3.1, up a tick from the most recent episodes where it was actually gaining on Desperate Housewives. It also grew every half hour, hitting a 10.7 by the end of the night. Grey’s Anatomy remains one of very few examples of a scripted series benefitting from a post-Super Bowl airing. Without it, it’s very much possible it would have declined with its lead-in as spring progressed.
Desperate Housewives is remembered as a hit, but was also a bit of a flameout. With Grey’s Anatomy starting to grow from the signature drama in the 10 pm time slot, ABC moved it to Thursdays at 9 pm starting in the medical drama’s third season. That would be the first of an eight consecutive season run in that time slot, before sliding over to 8 pm upon the creation of the TGIT block. It moved back to 9 pm at the start of 2020, midway through its 16th season, where it would remain through the 2023-24 season. In the process, Grey’s Anatomy served as a launching pad and/or a companion for many of the shows on this list. Namely, it helped launch spinoff Station 19, and fellow spinoff Private Practice tended to do best in the relatively short time the two shows aired as a block. It also helped launch Scandal before eventually becoming eclipsed by it. Most notably, with the renewal for a 21st season for the 2024-25 season, Grey’s Anatomy will have more seasons under its belt than all three series combined.
While Grey’s Anatomy peaked with its early seasons, it has remained an undeniable hit throughout its run and has not been in danger of cancelation for any of its first 20 seasons. That may or may not change soon. ABC has drastically cut down on their scripted slate, and it’s moving to 10 pm in favor of a two-hour Ryan Murphy block earlier in the night for its 21st season. At this point, creator Shonda Rhimes is involved only in an occasional advisory role, and star Ellen Pompeo has relegated herself to a voiceover role and acting in select episodes as the title character. If Grey’s Anatomy declines sharply in its 21st season, there may start to be conservations over the economics behind future seasons — especially as ABC replaces scripted with unscripted at 10 pm.
Regardless of if Grey’s Anatomy ends after its 21st season or its 40th, it’s already cemented its legacy as the most impactful show hailing from Shondaland. Its #1 Power Ranking is a feat that is very unlikely to change, even as Shondaland continues to develop new series. SS