Shonda Rhimes: The Life and Career of the Showrunner

Shonda Rhimes was born in Chicago, Illinois, where she grew up with an insatiable interest in storytelling that would fuel her influential work and highly successful career in Los Angeles. Best known for creating the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy—set in a fictional Seattle hospital—Shonda has created and worked on TV series and films that feature some of Hollywood’s brightest stars, including Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Britney Spears, Halle Berry, Julie Andrews, Kate Walsh, Julia Garner, and others.

Many of Shonda’s works have risen to be cultural phenomenons, including the political thriller Scandal, legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder, and period drama Bridgerton. Shonda continues to break boundaries as a Black woman in Hollywood with a recording-breaking Netflix deal, a Golden Globe Award, and several Emmy Award nominations, amongst other honors. She published her first book, a memoir, in 2015, entitled Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person.

Shonda has led a life full of achievement and boundary-breaking success. Here are a few noteworthy facts about the famed television producer, screenwriter, and author:

1. 1. She grew up telling stories. Shonda grew up telling stories. She was interested in becoming a novelist, but turned her attention to film and TV, majoring in English and Film Studies at Dartmouth College before pursuing her MFA at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
   
2. 2. She had prestigious credits before becoming a showrunner for Grey’s Anatomy. Before she created Grey’s Anatomy, the longest-running scripted primetime television series on ABC, Shonda accumulated several esteemed credits. She cowrote the HBO television movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, her first professional credit, and penned feature films after that, including The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement for Disney.
3. 3. She has worn many hats in the entertainment industry. Shonda has worked as a researcher, creator, director, writer, and executive producer for dozens of projects on network TV and varying streaming services. These include the TV shows The Catch, For the People, Bridgerton, How to Get Away with Murder, Inventing Anna, and Grey’s spin-off Private Practice, and the films Blossoms and Veils, Crossroads, and Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream.
4. 4. She pushes for greater equities. Black women are at the center of many of Shonda’s works. Shondaland—Shonda’s production company—features many of her TV series that all display greater racial diversity in front of and behind the camera. Additionally, Shonda joined the national board of Planned Parenthood in 2017 and Michelle Obama’s organization When We All Vote as a cochair in 2019.
5. 5. She volunteered at a hospital in high school. Shonda became interested in studying medical environments during her time as a hospital volunteer during her teenage years. This knowledge would eventually help build the world of Grey’s Anatomy and the titular character, Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo.

Hollywood’s Shonda Rhimes shares many insights in her classes that illuminate the screenwriting and show-running process. You can expect these five highlights and more from her class on writing for television, available exclusively on MasterClass:

1. 1. Be specific. The specific is universal, meaning the more detailed a show is, the more recognizable it will be to an audience. “The more specific you become as you think about who the characters are and what the world is, the better it can be,” Shonda says. “Anybody can say, I want to do a medical show, but you have to do a medical show that's about something very specific in order to make it an original idea.”
2. 2. Consider character arcs. Audiences want a clear narrative and character to follow, and storytelling can inform how viewers feel about characters and why they should care about them. “Everything is about the journey of the character,” Shonda says. “Who is this person, what journey are they on, and what are they supposed to learn? What do they need, what do they want, and what are they giving them? What are their obstacles?”
3. 3. Know what makes a pilot stand out. A pilot, a series’ first episode, is the hook: It is a pitch and a promise to the audience, to the network, to test if a show is exciting enough to stick with. “I think every pilot needs to have compelling characters, a compelling story, compelling dialogue, a great opening, something that's really going to pull the audience in,” Shonda says. “You know, attention spans are shorter these days than ever. You can turn and watch anything, so you want an opening that's gonna make somebody say, ‘You know what, I'm gonna sit here, and I'm gonna watch this.’”
4. 4. Read your scripts aloud. As a screenwriter, you are your first audience, so reading your scripts aloud can help you get a sense of the motion and validity of your story. Shonda employs this technique, saying, “It's how I know the dialogue is right. It's how I know if a fight feels true or if an emotional monologue is actually emotional. It's how I know if something is funny or not. And to me, if I can't say it out loud and have it feel like natural conversation, then I know there's a problem.”
5. 5. Fulfill your promises. When a show enchants audiences, the creative team has to make good on the promise of the show's premise. That means consistency is critical, and surprises can work when anchored to the truth and world of the show. “When you make a show, you promise the audience something,” says Shonda. “You promise the audience that they're gonna see a show about a DC fixer involved in a scandalous relationship with the president of the United States. You need to fulfill the promise of that show every week. You can't take that away from them, you can't deny them that. And if you're going to change what the premise of that show is, you have to do it in a very smart way, and you have to do it over time. You have to give them what they've asked for and then change the story maybe in the next season.”

For additional learnings on developing, writing, and pitching TV scripts, consider the following classes:

1. 1. Aaron Sorkin on screenwriting: Academy Award–winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkinis behind some of the most influential TV shows, including The West Wing and The Newsroom. Watch Aaron’s class to discover his approach to researching story ideas, engaging the audience, and overcoming writer’s block.
2. 2. Issa Rae on creating outside the lines: Emmy-nominated writer, actor, and producer Issa Rae decided to make the kind of shows she wanted to see with the TV series Insecure and web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. Watch Issa’s class to learn how to develop a story, construct multidimensional characters, and interpret feedback.
3. 3. The Duffer Brothers on developing an original TV series: Twin brothers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer faced plenty of setbacks before they sold Stranger Things, which has gone on to receive several accolades. Watch the Duffer Brothers’ class to learn about the key elements of a script and how to pitch a series.

If you have ideas for primetime, learn the fundamentals of TV writing and how to craft a series. Discover Shonda Rhimes’s approach to writing for television, her process for editing scripts, and her tips for succeeding in the writers’ room when you sign up for the MasterClass annual membership.