Shonda Rhimes’ Best TV Shows of All Time (So Far!)

8. For the People (2018-19)

The premise: This zippy legal drama follows six young lawyers — three public defenders, three prosecutors — as they embark on their new careers in the Southern District of New York federal court. The newbies, including future Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page, are fun to watch, but you’ll get a special kick out of the quartet of veteran character actors playing the adults in the room, aka the legal versions of Grey’s Anatomy’s “grownup” residents: Hope Davis (57) as federal public defender Jill Carlan, Anna Deavere Smith (71) as clerk of court Tina Krissman, Ben Shenkman (53) as Roger Gunn, chief of the criminal division of the U.S. attorney’s office, and Vondie Curtis-Hall (71) as Judge Nicholas Byrne.  

The best part: The show tamps down soapier elements in favor of a more issues-based procedural approach that will appeal to Law & Order fans. 

Watch it: For the People on Amazon Prime, Hulu

7. Station 19 (2018- )

The premise: After NBC had great ratings success with its Dick Wolf–created Chicago franchise (Fire, P.D. and Med), ABC decided to expand its own Grey’s Anatomy universe with its second spin-off, set among the brave men and women of the Seattle Fire Department. Our entry point into the new show is Dr. Ben Warren (Jason Winston George, 50), husband of Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson, 52), who decides to leave behind his surgical residency to pursue a new career as a firefighter. There are still frequent crossover episodes between the two series, meaning Grey's fans often have to tune in to keep up with the plot.

The best part: One of the most interesting parts of the show is the relationship between station captain Pruitt Herrera (Miguel Sandoval, 70) and his daughter, Lt. Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz). 

Watch it: Station 19 on ABC, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, YouTube

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​6. Inventing Anna (2022)

The premise: Rhimes got into the true-crime game with this ripped-from-the-headlines limited series about Anna Delvey, a Russian-born con artist (real name: Anna Sorokin) who stormed the New York City society world and defrauded banks, hotels, restaurants and friends out of $275,000. Julia Garner, a two-time Emmy winner for Ozark, stars as Delvey alongside Veep’s Anna Chlumsky as journalist Vivian Kent, a fictionalized version of Jessica Pressler, the New York magazine reporter who broke the story. (Fun fact: Pressler also wrote the article on which the film Hustlers is based!) The cast includes Scandal’s Katie Lowes, Succession's Arian Moayed and Orange is the New Black’s Laverne Cox.

The best part: Garner created a masterfully bizarro accent, which she described as the hardest accent she’ll ever do — a mix of Russian, German and American. 

Watch it: Inventing Anna on Netflix

​​​5. Private Practice (2007-2013)

The premise: Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh, 54), the ex-wife of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey, 56), came in like a wrecking ball at the end of Grey’s Anatomy’s first season. She was such an instant fan favorite that Rhimes spun her off into her own six-season series, which saw Addison moving to Los Angeles to join a private practice. Much like Grey's before it, the sun-drenched spin-off featured a stacked ensemble that included TV and stage regulars such as Tim Daly (65), Benjamin Bratt (58), Amy Brenneman (57), Taye Diggs (51) and six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald (51). 

The best part: For a network series, Private Practice never shied away from tough topics, like sexual assault and drug addiction.

Watch it: Private Practice on Apple TV, Hulu

​4. How to Get Away With Murder (2014-2020)

The premise: Viola Davis, 56, became the first Black woman to ever win the Emmy for best actress in a drama — and she earned it for a doozy of a role. Annalise Keating (Davis) is a criminal defense attorney and law professor at an esteemed Philadelphia university who chooses five students to intern at her firm. Their fates become forever entwined through a pair of murders, the details of which are slowly revealed through flashbacks and flash-forwards. Keating is one of the most complex characters in the Shondaland universe, or as she put it to a jury in the series finale, “I’m ambitious, Black, bisexual, angry, sad, strong, sensitive, scared, fierce, talented, exhausted.” Her monumental acting proved a stabilizing center for a show that often veered preposterous in its later seasons.

The best part: Did we mention Viola Davis? 

Watch it: How to Get Away With Murder on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Netflix, YouTube

​3. Bridgerton (2020- )

The premise: Shonda’s second stab at a period drama — and her first show after her reported $100 million deal with Netflix — was a much bigger hit than Still Star-Crossed. Set during the 19th-century Regency era in Britain, the soapy blockbuster follows the eight aristocratic Bridgerton siblings as they navigate high society, debutante balls and illicit romance, all under the watchful eye of an anonymous newsletter columnist known as Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews, 86). Shortly after its premiere, Netflix announced that it was the streaming platform’s biggest series of all time (it was later surpassed by Squid Game), and it was nominated for 12 Primetime Emmys and Creative Arts Emmys, including outstanding drama series and best actor for breakout star Regé-Jean Page.

The best part: Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel, 52) is such a rollicking standout that she’s getting her own prequel limited series, penned by Rhimes.

Watch it: Bridgerton on Netflix

​2. Scandal (2012-18)

The premise: The Peabody Award–winning drama had so many delicious twists and turns that it became appointment television: Viewers gathered around their TVs on Thursday nights, with giant glasses of red wine in hand, to watch Scandal in real time and follow along on Twitter. Kerry Washington starred as the impeccably stylish and unflappable Olivia Pope, who runs a D.C. crisis management firm that puts her in frequent contact, both politically and romantically, with President Fitzgerald Grant III (Tony Goldwyn, 61), his family and the White House staff. The series was nominated for six Emmys, including two wins for best guest actor, Dan Bucatinsky, 56, and Joe Morton, 74. 

The best part: Whether or not you were rooting for the central relationship — nicknamed “Olitz” — Olivia and Fitz had some of the steamiest chemistry on television. 

Watch it: Scandal on Apple TV, Hulu

​1. Grey’s Anatomy (2005- )

The premise: When it premiered as a mid-season replacement in spring 2005, who would have guessed that Shonda Rhimes’ first show would go on to become one of the biggest TV juggernauts of the 21st century? Most of its cast members — with the exception of Patrick Dempsey — were little-known actors, and Rhimes’ most notable projects up to that point were the scripts for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and the Britney Spears film Crossroads. And yet, something struck a major chord with audiences, who quickly fell in love with Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo, 52) and her fellow interns at Seattle Grace Hospital, played by Sandra Oh (50), Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers (51) and T.R. Knight. Grey's changed the way Americans spoke (“my person,” “McDreamy”), it picked up Emmys, it launched careers, it stayed a ratings powerhouse for nearly two decades and it established the formula for a new type of sexy, funny prime time soap that dozens of other shows have tried (and failed) to replicate.

The best part: Pompeo doesn’t get nearly the credit she deserves for anchoring the series for 18 seasons and counting, growing from a young intern to the chief of general surgery, as she deals with dating, marriage, parenthood, the death of her husband (and mother and father and half sister and friend and … ), drowning, a plane crash, a bomb, a shooting and COVID-19.

Watch it: Grey’s Anatomy on ABC, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube