Friday, 4 Jul 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > Entertainment > Shonda Rhimes says a room of ‘old men’ said ‘nobody was gonna watch’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Entertainment

Shonda Rhimes says a room of ‘old men’ said ‘nobody was gonna watch’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Shonda Rhimes says a room of ‘old men’ said ‘nobody was gonna watch’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
SHARE

“Grey’s Anatomy” co-creator Shonda Rhimes said that she got pushback from “a room full of old men” who doubted the success of her hit medical drama after first reading the pilot in the early 2000s.

Rhimes, who is also the small-screen mastermind behind “Scandal,” “How to Get Away With Murder” and “Bridgerton,” recalled the exchange on Tuesday’s episode of podcast “9 to 5ish with theSkimm,” which she appeared on with her creative partner and fellow rookie showrunner, Betsy Beers.

Two women pose together at a red carpet event.Two women pose together at a red carpet event.

Shonda Rhimes, left, and Betsy Beers attend the “Scandal” 100th Episode Celebration at Fig & Olive in West Hollywood in 2017. (Richard Shotwell / Invision / Associated Press)

“I remember getting called into a room full of old men, and they brought us in to tell me that the show was a problem because nobody was gonna watch a show about a woman who would sleep with a man the night before her first day of work,” Rhimes said about 13 minutes into the episode. “And they were dead serious.”

“Grey’s Anatomy,” currently in its 19th season, ultimately debuted on ABC in 2005. The first episode memorably begins with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) waking up in her living room, essentially strangers from a one-night stand. Moments later, she rushes off to her first day of her surgical internship at the hospital where Derek, a.k.a. Dr. Derek Shepherd, is revealed to be one of her superiors.

Rhimes said she remembered thinking, “These guys don’t know anything about what’s happening in the world right now, but they’re the people making the decisions.” But the “painfully shy” screenwriter struggled with responding to the execs.

Rhimes and Beers said the “old men” asked them who would watch and relate to a show where the lead would get drunk and have sex with a stranger the night before her first day of a new job.

“I couldn’t help it, and I said, ‘That’s me, I did that. That’s absolutely me,'” Beers said. “What I didn’t say is that I was probably drunk when I came into work the next day.”

The room went silent, and the men “could not get out of that room fast enough,” Rhimes said, adding that the execs were “horrified” and didn’t know what to make of “these kinds of women.”

“And they couldn’t call me a slut to my face. … They didn’t know what to say,” Beers said, adding that the moment cemented her and Rhimes as “ride-or-die” partners.

The Shondaland founder told podcast hosts Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg that she later understood why the men were apprehensive about the pilot.

“It feels really obvious now, I think,” Rhimes said. “But at the time, you have to remember there had never been a show in which there was a lead character who owned her sexuality on network television. There had not been shows in which you saw three or four people of color in a room talking unless it was on a sitcom, without anybody else in the room. You didn’t see a lot of the things that we were doing.

“And I didn’t really think about them as being revolutionary,” Rhimes added. “I thought, like, ‘We’re just making a show that I want to watch.'”

Added Beers: “A lot of the idea came from that fact that there was nothing that seemed like us on TV at that point. There wasn’t even really that many shows with a female in a center part. … That in itself was surprising.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Iraqi parliament approves new Cabinet in long-awaited vote Iraqi parliament approves new Cabinet in long-awaited vote
Next Article Santa Fe sheriff completes Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ shooting investigation Santa Fe sheriff completes Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ shooting investigation

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Nope to Metamates, Googlers and Puritans

This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. Here is a collection of past…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

OnlyFans Mannequin Ava Louise Flashes Chest at NFL Sport After Consumer Request

OnlyFans mannequin Ava Louise resides for the perks of her job ... scoring free tickets…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

US, S. Korea, Japan to curb illicit N Korea cyber activities

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Senior diplomats from the United States, South Korea and Japan agreed…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

UN peacekeeper killed after attack in southern Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — An Irish U.N. peacekeeper was killed and several others wounded after unidentified…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

‘Implausible 4’ Actor Julian McMahon Useless at 56
Entertainment

‘Implausible 4’ Actor Julian McMahon Useless at 56

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Outlawz Member Younger Noble Lifeless at 47
Entertainment

Outlawz Member Younger Noble Lifeless at 47

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Tom Brady Goes Swimming Off Coast of Ibiza
Entertainment

Tom Brady Goes Swimming Off Coast of Ibiza

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Larsa Pippen Events Exhausting on Birthday Weekend with Boyfriend Jeff Coby
Entertainment

Larsa Pippen Events Exhausting on Birthday Weekend with Boyfriend Jeff Coby

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?