Full Description
The Works of Shonda Rhimes, the first book in Bloomsbury's Screen Storytellers series, brings together a collection of essays that look critically at the works of this award-winning writer, producer, and CEO of the global media company, Shondaland.
Shonda Rhimes's television series, and those created and produced through Shondaland, have left an important imprint on television history. Beginning with her groundbreaking series Grey's Anatomy, the series created under the umbrella of Rhimes's brand, including Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, For the People, Station 19, Bridgerton, Inventing Anna, and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, have delighted global audiences with their innovative storytelling, dynamic characters, and the inclusion of contemporary social issues woven throughout the storylines.
In this collection of essays, screenwriting and television studies scholars explore the ways in which Rhimes's series have been at the forefront of change in the television landscape in the past two decades, including discussions of the representation of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ characters; inclusivity in casting; innovations in pilot and series development; variations on genre; and disruptive business and marketing practices. This collection of essays offers emerging screenwriters and informed consumers of television insights into the cultural impact of Rhimes's work as well as how one of the most powerful television creators and showrunners in the history of the medium has crafted and shaped screen stories that speak to viewers spanning all demographics across the globe.
Contents
Preface: The Influence of Screenwriters
Acknowledgements
Introduction: The Influence of Shonda Rhimes
Anna Weinstein (Kennesaw State University, USA)
PART I: HOW SHE WORKS: Creating Television Series
1. Scandal as a New Series Model
William Rabkin (University of California, Riverside-Palm Desert, USA)
2. The Art of Developing "Humanistic" Female Characters
Rosanne Welch (Stephens College, USA)
3. Crafting the Pilot: Someone Arrives
Rani Deighe Crowe (Ball State University, USA)
PART II: SIGNIFICANT WORKS: Normalizing Diverse Representation
4. Color Aware Casting
Chriss Williams (William Paterson University, USA)
5. Black Maternal Bodies on the Screen: Shondaland and the New Representational Paradigm of Black Motherhood
Zsuzsanna Lénárt-Muszka (University of Debrecen, Hungary)
6. Reworking the "Monstrous Mother" for the Modern Era
Louise Coopey (Independent Scholar, UK)
7. Respectability in Shondaland: Villainous Queerings
Sébastien Mignot (University of Caen Normandy, France)
8. From Family Shame to Doctor's Pride: Shifting Trans Narratives on Grey's Anatomy
Kara Raphaeli (Simpson College, USA)
9. Restorative vs. Retributive Justice: Themes from How to Get Away with Murder
Sara Correia-Hopkins (Swansea University, UK), Cate Correia-Hopkins (Independent Scholar, UK)
10. Hidden Fantastic Modalities of Shonda Rhimes's Procedural Dramas
Ida Yoshinaga (Georgia Tech, USA)
11. Bridgerton: The Progressive Period Pastiche
Shelley Anne Galpin (King's College London, UK)
PART III: RECENT WORKS: Building Shondaland
12. Ensemble Storytelling in How to Get Away with Murder
E. Deidre Pribram (Molloy University, USA)
13. Streaming Shondaland: Shonda Rhimes and Netflix—From Bridgerton and Beyond
Sheri Chinen Biesen (Rowan University, USA)
14. Hey, Peloton! Say Yes!
Stephanie O'Brien (University of North Carolina Asheville, USA)
List of Contributors
Bibliography
Index
