Shonda Rhimes insists her shows aren't political statements: "I don’t like to be preached at, and I’m not interested in preaching"

TIME

"As important as she feels it is, particularly as Roe v. Wade hangs in the balance, that viewers get to see beloved women, including Olivia Pope and Cristina Yang, terminate unwanted pregnancies without shame, her loyalty as a writer is to story and character," says Judy Berman in a Time profile of Rhimes. "In fact, with politics and the pandemic leading so many into despair, she has grown weary of the dark tone endemic to a certain kind of prestige drama. Hence the progression from Scandal’s sinister D.C. (Rhimes wrapped up that Obama-era show 'when it felt like the world had caught up to the stories we were telling') to the fantasy that is Bridgerton, which brought comfort to the winter of a COVID-stricken world’s discontent." Meanwhile, Berman notes that Rhimes has shifted gears with her Netflix shows, from Bridgerton to Inventing Anna: "If this second act of Rhimes’ TV career has expanded her responsibilities and influence, it has also expanded her palette as a writer and producer," says Berman. "No longer tethered to the network procedural template, she has at Netflix offered up new kinds of stories and heroines while continuing to satisfy fans’ demand for fast-paced, suspense-packed shows that center on fascinating women."