Shonda Rhimes seldom takes a minute to sit down, but this morning, October 9, Sheinelle Jones of “Today” engaged in a rare chat with the writer, creator, and producer behind many of the most memorable series in modern TV history. It would be easy to imagine Shonda Rhimes simply relishing the success of “Grey's Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” to name a few, but that simply isn't the way of this modern TV mogul.

She has a new 2017 deal with Netflix rumored to be around $160 million. Still, Shonda Rhimes is driven and delighted by the creative aspects of her new projects than she is by the numbers and commas on her contract.

She surprised Jones with what excites her most about the Netflix venture, and also about the place of television in the lives of her children. At home or on the set, this mother's mind is always working to get the most out of every moment.

Off to the English countryside

Thanks to streaming and syndication, no fans will ever forget “McDreamy” Patrick Dempsey as neurosurgeon Dr. Galen Shepherd or “McSteamy” Eric Dane as a plastic surgeon, Mark Sloan, and their interconnected and ever-complicated lives in “Grey’s Anatomy.” Olivia Pope, personified on “Scandal,” will forever be perfection on the outside while torn and in turmoil within thanks to the influence of her parents, perfectly conveyed by Kerry Washington.

Viola Davis is still a commandeering presence as a professor and perpetrator, Annalise Keating, for the sixth season of “How to Get Away with Murder,” which just debuted its latest twisty, turning storyline.

Shonda Rhimes revealed that “maybe more” than eight separate series will be on her project board for Netflix. The location that captures the fancy of one of the most prolific and powerful forces in American television is “across the pond,” in “Bridgerton,” starring Julie Andrews.

Rhimes refers to the historical endeavor as “this rich, lush, amazing show” and only can utter the words “Come on…” when referring to stage and screen luminary, Andrews.

Putting TV in its place

Shonda Rhimes undoubtedly already has her place carved as an enduring legacy in the history of television, but it is the message of her work that matters most to her as a mother.

She highlighted that scenes like the one depicting Viola Davis removing her wig and makeup and Kerry Washington rotating between “natural hair” and sleek straightening send strong messages of acceptance and inclusion to all women of color. In a time when many states still make it legal to mandate that employees cannot wear hair in its natural state, the visual display speaks louder than words.

As the official Chief Storyteller for the Dove beauty product brand, Shonda Rhimes transfers that same message of acceptance and inclusion, as reflected throughout the room filled with young women and parents at a recent conference, every color, design, and style of hair was represented and appreciated.

When it comes to her kids and time with the small screen, Shonda Rhimes is even more purposeful. Rhimes relates with complete honesty that parenting is always a matter of “succeeding in one area and failing in the other.” She assures every mother that “you're going to drop some balls,” but that reality should never feed any sense of failure. Her younger children have dreams of being a scientist and an astronaut, while her oldest, a daughter, “doesn't know yet.”

“My children don't watch much TV,” insists Shonda. She currently has the language on their devices set in French. Any show they choose will be in that language, and so far, everyone in her brood has been having fun and becoming fluent in French with “Captain Underpants.”

Shonda Rhimes sees every life moment as one for learning and leaving viewers with eyes of understanding and acceptance.
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