Shonda Rhimes – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

HOLLYWOOD DOES ABORTION (Tribeca 2026) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

June 11, 2026June 14, 2026 Valerie Kalfrin Barbara Attie, documentary, Gillian Robespierre, Hollywood Does Abortion, Janet Goldwater, Mike Attie, norman lear, Rachel Bloom, roe v wade, Shonda Rhimes, Tribeca 2026, Zoanne Clack

The thought-provoking documentary Hollywood Does Abortion is more like “how Hollywood portrays abortion,” which is to say, skewed toward white teenagers in trouble, if at all. Directed by Emmy nominees Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater, along with Mike Attie, the documentary argues that political pressures have shaped depictions of abortion onscreen for decades, creating a cycle of stigma and misinformation. It’s not as if a particular show or film led to certain legislation, the film argues, but that the potency of abortion as a political issue has influenced storylines time and again. It’s a strong and sobering take.

Reviews

THE RESIDENCE – Review by Susan Granger

March 24, 2025March 24, 2025 Susan Granger Al Franken, Giancarlo Esposito, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Jane Curtin, Julian McMahon, Kylie Minogue, Shonda Rhimes, Shondaland, The Residence, uzo aduba

Shondaland has invaded the White House! Prolific producer Shonda Rhimes teamed up with Paul William Davies to create a captivating comedic whodunit miniseries that’s set in The Residence of the President of the United States. The mystery begins when the dead body of stoic White House Chief Usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito) is discovered on the night of a gala State Dinner, honoring the Australian Prime Minister (Julian McMahon) – with pop star Kylie Minogue doing an impromptu live set.

Reviews

BRIDGERTON Season 3 – Review by Susan Granger

May 20, 2024May 26, 2024 Susan Granger Adjoa Andoh, Bridgerton season 3, Golda Rosheuvel, JULIE ANDREWS, Luke Newton, netflix, Nicola Coughlan, Phoebe Dynevor, Shonda Rhimes, Shondaland

Gentle reader, if you have not seen the first two seasons of the Regency-era melodrama “Bridgerton,” you’ve missed some truly delightful television. Producer Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland series is now heavily into Season 3 with a cliffhanger concluding Part 1 – and Part 2 scheduled to commence on June 13. Re-imaging a diverse 19th century England, it focuses on aristocratic families finding proper husbands for their ‘eligible’ daughters while seeking favor from Black royalty: “We were two separate societies, divided by color, until King George fell in love with one of us,” explained influential Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) in Season 2.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Lagueria Davis’ ‘BLACK BARBIE Documentary Lands at Netflix and Shondaland – Brandy McDonnell reports

November 27, 2023November 29, 2023 Brandy McDonnell betsy beers, Black Barbie: A Documentary, greta gerwig, Lagueria Davis, netflox, Shonda Rhimes, Shondaland, the week in women, twiw, week in women

Writer-director Lagueria Davis has found a home for her timely and relevant Black Barbie: A Documentary. Netflix and Shondaland recently announced the acquisition of Davis’ film.Black Barbie. Davis brought her “Black Barbie” to the festival circuit just as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie started generating critical acclaim and record-breaking box-office numbers. Considering Davis spent a dozen years making Black Barbie, and the movie Barbie had been in the works since The LEGO Movie became a 2014 blockbuster, it’s interesting timing that both films debuted within just a few months of each other.

Reviews

QUEEN CHARLOTTE – Review by Susan Granger

May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 Susan Granger Corey MyIchreest, Freddie Dennis, Golda Rosheuvel, India Amarteifio, JULIE ANDREWS, netflix, Queen Charlotte, Sam Clemmett, Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes has created a new Netflix series you’re gonna want to binge. Spinning off Bridgerton, there’s Queen Charlotte. Part of a political pact, 17 year-old Charlotte (India Amarteifio) is dispatched from Germany to England to marry King George III (Corey MyIchreest). Since Charlotte has no idea if he’s “a troll or a beast,” she’s understandably reluctant. Narrated by gossiping Lady Whistledown (Julie Andrews), the romantic plot is filled with clever gamesmanship, as many of the characters are deliciously duplicitous.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Netflix, Shondaland prep BRIDGERTON preq focused on Queen Charlotte – Brandy McDonnell reports

May 5, 2022May 8, 2022 Brandy McDonnell bridgerton, Golda Rosheuvel, netflix, prequels, Queen Charlotte, Shonda Rhimes, the week in women, twiw

Golda Rosheuvel, who plays Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton, will reprise her role in the as-yet-untitled prequel. With the continued success of the period series Bridgerton, Netflix and Shondaland recently announced the cast of the limited series based on the origins of the historical figure Queen Charlotte. While the project is untitled, the series centers on the rise and love life of a young Queen Charlotte. It will also focus on Violet Bridgerton and Lady Danbury.

Reviews

BRIDGERTON Season Two – Review by Susan Granger

April 5, 2022April 7, 2022 Susan Granger Adjoa Andoh, Bridgerton Season Two, Jonathan Bailey, netflix, Phoebe Dynevor, Rege-Jean Page, Shonda Rhimes

When Bridgerton debuted in December, 2020, the Regency-era costume drama quickly became one of Netflix’s most popular shows, reaching 82 million households. Admittedly, its second season lacks the sexy spice of the first, focusing on far less interesting characters. Nevertheless, its Gossip Girl-meets-Downton Abbey concept is addictive for bingeing. Reimagining 19th century England, it once again focuses on aristocratic families seeking favor from Black royalty.

Reviews

INVENTING ANNA – Review by Susan Granger

February 23, 2022February 27, 2022 Susan Granger Anna Chlumsky, Anna Delvey, Anna Sorokin, Inventing Anna, Jessica Pressler, julia garner, Laverne Cox, netflix, Shonda Rhimes, truth based series

You may recognize Emmy-winner Julia Garner’s face and distinctively nasal voice from Ozark, but in the nine episodes of Inventing Anna she plays enigmatic grifter Anna Sorokin – a.k.a. Anna Delvey. For years, brazen Anna passed herself off as the daughter of a German tycoon, gliding through Manhattan’s opulent hotels, restaurants and night clubs, clad in expensive couture. Posing as an heiress, she cleverly befriended socialites, high-fashion designers and moneyed tech moguls.

Reviews

BRIDGERTON – Review by Susan Granger

January 16, 2021January 22, 2021 Susan Granger Adjoa Andoh, bridgerton, Golda Rosheuvel, Julia Quinn, JULIE ANDREWS, netflix, Phoebe Dynevor, Rege-Jean Page, series, Shonda Rhimes

While Netflix’s Bridgerton sprawling mini-series may seem like Gossip Girl-meets-Downton Abbey, it’s unique in reimagining 19th century Britain with aristocratic families seeking favor from Black royalty. Produced by Shonda Rhimes, it’s fun, frothy escapism. According to showrunner Chris Van Dusen, regarding that era’s excess, beauty and decadence: “It was over-the-top: the costumes, the jewels, the glittering ballrooms, the country homes.”