Entertainment Shonda Rhimes felt constrained by network TV

Shonda Rhimes felt like she was "dying" working in network television.

© Bang Showbiz Shonda Rhimes

The 50-year-old producer - who created the hit medical drama 'Grey's Anatomy' - has revealed she quit ABC to join Netflix in 2017 because the streaming platform gave her more freedom.

Recalling her conversation with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Shonda explained: "The first thing I said was, 'You're not going to get another 'Grey's Anatomy' - not 'Grey's Anatomy' in a cornfield, 'Grey's Anatomy' on a baseball field or 'Grey's Anatomy' at an airport, that's just not happening.'"

Shonda was eager to make shows for her own enjoyment, having felt limited by the demands and the pace of the network TV business.

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Shonda Rhimes , winner of the Founders Award, appears in the press room for the 44th International Emmy Awards at the New York Hilton on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016, in New York. Picture: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP. Shonda Rhimes felt constrained by network TV . By Bang Showbiz 4h ago.

When Shonda Rhimes signed an estimated 0 million, four-year pact with Netflix last year, she This combination made Rhimes a valuable asset for ABC—so valuable that in 2014 the network inked a Rather than be constrained by the strict episode number and length required by broadcast

She recalled: "I said, 'I just want to be in a place where I can make stuff and no one's going to bother me or make me feel like I'm beholden,' and he was like, 'That sounds great to me.'"

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Yawning occurs in just about every vertebrate animal. And yawning in many animals, including birds, is frequently associated with drowsiness. But not exclusively. For example, while most species of birds open their beaks in a fair impression of a mammalian yawn, no one has yet proven whether or not this "jaw stretching" also regularly includes the inhalation and exhalation of air. Some species of penguin employ yawning as part as part of their courtship ritual. And for other noisy and gregarious birds like parrots, yawning serves as a social signal. With primates, yawning is a sign of sleepiness. But a yawn can also convey complex social messages, for example, to demonstrate friendliness and aggression. Furthermore, yawning can be contagious. In humans, yawning is demonstrably contagious, as it is easily triggered by seeing, hearing, reading, or simply thinking about another individual yawning. Similarly, with primates, and especially monkeys, yawning is contagious between individuals. Anyone who owns a pet dog will know that canines often yawn after seeing people yawn. Cats also demonstrate this kind of empathy towards their owners. Cats and dogs, however, also advertise their need for sleep, and will yawn simply because they are genuinely tired and in need of rest. In the animal kingdom, many animals yawn, even creatures as diverse as fish and reptiles. Indeed, some snakes yawn after a good meal (in fact, it’s a way of realigning their jaws after eating).

Shonda Rhimes appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Sept. 24. Her new memoir is called Year of Yes. Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images hide I feel like that's going to be an interesting moment. On the limits of network TV . I always say we're incredibly creative within our fences, because I don't feel like

Rhimes feels no such ambivalence. Even more than Olivia and Fitz’s racy clinches, that’s what makes the show exciting: Rhimes is In one scene, Olivia remarked to Fitz that she was feeling “a little Sally Hemings-Thomas Jefferson” about their relationship, one of the first overt references to its racial aspect.

The producer confessed to growing tired of the strain she was under at ABC and was therefore keen to find a new challenge.

She told The Hollywood Reporter: "I felt like I was dying. Like I'd been pushing the same ball up the same hill in the exact same way for a really long time."

Shonda also liked the idea of moving to Netflix because she knew she'd be allowed to work on ideas without being bothered by TV executives.

The acclaimed producer - who created the political thriller series 'Scandal' - said: "The reason I came to Netflix is because I wanted to be able to make television without anybody bothering me. And as long as I get to keep making television without anybody bothering me, I'm happy."