• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, August 16, 2017

It's not personal. It's business.

I sometimes have to remind myself of this aphorism whenever I read a news story about a big talent signing that, at first glance, looks like a betrayal.

That was my reaction when I saw the headlines Monday about Shonda Rhimes, the show-producing titan of ABC's prime-time lineup who is ending her prolific and profitable relationship with Disney in favor of a new production and development deal at Netflix.

It is reasonable to assume that she stands to earn even more money at Netflix. Isn't money the real reason why people make decisions like this?

They can talk all they want in the public statements they make about the opportunities they'll get now for creative freedom and the like. But the business world is about money, isn't it?

The stories about Rhimes’ hiring by Netflix happen to mention that Netflix is on a spending spree. Netflix is apparently flush with cash.

The Wall Street Journal says Netflix's “spending on new and acquired programs is expected to be more than $6 billion this year.” The WSJ says that's twice as much as HBO will spend and five times as much as Fox or Showtime.

In the same WSJ story, Rhimes herself notes in an interview that Netflix will require fewer episodes for new series she produces for them than network television requires.

In the interview, she referred to working for ABC as a “grind.” Ouch! Does this mean she won't have to work as hard for Netflix, while making more money in the process? She didn't specify.

Rhimes is the producer responsible for some of ABC's sturdiest prime-time hits, including “Grey's Anatomy” (photo above with Rhimes, inset), “Scandal” and “How To Get Away With Murder.” (“Scandal” is due to end its run next season, its seventh.)

As such relationships sometimes are, her partnership with ABC has been mutually beneficial: She became one of the most prolific producers in the business and ABC enjoyed the fruits of her labor.

So why cut ties? It's an old-fashioned notion, I suppose, but doesn't loyalty ever play a role in the business world? I'm probably naive to think so.

On the other hand, the dynamics of the TV business are changing so rapidly that maybe it was in her best interest to chuck ABC in favor of Netflix. After all, Netflix is the TV company making the most headlines these days.

As the stories about Rhimes’ defection to Netflix pointed out, Disney just last week cut its ties with Netflix, opting to cease making its content companywide available to Netflix in favor of putting it on its own Disney streaming service.

The successful luring of Shonda Rhimes away from Disney was portrayed in some of the news stories as a move aimed at “getting back” at Disney for pulling its content from Netflix. That doesn't sound accurate.

A big question surrounding the move of a producer such as Rhimes -- who is known for the kind of mainstream fare we all associate with network television -- is how she'll do as a producer of content for Netflix.

While it's true that the Netflix menu of content includes almost every kind of TV show under the sun, its originals are not exactly the kind of thing you see on network television.

Rhimes became an expert at producing those kinds of shows. There is no evidence to suggest she can suddenly create new shows that will feel more like they belong on Netflix than on ABC.

On the other hand, maybe Netflix wants the kinds of shows she is known for -- but with four-letter words.

Oh, well, whatever she does for them, her exit from ABC creates opportunities for someone else -- a new producer yet to be discovered for whom producing multiple TV shows at once for lots of money is not a grind.