Shonda Rhimes is one of the most powerful players in contemporary American network TV. This volume serves as a means to theorize Rhimes's contributions and influence by inspiring provocative conversations about television as a deeply politicized institution and exploring how Rhimes fits into the implications of twenty-first century television.

Contents Introduction: Riding Shondaland’s Rollercoasters: Critical Cultural Television Studies in the 21st Century Michaela D. E. Meyer and Rachel Alicia Griffin Part I: Quality Television’s Cultural Dominance: The Auteur Comes to Television Studies Chapter 1: Trauma, Spin, and Murder: The Carnival Spectacle in Shondaland Richard G. Jones, Jr. and Emily Vajjala Chapter 2: Wounded Detachments, Differential Alliances: Beyond Identity & Telos in Shondaland’s Heterotopia Joan Faber McAlister Chapter 3: Abortion in Shondaland: Daring Departures from Oppressive Industry Conventions Jessica L. Furgerson Chapter 4: Soundtracking Shondaland: Televisual Identity Mapped Through Music Jennifer Billinson and Michaela D.E. Meyer Part II: Shondaland’s Paradoxical Identity Politics and the Fantastical “Post-” Chapter 5: Race (Lost and Found) in Shondaland: The Rise of Multiculuralism in Primetime Network Television Jade Petermon Chapter 6: Emb(Race)ing Visibility: Callie Torres’s (Im)Perfect Operation of Bisexuality on Grey’s Anatomy Shadee Abdi and Bernadette Marie Calafell Chapter 7: The Problematics of Postracial Colorblindness: Exploring Cristina Yang’s Asianness in Grey’s Anatomy Stephanie L. Young and Vincent Pham Chapter 8: Interracial Intimacies: From Shondaland to the Post-racial Promised Land Myra Washington and Tina M. Harris Part III: Consumption, Ethics, and Morality: Shondaland Fandom as Cultural Meaning Making Chapter 9: #BlackLivesMatter on Scandal: Analyzing Divergent Fan Reactions to ‘The Lawn Chair’ Episode Mark P. Orbe Chapter 10: Blurring Production Boundaries with Fan Empowerment: Scandal as Social Television Mary Ingram-Waters and Leslie Balderas Chapter 11: Media Criticism & Morality Policing on Twitter: Fan Responses to How to Get Away with Murder Melissa Ames Chapter 12: Dying for the Next Episode: Living and Working Within Shondaland’s Medical Universe Sean Swenson Notes on Contributors Index