Shonda Rhimes is the executive producer on the new Viola Davis show, How to Get Away with Murder. Shonda finds time to executive produce that show in between writing and producing Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, two shows she also created. Shonda did not “create” HTGAWM. Those three sentences ^^ took me about a minute to write as I looked through Shonda’s IMDB page. That was one minute New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley couldn’t spare. Stanley wrote a “think piece” about How to Get Away with Murder, Shonda Rhimes and Viola Davis, and the think piece is pretty much the WORST piece of TV criticism of the year. At least. You can read the piece here.
Beyond the simple errors that could have easily been straightened out by a quick visit to IMDB, much of Stanley’s premise is wrong-headed and ham-fisted, if not flat-out racist. Stanley is – I think? – trying to patronizingly describe how Shonda Rhimes is an “angry black woman” (while using the words “angry black woman” about a million times), but Stanley says it’s all okay because Shonda owns her angry black woman-ness and somehow has managed to succeed despite being SO angry, SO black and SO woman-y. As you can imagine, professional Angry Black Woman Shonda Rhimes had some stuff to say about the NYT piece:
Confused why @nytimes critic doesn't know identity of CREATOR of show she's reviewing. @petenowa did u know u were "an angry black woman"?
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) September 19, 2014
Wait. I'm" angry" AND a ROMANCE WRITER?!! I'm going to need to put down the internet and go dance this one out. Because ish is getting real.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) September 19, 2014
In response to the NYT piece, Slate and Vox both published reaction pieces defending Shonda and the characters she creates. TL;DR version: Shonda creates compelling characters who display a range of emotions (“anger” being one of them), and it’s 2014 so maybe we shouldn’t call Shonda Rhimes an “angry black woman” for being a highly successful, talented, respected and beloved person in a difficult industry.
PS… How much do you love Joshua Malina?
Wow. Did I just read a @nytimes piece that reduced my brilliant, creative, compassionate, thoughtful, badass boss to an “angry black woman?”
— Joshua Malina (@JoshMalina) September 19, 2014
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Special thanks Cele Bitch
