Few names are as recognised across the globe as well as Shonda Rhimes. From Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal ( The Fixer), How to Get Away With Murder, Inventing Anna, and most recently Queen Charlotte set in the world of Bridgerton, Rhimes knows how to read the room and hit the content sweet spot right on the head.
In a world that has slowly grown increasingly cynical, Rhimes still manages to get an audience to believe in true love. Who can forget the promise of moving to Vermont and making jam between Olivia Pope and Fitzgerald Grant III, or the iconic line delivered by Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) “You’re the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires.” Similarly, Rhimes has made a simple shot of two hands almost touching an iconic signature that makes viewers swoon every time. Unforgettable monologues, relatable moments, and legendary characters are all part of what makes Shonda stand out. For almost two decades, Shonda Rhimes has been creating iconic television and characters that live on in the hearts of audiences everywhere.
Unlike many TV creators and filmmakers that exist in Hollywood today, Shonda Rhimes’ work is distinct because of how she pushes for diversity and inclusivity in all her work. This might come as a surprise but the original Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn does not include an all-inclusive cast. Simon Basset, more commonly known as the Duke, is not brown in the books and neither is the feisty Kate Shammar from season two. All the characters are white, however, instead of dismissing the story that has captured millions as books, Rhimes saw not only an opportunity to bring Quinn’s books to life on the screen but also to weave a newer and exciting world where people of colour could also be a part of the infamous Ton.
Many content creators of colour have fallen into the trap of either perpetuating racial stereotypes, (hint hint — Tyler Perry) or completely forgoing what it means to be a person of colour. However, Rhimes has stuck the right balance in that she manages to still be aware of the racial issues that people of colour face. Instead of letting race limit who her characters choose to be, she lets it drive and empower them, i.e. the iconic scene between Eli Pope and Olivia as he reminded her that “You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have.”
Rhimes includes complex stories, themes, and plots in all her works to further illustrate that brown people are more than their race, and the issues that affect race. Shonda Rhimes creates a history in which black people are not the underdogs or slaves, but she has created a “Shondaverse” where people of colour can be queens, sought-after lawyers, heads of surgery, and top Washington DC fixers.
By creating these strong, black femme characters Rhimes has inspired a whole new generation of people of colour who can aspire to be anything and anyone regardless of their racial background. Rhimes has put representation at the forefront of all her productions. In a space like Hollywood where productions are often skewed towards one group of people, by casting people of different races, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities, Rhimes is a pioneer unlike any other in the field.
Queen Charlotte is another ode to who Shonda Rhimes is as a creator and what she stands for in entertainment. The series is loosely based on the original life of Queen Charlotte, who is portrayed by India Ria Amarteifio. The original Queen Charlotte was born in Germany and married a young King George III. While images of Queen Charlotte depict her as a white woman, there has been speculation that she might have been black.
Historian Mario de Valdes y Cocom argued that Queen Charlotte’s features were conspicuously African and that the Queen was a direct descendant of a black branch of the royal Portuguese family. While this is an interesting historical what if, Rhimes has taken the matter into her own hands and made Queen Charlotte a person of colour. This brings life to the Netflix series and allows black and brown audiences to enjoy a part of history, although fictional, that they may not have been a part of otherwise.
Netflix’s Queen Charlotte uses subtext to hint at a segregated racial past. Lord Danbury complains to a young Lady Agatha Danbury that he is not invited to the hunt or the Whites, a subtle nod at how race still separates the people of the Ton. The slave trade was finally abolished in the British Empire in 1807, so Africans and black people would not have been welcomed into the throws of society, until long after that.
There have been many shows about monarchies from around the world, and period pieces such as The Crown, Romeo, and Juliet, and Downtown Abbey leave people of colour out of the story because the fact of the matter is that brown people were enslaved during those times.
Rhimes, however, has given the audience something that we so desperately needed, not on account of historical accuracy, but simply for the escapism and fantasy that television gives its viewers. In Queen Charlotte, the television producer has written black people into history. People of colour can finally see themselves as part of the monarchy in ball gowns, and three-foot wigs, instead of maids, slaves, or mammies, reminding viewers everywhere that, although history may have written black people off, we are here, we are important and we will be seen.
In a world of entertainment where people of colour are so rarely celebrated and given the lead role on a show, Shonda Rhimes gets its right every time and must be hailed and celebrated for what she continues to do for people of colour in the entertainment world. Queen Charlotte is just another illustration of the brilliant mind of Shonda Rhimes and discusses important themes like race romance and mental health. Like all Shondaland Productions, the Netflix series is a must-watch for everyone.
