Shondaland Dominates Social Media With ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Scandal’ #HTGAWM Season Premieres

Viewers are left “mind blown, speechless, heart flat-lining,” by Shonda Rhimes’ “How to Get Away With Murder” opener

| September 24, 2015 @ 9:11 PM Last Updated: September 24, 2015 @ 9:18 PM
Ellen Pompeo Kerry Washington Viola Davis Shondaland

ABC

(Spoiler alert: Please do not read this post if you’ve not watched Thursday’s episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “How to Get Away With Murder”)

Thursday night on ABC belonged to Shonda Rhimes as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “How to Get Away With Murder” and “Scandal” all boasted back-to-back season premieres.

For those wanting to see the acclaimed showrunner herself, Rhimes was a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” later that night.

Grey’s Anatomy
Kicking off at 8 p.m. with the Patrick Dempsey-less Season 12 premiere, everything has changed on “Grey’s Anatomy” said Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) as she settles into life as a widow and mother-of-three a year after McDreamy’s death.

Also Read: 'HTGAWM' Season 2 Primer: Creator Pete Nowalk Teases 8 Characters in 16 Quickie Questions, Rebecca's Killer

Following the heartache and tears of both characters and viewers alike last season, Rhimes has promised a more lighthearted year but some Twitter users still said they were “crying.”

While another Twitter user simply concluded “Tequila is awfully talkative.”

Also Read: 'Grey's Anatomy' Patrick Dempsey Shocker Has Fans Mourning McDreamy: 'Crying My Eyes Out'

“Scandal”
Kerry Washington is back for Season 5 of “Scandal,” and while Olivia and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) are still together, everything else is in a state of chaos. With an evil queen, a Princess Diana-like car crash and the expected dose of back-stabbings and espionage, returning viewers were not disappointed with the level of drama.

One Twitter user predicted that the new onscreen romance is “gonna be a bumpy ride to get where this relationship is destined to be,” while others speculated about the fate of Jake (Scott Foley), who met a bloody demise at the end of the last episode.

Also Read: Shondaland's #TGIT for Dummies: TheWrap's Guide to 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Scandal' and 'How to Get Away With Murder' (Video)

Also Read: 5 Takeaways From Shonda Rhimes' Elle Profile: 'My Black Is Not Your Black'

“How to Get Away With Murder”
Sophomore Shondaland show “How to Get Away With Murder” returned for Season 2 and the premiere immediately picked up where last year’s jaw-dropping finale left off with the identification of Rebecca’s killer.

Emmy winner — and history-making actress — Viola Davis leads a highly-acclaimed cast including Charlie Weber, Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King and Matt McGorry.

The strength of the hard-hitting roller coaster episode and the depth of talent from Davis was praised on social media, with one Twitter user describing it as “jaw-dropping, mind blown, speechless.”

“I love that Viola Davis is playing this strong, sexual character who crushes your soul and tosses her cookies around,” wrote another.




40 Exclusive Portraits From TheWrap's Fall TV Issue Cover Shoot (Photos)

1 of 41

Jussie Smollett (“Empire”), Jack Falahee (“How to Get Away With Murder”), Katharine McPhee (“Scorpion”), Ryan Guzman (“Heroes Reborn”), Keke Palmer (“Scream Queens”), Justin Baldoni (“Jane the Virgin”), Jaimie Alexander (“Blindspot”), Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex Girlfriend”) Rebecca Rittenhouse (“Blood & Oil”) and Mehcad Brooks (“Supergirl”)

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