Jaina Lee Ortiz, Britt Robertson To Star In Two New Shonda Rhimes Shows — One Is A ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Spin-Off!

When it comes to hit dramas on ABC, writer/producer Shonda Rhimes leads the pack. Rhimes and her production company, Shondaland, are responsible for the bulk of ABC’s programming at this point, including the entire Thursday night primetime block. Rhimes is not slowing down anytime soon, as stars have just been announcing for two new shows, including a new Grey’s Anatomy spin-off.
Actress Jaina Lee Ortiz will star in the untitled spin-off, which is set at a Seattle firehouse and will follow the lives and adventures of a team of firefighters.
Grey’s Anatomy executive producer/co-showrunner Stacy McKee created the new show, which is expected to debut sometime midseason.
Ortiz and the rest of the spin-off cast will be introduced in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy this fall before moving on to their own show.
After her FOX show Rosewood was canceled earlier this year, Ortiz has found herself in high demand, finally settling on the new Grey’s Anatomy spin-off as her next project.
Former Girlboss star Britt Robertson will star in another new Shondaland drama called For the People, which is also likely to premiere at midseason.
The show is set in New York’s Southern District Federal Court, also known as “The Mother Court,” and will follow a group of freshmen lawyers on both sides of the aisle as they handle some of the nation’s highest-profile cases.
Paul William Davies, a former writer/script editor for Scandal, created For the People and will executive produce along with Rhimes.
Robertson’s character, Sandra, is described as a “sensible, fiercely intelligent and independent” public defender, who has a personal stake in preventing injustice due to traumatic events from her childhood.
Actress Britne Oldford played the role in the pilot, but it will be refilmed now with Robertson.
Shondaland shows Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away With Murder will return for their new seasons starting Thursday, September 28, with Scandal joining them for its final season the following week, October 6.