It’s not uncommon for networks to drop producer names into marketing: For a few years back in the early aughts, every other CBS promo seemed to contain the words “From executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer!†But ABC is taking thing up a notch with the marketing for its new Thursday night lineup, putting superstar showrunner Shonda Rhimes front and center in a new web video touting the three-hour block of Rhimes-produced series (Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and newbie How to Get Away with Murder). The promo features three of Rhimes’s leading actors — Kerry Washington, Ellen Pompeo, and Viola Davis — peppering the producer with questions about what’s ahead on their respective shows (“I cannot tell you anything,†Rhimes responds, totally in character) while also collectively gushing about how awesome it will be to have all three shows together on one night. Finally, there’s an attempt by ABC to get a new hashtag started for the lineup: #TGIT, or “Thank God It’s Thursday.†Let’s hope Twitter comes up with something better. ABC’s new Shonda-centric lineup kicks off September 25. The new promo is below:
