Did Meredith Grey and McDreamy share the greatest Shonda Rhimes–created romance of all time? Does any couple burn for each other more than Bridgerton’s Daphne and her Duke of Hastings? Or were Scandal’s Olivia Pope and President Fitzgerald Grant the ultimate couple goals? On a special episode of Still Watching, hosts Hillary Busis, Richard Lawson, and Chris Murphy discuss and debate which Shondaland romance represented the greatest love of all.
In the wake of #Polin on Bridgerton, Still Watching thought it was the perfect time to revisit the many romantic relationships that originated on Rhimes-produced programs like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, and Bridgerton. Rhimes has a knack for drawing compelling and sometimes incredibly frustrating romantic relationships that have broken into the cultural zeitgeist.
While all three agree on Rhimes’s undeniable influence, finding consensus on which Shondaland couple most stands the test of time is a bit trickier. Busis opened the debate with a curveball—choosing Grey’s Anatomy BFFs Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang, played by Ellen Pompeo and Sandra Oh, as the greatest love story Rhimes ever told. “It’s not technically a romantic relationship,” Busis admits. “But I think it was the heart and soul of Grey’s Anatomy for its first 10 years.” Murphy was quick to object on technical grounds—they were friends, not lovers—but agreed with Busis that their relationship represented the heart of the show.
Lawson, meanwhile, went all in on How to Get Away With Murder, naming groundbreaking gay couple Connor (Jack Falahee) and Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) as the greatest and perhaps steamiest Rhimes romance of all. “There was a lot of sex on that show, and they had the most sex,” said Lawson. “The fact that this network drama was giving that space to a gay couple, I really don’t think had happened on television.”
Still Watching listeners highlighted candidates from Private Practice and Bridgerton. Murphy, however, went for a classic: Scandal’s Vermont-loving Olivia and Fitz, played by Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn. Murphy defends his choice by mentioning their staying power in the public consciousness, noting that even six years after Scandal’s series finale, these two still regularly go viral just because they’re in a room together. Ever the contrarian, Busis maintains that Olivia and Jake (Scott Foley) were ultimately the better Scandal couple—even though he was working for a spy agency run by Olivia’s father that attempted to overthrow the US government. Well, all is fair in love and war.
Did we forget an all-time Shondaland couple? Send an email to Still Watching at stillwatchingpod@gmail.com, and stay tuned as the podcast dives back into Bridgerton for part two next week.
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