‘Scandal’ renewed for season 7: ABC confirms new season for ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’

Television writer-producer Shonda Rhimes’ continues to carry the legacy of her production company Shondaland with yet another successful season of the American television drama “Scandal.” And that’s not all. The series has been renewed for a seventh season — the show’s host ABC confirmed the same although it’s not up on the press site yet.

Two more Shondaland TGIT shows have been renewed -- “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How to Get Away with Murder.” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey on Feb. 9 expressed his excitement to bring back the shows.

“’Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Scandal’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ continue to keep viewers on the edge of their seats and wanting more,” Dungey said. “I’m thrilled to bring back these shows and the OMG moments that come with them.”

The announcement comes after ABC'S TGIT back-to-back-to-back lineup won at viewership for three weeks in a row. “Grey’s Anatomy” bagged 8.3 million viewers, making it network's No. 1 show among adults in the 18-49 demographic. “Scandal” opened its sixth season with 6.24 million viewers — the show's biggest audience and the best 18-49 rating in a year. “HTGAWM” won with 4.92 million viewers, making it one of the biggest gainers in the Live +7 Day ratings, more than doubling (117 percent) its Live + Same Day Adult 18-49 number.

As such, there will be a fourteenth season for “Grey’s Anatomy” while “Scandal” returns with an impressive seventh season. Also, “How to Get Away with Murder” has been renewed for a fourth, according to a Variety report. All three dramas belong to Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers’ Shondaland and ABC Studios. Rhimes and Beers executive produce “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” while creator Pete Nowalk runs “HTGAWM.”

“Scandal” season 7 will have in their cast the show’s existing television stars Kerry Washington, Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Diaz and Jeff Perry playing their respective roles. Co-stars Tony Goldwyn, Bellamy Young, Joshua Malina, Scott Foley, Joe Morton, Portia de Rossi and Cornelius Smith Jr will be joining the team.

Grey’s Anatomy, starring Ellen Pompeo, will have actors Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr in the lead with supporting actors Kevin McKidd, Jessica Capshaw, Sarah Drew, Jesse Williams and Caterina Scorsone seeing them through.

“We’ve been extremely pleased with the way that ‘TGIT’ came back in January. It’s terrific to have ‘Scandal’ back on the air and ‘HTGAWM’ is working towards an amazing season finale,” ABC president Dungey had said prior to the announcement. “So what will happen next season, I think will depend on a whole number of things.”

“We’re super excited,” Dungey said further. “And this one feels very on-brand, so I could easily see it as part of ‘TGIT,’ but it can also stand on its own.”