TGIT Ratings Prove Thursday Really is Shonda Rhimes' Night

Shonda Rimes owns Thursday nights. ABC marketed Thursday's new lineup as #TGIT, airing Rhimes' three shows, "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal" and newcomer "How to Get Away with Murder ." The grouping paid off.

The Season 11 premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" opened the night at 8:00 p.m. with 9.8 million viewers and a 3.0 rating in the desirable 18-49 demographic. The Season 4 premiere of "Scandal," starting at 9:00 p.m., garnered 11.9 million viewers and a 3.8 rating. But the big surprise was "How to Get Away with Murder," starring Viola Davis as a law professor. The freshman drama captured an outstanding 14 million viewers and the same in-demo rating as "Scandal."

Rhimes' new show -- written and created by Pete Nowalk -- is up 33 percent from last year's "Scandal" season opener , then in the 10:00 p.m. time slot. According to reports, Sept. 25 was ABC's biggest Thursday night in five years . All hail Shondaland.