Before decamping to Netflix, Shonda Rhimes considered creating a spinoff for ABC hit “Scandal” focusing on Eli Pope (Joe Morton) and additional spinoffs for “Grey’s Anatomy,” including one that would have revolved around Derek Shepherd’s (Patrick Dempsey) four sisters.

Rhimes even contemplated setting “Grey’s” affiliate series in shows like Boston and Chicago, but ultimately decided against it.

“I felt like we could have done ‘Chicago Anatomy,’ Boston. We could have done that. It just didn’t appeal to me to rebuild the same world,” she told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Thursday.

“I thought that there could be a spinoff with Amelia [Caterina Scorsone] that was [about] the Shepherd sisters,” she says. “They’re all doctors. It could have been a Shepherd sisters show, which would’ve been very interesting,” Rhimes continued. The spinoff would have brought back previously introduced sister Nancy (Embeth Davidtz), Kathleen (Amy Acker) and...