(ABC) |
Channel: ABC (locally shown
on Studio 23 and Star World)
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Status: Running
Country of origin: United States
Language: English
Creator: Shonda Rhimes
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Grey's Anatomy is an Emmy and
Golden Globe award-winning American primetime television
medical drama. It debuted on ABC as a midseason
replacement on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2005, immediately
following the popular Desperate Housewives. The
story revolves around Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo),
a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace
Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The show features
an ensemble cast, though Meredith is featured as
the central character, providing voice-over narration
at the beginning and end of most episodes. The title
of the show is an allusion to the anatomy textbook
Gray's Anatomy.
The show has been applauded for its non-traditional
cast. The show's producers pride themselves on the
fact that they used a "blind-casting"
technique, resulting in a racially diverse cast.
The writers carefully chose the specialty of each
doctor as an important analogy to their character
and foreshadowing of their development, which adds
a layer of complexity to the show.
[ CAST
]
The characters of the series include a group of
surgical interns, the various physicians who serve
as mentors to the interns, and additional people
in their professional and personal lives.
Surgical Interns:
Ellen Pompeo is Dr. Meredith Grey
Sandra Oh is Dr. Cristina Yang
Katherine Heigl is Dr. Isobel "Izzie"
Stevens
Justin Chambers is Dr. Alex Karev
T. R. Knight is Dr. George O'Malley
Residents:
Chandra Wilson is Dr. Miranda Bailey a.k.a. "The
Nazi" (Senior surgical resident)
Sara Ramírez is Dr. Calliope "Callie"
Torres-O'Malley (Orthopedic Surgical Resident)
Attendings:
James Pickens, Jr. is Dr. Richard Webber (Chief
of Surgery)
Kate Walsh is Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, formerly
Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery-Shepherd
(Neonatal surgeon/Obstetrics and gynecology/Specialist
in Maternal Fetal Medicine/Medical Genetics Fellow
(Cystic Fibrosis)
Isaiah Washington is Dr. Preston Xavier Burke (Cardiothoracic
surgeon)
Patrick Dempsey is Dr. Derek Shepherd a.k.a. "McDreamy"
(Neurosurgeon)
Eric Dane is Dr. Mark Sloan a.k.a. "McSteamy"(Plastic
surgeon)
[ SYNOPSES
]
Season 1: 2005
Season 1 cast
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Nielsen Ranking (2004-05 U.S. TV season; based
on average total viewers per episode): #9 (18.5
million viewers)
Season one began airing March 27, 2005 and ended
on May 22, 2005. The first season was shortened
by the network to nine episodes instead of 14. (The
original season finale was "Bring the Pain.").
Meredith Grey, daughter of the once-renowned surgeon
Ellis Grey, becomes an intern at the Seattle Grace
Hospital. She meets fellow interns Cristina Yang,
Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, and George O'Malley
who will be her closest friends during the intern
program. Other characters include Dr. Miranda Bailey,
who is nicknamed "The Nazi" due to her
"tough love" capability; Alex Karev, another
intern who is not very popular with the other interns
(especially Izzie); and renowned surgeons Dr. Derek
Shepherd and Dr. Preston Burke. The chief of surgery
is Richard Webber, who was once more than close
friends with Meredith's mother. The season chronicles
the first few months of the intern program and the
day-to-day life of a surgical intern. Recurring
plots include Meredith's battle to keep her mother's
Alzheimer's disease a secret and her relationship
with Dr. Shepherd. Others include George's infatuation
with Meredith and a power struggle between Dr. Burke
and Dr. Shepherd in the hospital. The season's end
introduces Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd,
Derek's estranged wife.
Season 2: 2005-2006
Nielsen Ranking (2005-06 U.S. TV season; based
on average total viewers per episode): #5 (19.9
million viewers)
The second season began airing September 25, 2005,
and ended on May 14 and May 15, 2006 with a three-hour
finale spanning both nights. The first season originally
contained 14 episodes, representing ABC's original
midseason order for the show. However, it was decided
to end the season early because ABC executives wished
for the show's first season to end with ABC's Desperate
Housewives (which had the timeslot before Grey's
Anatomy for the first two seasons). Rather than
condensing or throwing out plotlines, Grey's Anatomy
producers chose to end the season with the ninth
episode and save the following episodes for the
second season. Episodes 10-14 were then held and
broadcast as the first five episodes of Season 2.
ABC ordered 22 episodes in addition to the five
being carried over, bringing the total number of
episodes for the second season to 27. The count
apparently does not include the recap specials "Straight
From The Heart" and "Under Pressure";
however, a 27th original episode was eventually
added to the season. "Bring the Pain,"
which aired as the series' 14th episode, has been
cited in series creator Shonda Rhimes' blog as having
been originally intended as the first season finale.
The second season focuses on Meredith and Dr. Derek
Shepherd's relationship, which came to an abrupt
halt when it was revealed that Dr. Shepherd is married
to the surgeon Addison Montgomery-Shepherd. Izzie
Stevens and Alex Karev embark on a relationship
of their own (although this is cut short when Izzie
falls for heart patient Denny Duquette), as do Cristina
Yang and Dr. Preston Burke. Dr. Miranda Bailey becomes
pregnant and more about Meredith's family is revealed.
On some of the weeks airing after its highly-watched
February 5, 2006 post-Super Bowl episode, the program
attracted more viewers than its lead-in, Desperate
Housewives.
Season 3: 2006-2007
Season 3 cast
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On May 16, 2006, the morning following the close
of the second season, ABC announced plans for a
third season of Grey's Anatomy to anchor the network's
Thursday evening programming,[4] set to air at 9
p.m. ET. ABC first tested the series' potential
for Thursday audiences on February 9, 2006, as it
aired an encore of the Super Bowl XL-leadout episode
titled "It's the End of the World." The
following Thursday, February 16, 2006, the network
repeated the second part of the story arc, ("As
We Know It"). Both airings began at 9:30 p.m.
ET, and thus positioned Grey's Anatomy against CBS'
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Without A Trace,
and NBC's long-running medical drama ER. Solid performance
on these nights, with the repeat airings maintaining
a strong second-place finish, may have been influential
in the fall scheduling decision.
The move to Thursdays was viewed as a vote of confidence
in the series from ABC, as well as a bid to attract
more advertising dollars, since movie studios heavily
advertise movies on Thursday evenings for that weekend's
box office. The move was cited as one factor for
competing network NBC's decision to move its own
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, originally intended
to air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. ABC announced on
July 18, 2006, that the third season would premiere
on September 21, 2006.
The series assumed its new Thursday slot on July
6, 2006, as part of a two-hour event featuring a
repeat of the pilot episode, "A Hard Day's
Night." Throughout July and August, the series
aired twice weekly — once in the new Thursday
time period, and once in its previous Sunday time
period. Grey's Anatomy performed strongly in the
show's new timeslot in its season premiere. It was
able to snatch away the #1 position from CSI: Crime
Scene Investigation during the 9 p.m. hour, bringing
in an impressive 25.14 million viewers throughout
the hour and a strong 10.9 rating in the vital 18-49
demographic. In comparison, CSI's season premiere
earned a competitive 22.04 million total viewership
and a 7.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic.[5]
Once the season commenced, the show had two previously
recurring actors, Sara Ramirez (Callie Torres) and
Eric Dane (Mark Sloan), join the regular cast. The
series' opening credit sequence was also dropped
beginning this season, with a title card displayed
at the end of the first act and credits displayed
over the opening of the second act of each episode.
[ AWARDS
]
Producers Guild Awards:
Best Television Series - Drama: Grey's Anatomy (2007)
Golden Globe Award:
Best Television Series - Drama: Grey's Anatomy (2007)
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-series,
or Motion Picture Made for Television: Sandra Oh
(2006)
Screen Actors Guild Awards:
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama
Series: Sandra Oh (2006)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama
Series: Chandra Wilson (2007)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a
TV Series - Drama: Grey's Anatomy (2007)
TV Land Awards:
Future Classic (2006)
NAACP Image Award:
Outstanding Drama Series (2006, 2007)
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series: Isaiah Washington
(2006,2007)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:
Chandra Wilson (2007)
Television Critics Awards:
Program of the Year (2006)
Emmy Awards:
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series: Linda Lowy,
John Brace (2006)
People's Choice Awards:
Favorite TV Drama: Grey's Anatomy (2007)
Favorite Male TV Star: Patrick Dempsey (2007)
Entertainment Weekly:
Entertainers of the Year: Cast of Grey's Anatomy
(2007)
[ TRIVIA
]
Meredith and McDreamy's relationship in the show
was parodied for an April Fools Day prank on Facebook.Every
episode title comes from the title of a song.
As is common for major TV and film productions,
stars of the show have become famous in roles other
than those they originally sought. Sandra Oh was
initially looking to audition for the part of Dr.
Bailey. On Oprah, Isaiah Washington (Dr. Burke)
said that he had auditioned to play the role of
Dr. Shepherd.
Rob Lowe was originally considered for the role
of Derek Shepherd, but passed on it.
Patrick Dempsey auditioned for the role of Dr. Chase
on FOX's primetime medical mystery show, House,
before taking the role of Dr. Shepherd.
Fisher Plaza, which houses Seattle's ABC affiliate
KOMO-TV, is used for some exterior shots of Seattle
Grace Hospital. This puts Seattle Grace conveniently
close to the Space Needle, the Seattle Monorail,
and other local landmarks. However, the hospital
used for most other exterior and many interior shots
is not in Seattle; these scenes are shot at the
VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center in North Hills,
California.
The character Alex Karev was not in the original
pilot script. He wasn't added until after the pilot
was shot, therefore scenes with him were either
reshoots or digitally altered.
The Inuit doll that frequently appears in episodes
is named Ipecac. Ipecac is featured in an Easter
Egg in the Season One DVD Bonus Features, where
the cast and crew discuss the doll, its name, origins
and a plot to kidnap it.
The producers of Grey's Anatomy recently released
a novel depicting the lives and minglings of two
bit-part characters; Joe the Bartender and Nurse
Debbie. The book is double sided written in blog
and IM form, while gossiping on the actions of the
Grey's characters. The events discussed give background
information for Joe and Debbie themselves and give
insight on the events and cases the doctors deal
with in the show.
In an early episode Meredith is seen posting a flyer
asking for a roommate. The flyer is only visible
for a second, but it mentions that "Bush supporters
need not apply" along with other details about
the house.
Grey's Anatomy is Former President Bill Clinton's
favorite show.
