Grey's Anatomy

This article is about the television series. For the textbook, see Gray's Anatomy. For other uses, see Gray's Anatomy (disambiguation).

Grey's Anatomy
Genre	Medical drama
Created by	Shonda Rhimes
Starring	Ellen Pompeo Sandra Oh Katherine Heigl Justin Chambers T.R. Knight Chandra Wilson James Pickens, Jr. Kate Walsh Sara Ramirez Eric Dane Chyler Leigh Brooke Smith Kevin McKidd Jessica Capshaw Kim Raver Sarah Drew Jesse Williams Isaiah Washington Patrick Dempsey
Narrated by	Ellen Pompeo
Theme music composer	Psapp
Opening theme	"Cosy in the Rocket"
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	155 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Shonda Rhimes Betsy Beers Mark Gordon Krista Vernoff Rob Corn Mark Wilding Joan Rater Tony Phelan James D. Parriott
Producer(s)	Linda Klein Mimi Schmir Gabrielle Stanton Debora Cahn Zoanne Clack Peter Horton
Editor(s)	Edward Ornelas
Cinematography	Michael Delahoussaye
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	41-43 minutes
Production company(s)	ShondaLand
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	480i 720p
Audio format	Stereophonic
Original run	March 27, 2005 (2005-03-27) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Private Practice
External links
Grey's Anatomy's Official Site

Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in Seattle, as they struggle to complete their medical training and maintain personal lives. Despite being set in Seattle, the show is primarily filmed in Los Angeles, California.

A spin-off show, titled Private Practice, revolving around character Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), began airing on September 27, 2007.^[1] As of now, four soundtrack discs have been released, as well as a video game based on the show. So far, all seasons to date have been released on DVD, with seasons four, five, and six available on Blu-ray. Two webisodes series have also been made, Seattle Grace: On Call (November 2009–January 2010) and Seattle Grace: Message of Hope (October–November 2010), each with six parts.

The show has attained commercial success and critical acclaim. The first episode was watched by 16.25 million viewers,^[2] and the first season finale attracted 22.22 million viewers.^[3] The second and third seasons received even higher ratings, with average viewership of around 19 million.^[4][5] The series, especially during the second and third season, has received a number of awards, among which are the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama in 2006, two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series in 2006 and 2007, and numerous other awards and nominations for acting, writing and directing. So far, the show has received three Emmy awards. In 2010, Grey's Anatomy was the fourth-highest revenue earning show for 2010, with US$2.67 million per half hour behind Desperate Housewives, Two and a Half Men and American Idol.^[6]

Grey's Anatomy has been renewed by ABC for an eighth season. Regarding the eighth season, Dempsey stated that, "It will be my last. I do not know about the other characters. But for me it's over."^[7][8][9] However, he later specified that he had not meant to sound so definite and that no plans of him leaving are confirmed.^[10] After much speculation as to whether or not season 8 would be the last, Rhimes confirmed that Grey's Anatomy will continue to run after season 8.^[11][12]

Production

The title Grey's Anatomy was devised as a play on words: a reference to both Henry Gray's medical textbook Gray's Anatomy, and character Meredith Grey.

Fisher Plaza, which is the headquarters building for the media company Fisher Communications and Fisher's ABC affiliated KOMO radio and television stations for Seattle, is used for some exterior shots of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, such as air ambulances landing on the KOMO-TV newscopter's helipad. This puts Seattle Grace conveniently close to the Space Needle (which is directly across the street from Fisher Plaza), 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.^[13]

Mark Kimson of The Guardian has credited Grey's Anatomy with popularizing the "songtage", or musical montage segments. The series' first episode featured The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night". Emilíana Torrini wrote an original piece for an episode, while other artists including Taylor Swift have given Grey's Anatomy exclusive rights to the first play of a track from a new album.^[14] Sales of The Fray's "How to Save a Life" grew by nearly 300% after the track was used in Grey's Anatomy, while digital downloads of Lenka's "Trouble Is a Friend" similarly rose after it featured on the show.^[15] The American profile of Northern Irish band Snow Patrol increased after their single "Chasing Cars" was used in Grey's Anatomy. Lead singer Gary Lightbody was initially uncertain about licensing a song for the soundtrack, but has since conceded that the publicity had a positive effect.^[14]

Private Practice

Main article: Private Practice (TV series)

On February 21, 2007, The Wall Street Journal reported that ABC was pursuing a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy featuring the character Addison Montgomery.^[1] On May 3, 2007, a two-hour episode of Grey's Anatomy doubled as a backdoor pilot for the proposed spinoff. ABC officially picked up Private Practice for its fall 2007 lineup on May 11. The series aired its first nine episodes during fall 2007 on Wednesday nights on 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central, premiering on September 26, 2007 on ABC. The premiere episode followed the second part of the season debut of Dancing with the Stars and provided a lead-in to fellow freshman series Dirty Sexy Money. Pushing Daisies, a third new series for the evening, rounded out the lineup as a lead-in to Private Practice on October 3, 2007.^[16]

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Grey's Anatomy characters

Promotional poster

Title screen

The series focuses on a group of surgical interns, residents, and the various physicians who serve as their mentors in their professional and personal lives. The show's producers used a "color-blind casting" technique, resulting in a racially diverse cast. All roles for Grey's Anatomy are cast without the characters' races being pre-specified, in keeping with creator Rhimes' vision of diversity.^[17] The five characters who are first introduced as interns are Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Karev (Justin Chambers), O'Malley (T. R. Knight), Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Yang (Sandra Oh). They progress to residency after their first year in the surgical program. They are initially mentored by Bailey (Chandra Wilson), a senior Resident who becomes the hospital's Chief Resident and later becomes an attending general surgeon. The surgical program is run by the Chief of Surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) who has a pre-existing personal relationship with Grey, having had an affair with her mother when Grey was a child. In Webber's employ are attendings Dr. Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) from New York and Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington), who specialize in neurosurgery and cardiothoracic surgery respectively. Shepherd is introduced as Grey's love interest, while Burke begins a relationship with Yang.

Introduced in the show's second season are OB/GYN and neonatal surgeon Dr. Montgomery (Kate Walsh), plastic surgeon Dr. Sloan (Eric Dane) from New York, and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Torres (Sara Ramírez). Addison is Shepherd's wife who arrives in Seattle seeking reconciliation with him. Sloan is Shepherd's former best friend, who aided the breakdown of his marriage by having an affair with Addison. Torres is introduced as a love-interest for O'Malley, whom she later marries, but ultimately divorces. Addison departs the show after the third season, as Kate Walsh left to star in spin-off Private Practice, but continues to make guest appearances in Grey's Anatomy. The penultimate episode of the third season introduces Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Meredith Grey's sister, who unexpectedly decides to pursue her internship at Seattle Grace after her mother's sudden death. The finale of season three sees Burke's exit from the show, after leaving Yang at the altar.^[18]

Early in the fourth season cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Hahn (Brooke Smith) becomes Torres' love interest, and a main character in the fourth season, after appearing as a recurring character in seasons two and three. During the fifth season, Hahn departs from the series. Two new characters are introduced: trauma surgeon Dr. Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and pediatric surgeon Dr. Robbins (Jessica Capshaw). Hunt became a love-interest for Yang, while Robbins became a love-interest for Torres. Season five also introduces the recurring character Dr. Harris (Melissa George), who had a friendship with Meredith years before. Harris was expected to become a series regular but George's contract was not renewed and her character was subsequently written out of the show.^[19]

O'Malley dies in the premiere of the show's sixth season, and Stevens departs following the breakdown of her relationship with Karev. Attending Dr. Altman (Kim Raver) is introduced as a cardiothoracic surgeon from Owen's past and later becomes a main character. Several recurring characters are introduced, as Seattle Grace merges with Mercy West hospital. Residents Adamson (Nora Zehetner), Avery (Jesse Williams), Kepner (Sarah Drew) and Charles Percy (Robert Baker) all transfer to Seattle Grace. Anesthesiologist Ben Warren (Jason George) is also introduced as a love-interest for Bailey. In the season six finale actors Baker and Zehetner leave the show after the deaths of their characters in the finale's hospital shooting, and only Drew and Williams were upgraded to starring status in the seventh season.^[20][21] When asked whether there will be new additions to the cast in the future, creator Shonda Rhimes replied that the cast is already too large and there won't be any more additions.^[22]

Dismissals

Isaiah Washington

In October 2006, Washington allegedly insulted Knight during an on-set altercation with Dempsey. Afterwards, Knight came out about his sexual orientation, following the attendant media speculation. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation called on Washington to apologize.^[23] On June 7, 2007, ABC announced they had decided not to renew Washington's Grey's Anatomy contract. Washington has stated that he was not angered but "saddened" by his firing. He said that if he was asked to make a cameo appearance on the show, he would not hesitate to say "yes".^[24] Washington's image was used in advertisements for the May 9, 2008 episode "The Becoming". After this aired, Washington's attorney Peter Nelson contacted ABC and SAG and cited this as an unlawful use of his client's image. His publicist, Howard Bragman, told the Hollywood Reporter that "they have the rights of the character to advance the story, but not the image" and stated he expected this to result in a "financial settlement", but it is not known for sure if this ultimately happened. ^[25]

Brooke Smith

On November 3, 2008, Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello reported that Hahn would depart from Grey's Anatomy on November 6.^[26] Rhimes stated that: "Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Smith's character would sustain in the long run."^[26] E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos claimed that Smith's dismissal from the show was enforced by the ABC network, as part of an attempt to "de-gay" Grey's Anatomy.^[27] She revealed that as well as writing out Hahn, Grey's Anatomy newcomer George would no longer be playing a bisexual character as announced.^[27] Smith, interviewed by Ausiello, stated that: "I was very excited when they told me that Smith and Torres were going to have this relationship. And I really hoped we were going to show what happens when two women fall in love and that they were going to treat it like any heterosexual couple on TV. And so I was surprised and disappointed when they just suddenly told me that they couldn't write for my character anymore. [...] it was very sudden."^[26]

T. R. Knight

On May 27, 2009, E! Online's Marc Malkin reported that Knight would not be returning for season six of Grey's Anatomy. Knight's reported unhappiness with the development and lack of screen time of his character, O'Malley, led him to request a release from his contract in December 2008.^[28] There had been fan-speculation that another actor would assume the role due to the massive facial injuries O'Malley suffered in the season five finale,^[29] but New York Daily News' staff writer Patty Lee stated that "his character, Dr. O'Malley, is dead."^[30] Rhimes stated that the lack of O'Malley during season five was deliberate, to increase the audience's shock at his critical injury in the finale, and praised Knight as "an incredibly talented actor".^[31] On June 17, 2009 it was confirmed that Knight was officially released from contract.^[32]

Katherine Heigl

On March 11, 2010 it was reported by Entertainment Weekly that Heigl had not reported back on the set when needed after her maternity leave. It was later reported that Heigl would not return to the show at all, meaning that the January 21, 2010 episode of the show marked Dr. Stevens' final appearance.^[33][34] Heigl officially confirmed her exit on March 24, 2010. She said that her departure was not about advancing her film career but that she wanted to focus more on her family. It is still unclear if her character will make any appearances on future episodes.^[35]

Series Overview

See also: List of Grey's Anatomy episodes

Season One: 2005

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 1)

Season one began airing on March 27, 2005 and concluded on May 22, 2005. The season was planned to include 14 episodes, but the network shortened the season to 9 episodes and transferred the rest of the episodes to the second season. The season begins with Grey enrolling as an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, and focuses chiefly on the first few weeks of the interns' internship, including their training under Bailey, Grey and Shepherd's new-found relationship and Grey's mother's Alzheimer's disease. Subplots include Burke's rivalry with Shepherd and sexual relationship with Yang, Stevens' attempts to be recognized as a doctor and conceal her past. Also, O'Malley's crush on Grey, his relationship with Nurse Olivia, and the revelations of Webber's past. The season ends with the arrival of Shepherd's estranged wife, Dr. Montgomery.^[36]

Season Two: 2005–2006

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 2)

Season two aired from September 25, 2005 until May 14, 2006. The season ran for 27 episodes, including the five carried over from the first season. "Bring the Pain", which aired as the series' 14th episode, was originally intended as the first season finale.^[37] The second season focuses on Grey and Shepherd's relationship, which comes to an abrupt halt when it is revealed that Shepherd is married to neo-natal surgeon Dr. Montgomery, who he reunites with and later divorces. Stevens and Karev embark on a relationship of their own, which is cut short when Stevens falls for heart patient Duquette. Bailey becomes pregnant, and more is revealed about her personal life. The season ends with Duquette dying from a complication with his heart surgery, and Steven's being distraught and quitting over the incident.

Season Three: 2006–2007

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 3)

The third season of Grey's Anatomy aired on Thursday nights,^[38] from September 21, 2006 until May 17, 2007. The season focused on Stevens' struggle to let go of Duquette, and her decision to go back to work, and the stipulations that came with that. The marriage of O'Malley and Torres, Grey's choice between Shepherd and her new boyfriend Finn, the ramifications of Burke's gunshot injury and the decision between the four attending surgeons as to the new Chief of Surgery and between the residents for Chief Resident. As the season came to a close, O'Malley had an affair with Stevens, Burke called off his wedding with Yang, Webber stayed as the Chief of Surgery, Torres was appointed Chief Resident, and O'Malley learned he had failed the intern exam. The relationship between Shepherd and Grey, as well as the love triangle between Torres, O'Malley, and Stevens were left unresolved. Dr. Montgomery decides to start a new life in Los Angeles, transferring to the spin-off Private Practice.

Season Four: 2007–2008

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 4)

Season four of Grey's Anatomy began on September 27, 2007. Dr. Hahn replaced Burke as head of cardiothoracic surgery. Chyler Leigh guest starred in the final two episodes of season three as Lexie Grey, a new intern and Meredith's younger half-sister. The season focused on O'Malley and Torres's divorce, and Torres dealing with her sexuality, Grey and Shepherd's messy love life, Bailey coping with her failing marriage, and all of the new residents competing with each other. Fourth season guest stars included Seth Green of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, who appeared in a two-part episode. Lauren Stamile plays a scrub nurse named Rose, who became a potential love interest for Shepherd.^[39] Dawson's Creek alumnus Joshua Jackson was scheduled to make his return to television in a multi-episode arc as a doctor with his first appearance in the season's eleventh episode.^[40] However, Jackson's appearance was cancelled due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.^[41] Kate Walsh returned as Dr. Montgomery for the May 1 episode, Piece of My Heart.

On February 20, 2008, it was confirmed that Grey's Anatomy would return on April 24, 2008 for five new episodes.^[42] "Where the Wild Things Are" was the first episode shown after the incubation which resulted from the WGA strike. The double episode finale (Freedom) aired May 22, 2008.

Season Five: 2008–2009

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 5)

The fifth season premiered on September 25, 2008. McKidd and George were soon added to the cast with McKidd becoming the new head of trauma surgery and George being introduced as a new surgical intern as well as Meredith's old friend. On November 3, 2008 it was announced that Smith (Hahn) had been written out of the show.^[26] Before the announcement of Smith's departure, it was announced that Mary McDonnell would appear as Dr. Dixon, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Asperger syndrome.^[43] On February 26, 2009, Entertainment Weekly announced that Capshaw has signed a contract with ABC that allows pediatric surgeon Dr. Robbins to be featured on all Season 5 episodes to come with the option to return as a series regular next season.^[44][45]

The season focused on Sloan pursuing a committed relationship with Lexie despite Shepherd and Meredith's word not to, the discovery of Meredith's mother's journals from when she was a resident, Meredith's reaction to the journals, Lexie and her fellow interns performing procedures on each other, the reappearance of Duquette, who appears to Stevens as a hallucination, only to later learn that she was terminally ill with Stage 4 metastatic melanoma. The season came to a close with O'Malley being hit by a bus and Stevens battling cancer, and both of them flatlining for the season's cliffhanger.

Season Six: 2009–2010

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 6)

The first episode of the sixth season aired Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central.^[46] It was reported that Knight would not be a regular this season,^[47] while former recurring cast member Capshaw has been promoted to a series regular.^[48] Heigl extended her contract on Grey's Anatomy for another season.^[49] The sixth season introduced several new residents joining the Seattle Grace Hospital staff because of the merger with Mercy West Hospital. Those residents include Zehetner's Dr. Adamson, Williams' Dr. Avery, Baker's Dr. Percy, and Drew's Dr. Kepner. Kim Raver joined the cast on November 12, 2009 as Dr. Altman, a cardiothoracic surgeon. It was announced on January 4, 2010 that Raver has become a series regular.^[50] Heigl asked for her release from the series citing her desire to spend more time with her adopted daughter Naleigh.^[51] This made the 12th episode of the sixth season Katherine Heigl's last appearance in the show.

This season primarily focused on O'Malley's death, Torres' and Bailey's promotions to attending surgeons, Webber's alcoholism, the merger with Mercy West, the breakdown of Stevens and Karev's marriage, and Shepherd becoming the interim Chief of Surgery. The season came to a close when a grieving husband shot several doctors in a mass murder while trying to find his targets Lexie, Shepherd, and Webber. The finale ended with Shepherd and Karev struggling for their lives after being shot.

Season Seven: 2010–2011

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 7)

Grey's Anatomy returned on September 23, 2010.^[52] Williams and Drew were promoted to series regulars.^[20][21] James Tupper has been cast as Dr. Perkins, a trauma counselor and love interest for Teddy.^[53][54] Although Katherine Heigl left the show in season 6 it has been confirmed that her character, Isobel Stevens, will have a proper closure to her relationship with Karev. Rhimes says that she "doesn't know" of the possibility of Heigl's return. Rhimes also confirmed on her Twitter account that Grey's Anatomy will have 22 episodes in this season. A musical episode, "Song Beneath the Song" aired on March 31, and featured songs the show has made iconic throughout its years.^[55]

This season mainly focused on the staff recovering from the mass murder tragedy. It also focused on Teddy's romantic life, Meredith and Shepherd's desire for a child, Webber being reinstated as chief, Torres' baby and car accident, and Meredith altering Shepherd's Alzheimer's study. The season ended with Karev ratting out Meredith, Kepner being named Chief Resident, Meredith and Shepherd adopting, Yang discovering her pregnancy, and the problems of Meredith and Shepherd.

Season Eight: 2011–2012

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 8)

Grey's Anatomy was renewed for an eighth season, which will air during the 2011-2012 television season beginning on September 22, 2011.^[56] Regarding the eighth season, Dempsey stated that, "It will be my last. I do not know about the other characters. But for me it's over."^[7][8][9] A representative later clarified matters, saying that Dempsey was misquoted, so there are no definite plans for his character at the present time. The season will consist of 24 episodes.^[12][57] The title of the two-part season premiere episode is "Free Falling".^[12][58]

Reception

Critical reception

Grey's Anatomy currently holds a score of 66 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 5 reviews for the season.^[59] The first few seasons received generally good reviews. In regard to the first season, Walter Chaw from Film Freak Central said the show was "[...] so odious, so repugnant, that it's impossible not to have predicted its newly-minted role as the most popular program in the land."^[60] Regarding the second season, Kevin Carr from 7M Pictures said "Rhimes really just put Scrubs, E.R., Sex and the City and even a dash of The Love Boat in a blender and poured out Grey's Anatomy."^[61] Also in regard to the second season, Christopher Monfette of IGN TV said "[...] The second season of this medical drama expertly wove its signature elements of complex relationships, whimsical banter and challenging life-lessons - all to a montage-fetish, indie-rock soundtrack". However, regarding the third season, Monfette said that "the third season quickly found itself mired in the annoying and absurd."^[62]

While few critics weighed in their point of view on the fourth season, several had opinions on the fifth season. Alan Sepinwall from the Newark Star-Ledger said "Overall, it feels more like the good old days than Grey's has in a long time" referring to season five. Also regarding season five, Misha Davenport from Chicago Sun-Times said "Tonight's premiere hits on all the things the show does so well. There is romance, heartbreak, humor and a few moments that will move fans to tears."^[63] Robert Bianco from USA Today said "Happily, it now seems to have landed on solid ground, with its best ensemble and most engaging stories in years" regarding the show's seventh season. Of the seventh season, Entertainment Weekly's Jennifer Armstrong said "It's in the shooting's emotional reverberations that the show is regenerating after the past few hit-and-miss seasons".^[64]

U.S. television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Grey's Anatomy.

Season	Timeslot (EST)	Season Premiere	Season Finale	TV Season	Ranking	Viewers (in millions)
1st	Sunday 10:00 PM	March 27, 2005	May 22, 2005	2004-05	#9[65]	18.46[65]
2nd		September 25, 2005	May 15, 2006	2005-06	#5[4]	19.84[4]
3rd	Thursday 9:00 PM	September 21, 2006	May 17, 2007	2006-07	#8[5]	19.22[5]
4th		September 27, 2007	May 22, 2008	2007-08	#10[66]	15.92[66]
5th		September 25, 2008	May 14, 2009	2008-09	#12[67]	14.52[67]
6th		September 24, 2009	May 20, 2010	2009-10	#17[68]	13.25[68]
7th		September 23, 2010	May 19, 2011	2010-11	#31[69]	11.41[69]
8th		September 22, 2011	May 17, 2012	2011-12	N/A	N/A

As a side note, the last few seasons have seen a decrease in the number of viewers and rankings, yet Grey's Anatomy still holds value in charts when numbers are pulled from DVR. It was the most DVRed show between 2007 and 2011 based on cumulative totals and has been the most DVRed show for several years in a row.^[70]

Awards

See also: List of awards and nominations received by Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy has won a number of awards. The show has won three Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2006, casting directors Linda Lowy & John Brace won the award for "Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series". In 2007, Heigl won "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" for her role as Izzie, and in 2010 the show won "Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)" (for "Suicide Is Painless"). In 2005, Oh won the Golden Globe Award for "Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Film", and in 2006, the series won the Golden Globe for "Best Drama Series". Oh also won the 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series". Wilson won the same award in 2007, when the series cast also won "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series". Grey's Anatomy has won the "Outstanding Drama Series" award at the NAACP Image Awards four times, from 2006–2009. Washington won "Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series" in 2006 and 2007, and Wilson won "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" in 2007 and 2008. She won "Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series" in 2009, and "Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series" in 2010, when Rhimes won "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series". In 2006, Grey's Anatomy was named "Favorite TV Drama" at the Peoples Choice Awards. Dempsey won "Favorite Male TV Star" in 2006 and 2007, and Heigl won both "Favorite Female TV Star" in 2007 and "Favorite TV Drama Actress" in 2009. Wilson also won "Favorite Scene Stealing Star" in 2007. Pompeo won "Best Actress in a Drama Series" at the 2007 Satellite Awards, and the show won "Best New Series" at the 2005 Writers Guild of America Awards. Also in 2007, the show, along with Shonda Rhimes was the recipient of the Women in Film Lucy Award, in recognition of the excellence and innovation in the show as a creative work that has enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television^[71]

Merchandise

DVD releases

Season releases

DVD name	USA release date	UK release date	Ep #	Discs	Additional information
Season 1	February 14, 2006	July 10, 2006	9 (UK-14)	2 (UK-3)	Alternate title sequence, audio commentaries, an extended pilot episode and a making-of featurette, Easter Egg (disc 2).
Season 2	September 12, 2006	May 28, 2007	27 (UK-22)	6	The Doctors Are In and The Softer Side of Dr. Bailey featurette, Exclusive set tour, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, Extended episodes for Thanks for the Memories, It's The End of the World, What Have I Done To Deserve This? and Losing My Religion.
Season 3	September 11, 2007	September 15, 2007	25	7	Seriously Extended edition: 4 extended episodes, a "one-on-one with Ellen Pompeo", a visit to the race track with star Patrick Dempsey, Cast and Crew favorite scenes featurette, and a cast commentary on selected episodes.
Season 4	September 9, 2008	November 23, 2009	17	5	Expanded Edition: Extended episode of "Forever Young", the cast of Grey's tell of their favorite scenes from Season 4, audio commentaries, deleted scenes and bloopers.
Season 5	September 15, 2009	August 23, 2010	24	7	More Moments Edition: Behind the scenes of the 100th episode, Interview with Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Extended episodes, Unaired scenes, Bloopers.
Season 6	September 14, 2010[72]	December 6, 2011[73]	24	6	More is Better Edition: Extended Finale - Over 20 Additional Minutes Of The Dramatic Season Finale!, Dissecting GREY'S ANATOMY—Unaired Scenes, In Stitches: Season Six Outtakes, Chandra Wilson: Anatomy Of A Talent,Seattle Grace: On Call—6 Webisodes.
Season 7	September 13, 2011[74]	May 28, 2012[75]	22	6	Extended version of the musical episode, plus two music videos of the cast performing iconic Grey's songs in a segment entitled "Doctors Unplugged." The making of the music event, and the usual bloopers and deleted scenes will also be featured extras.

Syndication

Grey's Anatomy is currently syndicated on Lifetime, with 1 hour blocks weekdays at 1:00 and 2:00 and also airs on local stations on weekends.^[76]

Soundtracks

See also: Grey's Anatomy (soundtrack)

The show's main title theme during its first two seasons is an excerpt of "Cosy in the Rocket", by British artist Psapp. It is featured on the soundtrack album released via ABC corporate cousin Hollywood Records on September 27, 2005. A list of all the songs featured in each episode, which are all selected, mixed and supervised by Alexandra Patsavas, can be found on the program's official website.^[77] A second soundtrack, featuring songs from the series' second season, was released September 12, 2006, followed by a third soundtrack with music from the third season.

Video game

Main article: Grey's Anatomy: The Video Game

On January 7, 2009 Ubisoft announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with ABC Studios to develop a video game based Grey's Anatomy. Designed for the Wii, the Nintendo DS and PC, Grey's Anatomy: The Video Game was released on March 10, 2009. It has been receiving low review scores, such as a 2 out of 10 from DigitalSomething.com.^[78] It also has been criticized by consumers due to the simplicity of the mini-games and the non-real voice actors.

Adaptations

In May 2009, The CW announced it was in the process of making a reality television series based on the medical series.^[79] On April 26, 2010, a Colombian adaptation of the show, entitled A Corazón Abierto, premiered to excellent ratings on RCN Televisión. With a 20.4 rating and 48 share, almost half the television viewing audience in Colombia watched the premiere.^[80] The soap premiered in May 2010 at 7:00pm Eastern/6:00pm Central on Telemundo but because of low ratings it was then moved to a midnight airing in July and once again moved to an early afternoon time slot.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Barnes, Brooks (2007-02-21). "Delicate Surgery on 'Grey's Anatomy'". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB117203280453414676-lMyQjAxMDE3NzIyMTAyMzEyWj.html. Retrieved 2007-02-22. 
2. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 29, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=032905_05. Retrieved July 1, 2009. 
3. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 24, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=052405_04. Retrieved July 1, 2009. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Season Program Rankings from 09/19/05 through 05/28/06". ABC Medianet. May 28, 2006. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=053106_05. Retrieved May 19, 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} "Season Program Rankings from 09/18/06 through 06/03/07". ABC Medianet. June 3, 2007. http://abmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=060507_05. Retrieved May 19, 2010. 
6. ^ "American Idol", "Two and a Half Men" Among TV's Biggest Moneymakers, Hollywood Reporter, March 17, 2011
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41. ^ Jackson's TV Comeback Derailed By Strikes, TeenTelevision.com, December 14, 2007
42. ^ Lost New Timeslot Confirmed/ ABC also announces return dates for Boston Legal, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and more, IGN.com, February 20, 2008
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External links

• Official website
• Grey Matter Writers' Blog (Shonda Rhimes tweeted Sept. 23, 2011 "we writers took a vote and we are all blogged out" regarding the status of the blog for season 8)
• Grey's Anatomy at the Internet Movie Database
• Grey's Anatomy at TV.com
• Grey's Anatomy on the Grey's Anatomy Wikia