ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy first graced our screens in 2005 and has served us hot medical drama for 20 seasons.
The show follows the lives of the surgical interns, residents, and attending physicians at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle, Washington.
More importantly, though, it’s full of so much juicy drama that it’s almost impossible to stop watching!
Whether you’re new to Grey’s Anatomy or a long-time fan, these facts will surely entertain you.
It’s hard to imagine Grey’s Anatomy being called by a different name, but the show’s producers considered renaming it. They toyed with ideas like “Doctors,” “Surgeons,” and even “Complications,” but thankfully, these names didn’t stick, so they kept the original title.
The show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, revealed she got the idea to create it after speaking with a doctor. The doctor was complaining, rightly so, of how hard it was to shave her legs in the hospital showers when Shonda’s inspiration struck!
The show’s name combines the name of a popular human anatomy textbook, Gray’s Anatomy, with the main character’s surname.
Not everyone believed in Grey’s Anatomy from the start, though. One unnamed executive nearly canceled it before the pilot episode could even air on March 27, 2005!
Shonda Rhimes wasn’t keen on writing physical descriptions for her characters. Instead, she let the actors try auditioning for different roles and only cast the best fit.
The only character that Rhimes wrote any description for was Dr. Bailey, who she initially described as petite with curly blonde hair. Ultimately the role was snatched up by Chandra Wilson with her captivating audition performance.
Shonda Rhimes’ mother partially inspired the character Dr. Miranda Bailey. They’re both realists with the same no-nonsense attitude.
Alex Karev was only added to the show after the pilot had been shot. The creators wanted him in the pilot episode, though, so they used CGI and clever editing to add him in post-shoot.
Sandra Oh was initially asked to audition for Miranda Bailey, but she didn’t want that role. She preferred playing Cristina Yang, which she felt would be more challenging.
Jessica Capshaw, who plays Dr. Arizona Robbins, had to audition three times to land a role on the show. She first auditioned for Nurse Rose, then Sadie before finally securing a part.
Kate Walsh, who played Dr. Addison Montgomery, was only supposed to appear in a few episodes as a temporary hire. However, she quickly became a regular before finally leaving for her spinoff show, Private Practice.
Some major characters from the show had their names changed to better suit their roles or the actors that played them. For example, Ellis Grey was supposed to be Helen Grey, and Cristina Yang’s surname was originally Madison.
Before Grey’s Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey (Dr. Derek Shepherd) auditioned for the role of Dr. House on the popular medical drama House MD.
Despite being a fictional couple, Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey had an actual wedding registry website. Instead of requesting wedding gifts, they asked devoted fans to donate to disease research organizations.
Dr. Derek Shepherd is called McDreamy for his good looks and charm. Interestingly, Shonda Rhimes revealed that the nickname was first given on set to Patrick Dempsey before it was used for his character!
The building used to film the exterior of the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is the very real Los Angeles Veterans Administration Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center in California.
Some of Grey’s Anatomy’s insane medical cases, like the girl who couldn’t feel any pain, are actually based on real-life medical cases.
The producers used real animal organs to make the surgery scenes in Grey’s Anatomy appear more lifelike and authentic.
All episodes of Grey’s Anatomy are intentionally named after songs except the 9th episode of Season 14, titled “1-800-799-7233.” This is the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a fitting title since the episode tackles this sensitive subject. It’s also coincidentally a song by the Uppity Blues Women.
Isaiah Washington, who played Dr. Preston Burke on the show, studied how to perform all his surgeries for the show. He often worked 48-hour shifts shadowing surgeons at the hospital.
Grey’s Anatomy was initially supposed to be set in Rhimes’ hometown, Chicago. However, because the popular medical show ER was already set in Chicago, the company moved the location to Seattle, Washington.
Derek Shepherd was initially scripted to have a teenage daughter with his ex-wife, Addison Montgomery, with whom he tried to make amends. This storyline was shelved, and he ended up having all his kids with Meredith.
Real-life scrub nurse Kathy C. An plays the dutiful and quiet scrub nurse BokHee An. She’s the supporting character who has been in the show the longest and even appears in the spinoff Private Practice.
Ellen Pompeo was pregnant while filming season six and was only filmed at specific angles to hide her growing bump. Finally, when her character Meredith Grey donated part of her liver to her dad, the actress took time off for maternity leave.
Sarah Drew, the actress who plays Dr. April Kepner, was pregnant while filming the traumatic delivery scene in season 11, episode 11. Despite her due date being about a month away, acting out the delivery caused her to go into labor a few hours later.
Grey’s Anatomy has birthed three new series connected to the main show while exploring other aspects of medical life: Private Practice, Station 19, and Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team.
The 16th episode of season two, “It’s the End of the World,” is the most-watched episode of Grey’s Anatomy, with 38.1 million viewers. It originally aired on ABC on February 5, 2006, and is also the show’s highest-rated episode.
A 17-year-old Grey’s Anatomy Superfan, Izzy was once invited on the set as a project of Disney and the Make a Wish Foundation. She tried on the costumes and even helped in directing a scene.
Health experts discovered that Grey’s Anatomy’s inaccurate depictions of organ donations could be discouraging people from becoming organ donors.
After 19 years, many original cast members have left, had their characters written out of the show, or were given less screen time. As of 2024, Miranda Bailey and Richard Webber are the only original characters who are still fully part of the show.
After 19 long years, Grey’s Anatomy has taken its audience on one exciting ride. We’ve laughed, cried, and even yelled at our favorite characters.
But after all this time, the show has evolved while remaining true to its core themes.
While it’s definitely not the same without Ellen Pompeo regularly gracing the screen, it’s exciting to see where Grey’s Anatomy will go next!
