Grey's Anatomy

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 Ramírez Eric Dane Chyler Leigh Brooke Smith Kevin McKidd Jessica Capshaw Kim Raver Isaiah Washington Patrick Dempsey
Narrated by	Ellen Pompeo (most episodes) Sandra Oh Katherine Heigl Justin Chambers T.R. Knight Chandra Wilson James Pickens, Jr. Kevin McKidd Patrick Dempsey
Theme music composer	Psapp
Opening theme	"Cosy in the Rocket"
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	120 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Shonda Rhimes Betsy Beers Mark Gordon Krista Vernoff Rob Corn Mark Wilding
Production location	Los Angeles
Running time	43 minutes
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	March 27, 2005 (2005-03-27) – present
Related
Private Practice

Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital (formerly Seattle Grace Hospital) in Seattle, Washington. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC. Since then, five seasons have aired, and the sixth season began on September 24, 2009. It has been confirmed through a tweet on the authentic Shonda Rhimes Twitter account that the cast of Grey's Anatomy has signed on through at least eight seasons, which would keep the show on the air until at least Spring 2012.

The show has attained commercial success and critical acclaim. Initially airing as a Midseason replacement for the legal drama Boston Legal it gained high viewership, with the first episode watched by 16.25 million viewers, and the first season finale attracting 22.22 million viewers. Winner of two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, the show is one of the most watched prime time television series.

Production

Name

Prior to broadcast, it was announced that the show's title would be changed from Grey's Anatomy to Complications, but it was not. Grey's Anatomy is a play on the title of the medical textbook Gray's Anatomy. Printed under its current title, "Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body", as the 40th British edition in September 2008, the textbook on human anatomy has become a classic in medical schools, since first being published in 1858. Modifying "Gray" to "Grey" is a reference to the show's protagonist, Meredith Grey.

Locations

Fisher Plaza, which is the headquarters building for the media company Fisher Communications and Fisher's ABC affiliated KOMO (Channel 4/1000 AM/97.7 FM) radio and television stations for Seattle, is used for some exterior shots of Seattle Grace Hospital, such as air ambulances landing on the KOMO-TV newscopter's helipad. 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. While the interior of Meredith's house is a built set, the actual home used for exterior shots is in Seattle. Also they film in the neighborhoods of North Hills.

Rise to prominence

In 2005, ABC announced that Grey's Anatomy would receive the coveted post-Super Bowl time slot which aired on February 5, 2006. The special episode pulled in a record 38.1 million viewers. The network's faith in the show was proven further when it removed it from its comfortable post-Desperate Housewives berth and scheduled it opposite the CBS ratings blockbuster CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in fall 2006. The gamble paid off, with the season premiere drawing 3 million more viewers than CSI, though CSI has slightly beaten Grey's from 2006 to 2009.

Music

In addition to use within the series, certain songs have been become key to promotion of Grey's Anatomy. Psapp's song, "Cosy in the Rocket" is the Grey's Anatomy theme song. It is played throughout the seasons as the beginning, and ending credits. Prior to the series debut, The Postal Service's song "Such Great Heights" was used as part of series previews aired on ABC. As the series has continued, it has been instrumental to the success of songs such as Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" and The Fray's "How to Save a Life". "Chasing Cars" was used late in the second season, and was used in a video of second season clips. "How to Save a Life" was the song used for the series' third season promotional music video, and all Grey's Anatomy previews for the season. Brandi Carlile's "The Story" and Mat Kearney's "Breathe In, Breathe Out" have also been featured prominently.

Music plays a key role in the creation of Grey's Anatomy. Each episode of the show is uniquely named after a song. The episode titles usually have something to do with the theme or moral of the episode's storyline and this moral is reproduced by the voice-overs heard at the beginning and end of each episode. Artists featured on Grey's Anatomy include Dido, Rilo Kiley,Greg Laswell, Metric, Little Dragon, Jont, Meiko, Gomez, Adele, Beck, Tegan and Sara, The Boy Least Likely To, Nouvelle Vague, Kate Havnevik, Róisín Murphy, Gemma Hayes, Snow Patrol, Kanye West, Interpol, Ida Maria, Maria Taylor, Mat Kearney, Three Days Grace, Medeski Martin & Wood, Ingrid Michaelson, Joshua Radin, Jem, Brandi Carlile, Anya Marina, Erin McCarley, Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae, Chris Garneau, Devics, KT Tunstall, Sia, Anna Nalick, Emilíana Torrini, Taylor Swift, Santigold, Coldplay, Jon Foreman, Kendall Payne, Tyrone Wells, Regina Spektor and Missy Higgins, Northern State.

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. 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. While the series garnered generally favorable ratings and a full-season episode order from ABC, production was halted on Private Practice after the ninth episode, due to the WGA strike which similarly halted the fourth season of Grey's Anatomy. Upon resolution of the strike, ABC announced Private Practice would resume broadcasts of new episodes at the start of the 2008–2009 season, retaining its time slot alongside the other two series it had accompanied on Wednesday evenings during the previous season. The trio of programs had second season premieres on October 1, 2008.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of characters from Grey's Anatomy

The characters of the series include a group of surgical interns, residents, and the various physicians who serve as mentors to the interns in their professional and personal lives. The show's producers used a "colour-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 Shonda Rhimes's vision of diversity. The five characters who are first introduced as interns are Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), George O'Malley (T. R. Knight), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh). They begin the series as interns at Seattle Grace Hospital, progressing to residency after their first year in the surgical program. They are initially mentored by Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), a general surgeon who becomes the hospital's Chief Resident and later becomes an attending general surgeon. The surgical program is run by Chief of Surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) who has a pre-existing personal relationship with Meredith, having had an affair with her mother when Meredith was a child. In Webber's employ are attending physicians Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), who specialize in neurosurgery and cardiothoracic surgery respectively. Derek is introduced as Meredith's love interest, while Preston begins a relationship with Cristina.

Introduced in the show's second season are OB/GYN and neonatal surgeon Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), plastic surgeon Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), orthopedic surgeon Callie Torres (Sara Ramírez). Addison is Derek's wife who arrives in Seattle seeking a reconciliation with him. Mark is Derek's former best friend, who aided in the breakdown of his marriage by having an affair with Addison. Callie is introduced as a love-interest for George, whom she later marries, but ultimately divorces.

Addison departed the show after the third season, as Kate Walsh left to star in spin-off Private Practice, but continues to make occasional guest appearances in Grey's Anatomy.The penultimate episode of the third season introduced intern Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Meredith's half-sister. She forms a fast friendship with George. Later, in season five, the unexpected occurs and Mark Sloan embarks on a relationship with her. The finale of season three saw Preston Burke's exit from the show, after leaving Cristina at the altar. Joining the regular cast in the fourth season was cardiothoracic surgeon Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith), a previously recurring character in seasons two and three, who began a romantic relationship with Callie.

During the Fifth Season, Dr. Erica Hahn is cut off the show, subsequent to her growing discontent with Callie and several other doctors at Seattle Grace. Two new characters are introduced: trauma surgeon Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw). Owen became a love-interest for Cristina, while Arizona became a love-interest for Callie. Season five also introduced the recurring character Dr. Sadie Harris (Melissa George), who had a friendship with Meredith years before. She forms a bond with Lexie and a possible relationship with Callie. Sadie was expected to become a series regular but her contract was not renewed and her character was subsequently written out of the show.

Season Six introduced several changes: following his tragic death, the character of Dr. George O'Malley was written off the show and attending Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) joined the cast as a cardiothoracic surgeon from Owen's past, which has allowed the script writers to introduce a three-way tug-of-war/love between Owen, Teddy and Christina. Later in the season, Dr. Izzie Stevens exits the show subsequent to her dismissal from Seattle Grace, and the collapse of her relationship with Dr. Karev. In addition, several recurring characters are introduced, in concurrence with the Mercy West and Seattle Grace hospital merger storyline. Residents Dr. Reed Adamson (Nora Zehetner), Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew) and Dr. Charles Percy (Robert Baker) all transfer to Seattle Grace hospital from Mercy West, creating friction between themselves and the Seattle Grace doctors. Anesthesiologist Dr. Ben Warren (Jason George) is also introduced as a love-interest for Bailey.

Dismissals

Isaiah Washington

In October 2006, as season 3 began, the show's actors attracted media attention when Isaiah Washington allegedly called T.R. Knight a "faggot" during an on-set altercation with Patrick 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. In an effort to try to come clean with the viewers, Washington surprisingly checked into a residential treatment facility to undergo a psychological assessment for the slur.

Nevertheless, on June 7, 2007, ABC announced they had decided not to renew Washington's contract, and that he would be dropped from the show. Washington's response, in a statement released by his publicist, was "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." He has also stated that it was Knight who spun the slur into a personal attack, alleging it may have been to increase his salary or story lines; Washington has also said he is considering legal action. He has stated that Patrick Dempsey will support him in saying the previous statement. Since then Isaiah Washington has spoken about the firing and has said that he was not mad but "saddened" by his firing. He also said that if he was asked to make a cameo appearance on the show, he would not hesitate to say "yes".

The image of Washington's character (Preston Burke) was used in advertisements for the May 9, 2008 episode entitled "The Becoming". The picture was shown in a newspaper article announcing a medical award Burke had received. 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, pointed out to 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".

Brooke Smith

On November 3, 2008, it was reported by Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that Erica Hahn would depart from Grey's Anatomy on November 6. Series creator Shonda Rhimes issued the statement that "Brooke Smith was obviously not fired for playing a lesbian. Clearly it's not an issue as we have a lesbian character on the show: Calliope Torres. Sara Ramírez is an incredible comedic and dramatic actress and we wanted to be able to play up her magic. Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke's character would sustain in the long run. The impact of the Callie/Erica relationship will be felt and played out in a story for Callie. I believe it belittles the relationship to simply replace Erica with 'another lesbian'. If you'll remember, Cristina mourned the loss of Burke for a full season."

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos reported that Smith's dismissal from the show was enforced by the ABC network, as part of an attempt to "de-gay" Grey's Anatomy. She revealed that as well as writing out the character Erica Hahn, Grey's Anatomy newcomer Melissa George would no longer be playing a bisexual character as announced. Brooke Smith, interviewed by Michael Ausiello, stated that: "I was very excited when they told me that Erica and Callie 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. [...] I found out in mid-September soon after shooting the monologue that aired last week where Erica has the revelation that she's gay. They even came down and told me it was a great scene, one of the best they ever shot on the show. So I was really, really shocked. I was floored when they told me [I was being let go]. It was the last thing I expected. In fact, when they told me I asked, "When is this happening?" And they said, "The [next episode] is your last," which is the one that airs this Thursday. So it was very sudden."

T.R. Knight

On May 27, 2009, E! Online's Marc Malkin reported that T. R. Knight would not be returning to season six of Grey's Anatomy. According to Malkin's sources, tensions between series creator Shonda Rhimes and Knight became unbearable. Knight's reported unhappiness with the development and on-screen time of his character, George O'Malley, led him to request a release from his contract in December 2008.

There had been fan-speculation that another actor would assume the role due to the massive facial injuries George suffered in the season five finale, but the New York Daily News' staff writer Patty Lee has stated that "his character, Dr. George O'Malley, is dead." Representatives for Knight and ABC have yet to substantiate this and have declined to comment.

During an interview by Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello published on May 15, 2009 through the journalist's online blog, The Ausiello Files, Rhimes had stated a rationale for the lack of George O'Malley that directly correlates with how the character was presented in season five and its impact to the finale that aired May 14, 2009. She stated, "Every character this season has had a lot of ebbs and flows. And every season is shaped differently. With George, I really wanted you to not notice that he wasn't there for most of this episode. I don't think anybody noticed because of the way we laid it out this season." Despite the reported tensions between the two, Rhimes praised Knight's work and described him as "an incredibly talented actor". On June 22, 2009, it was confirmed that T.R. Knight had officially been released from his contract and would not be returning for the sixth season.

Katherine Heigl

On March 11, 2010 it was reported by Entertainment Weekly that Katherine Heigl had not reported back on the set when needed after her maternity leave. It was later confirmed that Heigl would not return to the show at all, meaning that the January 21st episode of the show this year marked Izzie's final appearance.

It was rumoured during season 5 that not only T.R. Knight would leave the show, but Heigl would leave as well. This was later denied and her character Izzie was revived after flatlining in the season finale. She had permission from creator, writer and producer Shonda Rhimes to take a leave of absence to shoot a movie, and later again to go on maternity leave.

Heigl officially confirmed her exit on March 24, 2010. She said that her departure was not about advancing her movie career but that she wanted to focus more on her family.

Seasons

See also: List of Grey's Anatomy episodes

Season One: 2005

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 1)

File:Greys-anatomy-1-cast.jpg

The season 1 cast of Grey's Anatomy

Nielsen Ranking (2004–05 U.S. TV season; based on average total viewers per episode): #9 (18.5 million viewers)

Season one began airing Sunday, March 27. The season was planned to include 14 episodes, but the network shortened the season to nine episodes, and transferred the rest of the episodes to the second season. The season finally concluded on May 22, 2005.

The season focuses chiefly on the first few weeks of the interns' internship, Meredith and Derek's new found relationship, Meredith's mother's Alzheimer's disease and other subplots. The season begins with Meredith's enrolling as intern in Seattle Grace Hospital, and ends with the mysterious arrival of Derek's estranged wife Addison Montgomery.

The season also involves a number of subplots, including the interns' medical training under Miranda Bailey; Burke's rivalry with Derek and sexual relationship with Cristina; Izzie's attempts to be recognized as a doctor and she tries to hide her past; George's crush on Meredith and his relationship with Olivia; and the revelations of Richard's past.

Season Two: 2005–2006

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 2)

File:Fullcast-s2a.jpg

The season 2 cast of Grey's Anatomy

Nielsen Ranking (2005–06 U.S. TV season; based on average total viewers per episode): #5 (20.3 million viewers)

The second season aired Sunday, September 25, 2005, and ended on May 14 and May 15, 2006 with a three-hour finale spanning both nights. The first season had 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 time slot before Grey's Anatomy for the first two seasons).

Rather than condensing or throwing out plot lines, Grey's Anatomy producers chose to end the first 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. 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 Derek's relationship, which comes to an abrupt halt when it is revealed that Derek is married to neo-natal surgeon Addison Montgomery. Izzie and Alex 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 Preston Burke. Bailey becomes pregnant, and more is revealed about her personal life.

Once the second season ended on May 15, 2006, 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 extended after the initial season one holdovers to include Kate Walsh, though this was only used for episodes 7, 8, 10 and 13 before being dropped and replaced by a title card displayed at the end of the first act and credits displayed over the opening of the second act of each episode.

Season Three: 2006–2007

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 3)

File:Greys-anatomy-3-cast.JPG

The season 3 cast of Grey's Anatomy

Nielsen Ranking (2006–07 U.S. TV season; based on average total viewers per episode): #4 (21.3 million viewers)

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, 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, Fox Network's The OC, and NBC's long-running medical drama ER.

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." The season focused on Izzie's struggle to let go of Denny, Meredith's choice between Finn and Derek, the ramifications of Burke's injury and the decision between the four attending surgeons as to the new Chief of Surgery and between the residents for Chief Resident. 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 take the number 1 position from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation during the 9 p.m. hour, bringing in 25.14 million viewers throughout the hour and a strong 10.9 rating in the 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.

The third season ended on May 17, 2007. As the season came to a close, Burke called off his wedding to Cristina at the church, Chief Webber stayed on as the Chief of Surgery, Callie was appointed Chief Resident, and George learned he failed the final intern exam. The character of Preston Burke was permanently written out of the show and Isaiah Washington made his final appearance in the season finale. The relationship between Derek and Meredith, as well as the triangle between Callie, George, and Izzie were left unresolved. Addison decides to start a new life in Los Angeles in the spin-off Private Practice.

Season Four: 2007–2008

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 4)

File:Normal 1001.jpg

The season 4 cast of Grey's Anatomy

Nielsen Ranking (2007–08 U.S. TV season; based on average total viewers per episode): #8 (15.9 million viewers)

The show was renewed for a fourth season, with the first episode airing on September 27, 2007. Due to Rhimes' producing responsibilities on both Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, Rhimes assigned the day-to-day showrunning duties to writer and executive producer Krista Vernoff. For the first time in the show's history, two of the series regulars were not returning. Kate Walsh's character was transferred to the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice. On June 7, 2007, it was announced that Isaiah Washington's contract had not been renewed. Erica 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 Grey's younger half-sister. On June 11, 2007, it was announced that Leigh would become a series regular, instead of a 13 episode story arc as previously planned. Fourth season guest stars included former Gilmore Girls actor Edward Herrmann who appeared in three episodes. Seth Green of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame guest starred in a two-part episode. Lauren Stamile plays a scrub nurse named Rose, who became a potential love interest for Derek. 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. Jackson's appearance was cancelled due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Kate Walsh returned as Addison 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. Where the Wild Things Are was the first episode shown after the incubation resulted from WGA strike. The double episode finale (Freedom) aired May 22, 2008. It was centered around Meredith having a huge breakthrough with her personal life including Derek and her mother. Meredith and Derek performed clinical trials on patients with brain tumors. They lost all of their patients except for one whose boyfriend died just before her life saving surgery. After finally succeeding, Meredith took a risk and reunited with Derek. Almost all the cast had a kiss, including Meredith and Derek, George and Lexie, Richard and Adele, Alex and Izzie, and, Erica and Callie. To prepare for the lesbian story line, which continued in season five, Grey's consulted with GLAAD.

Season Five: 2008–2009

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 5)

File:Grey's Anatomy Season Five Cast.jpg

The season 5 cast of Grey's Anatomy

Nielsen Ranking (2008–09 U.S. TV season; based on average total viewers per episode): #12 (14.6 million viewers)

The fifth season premiered with a two-hour episode on September 25, 2008, directly after the third season premiere of Ugly Betty. Regular one-hour episodes of the series began airing in the U.S. on October 9, 2008, following the October 2 coverage of the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate. Rumors had begun swirling that two of the show's main stars, T.R Knight and Katherine Heigl were vouching for their exit off the show, after Heigl publicly announced that she would not be submitting her name into the Emmy race, and reports had been leaking that there was tension between T.R Knight and show creator Shonda Rhimes. OK! magazine reported that Katherine Heigl was remaining with Grey's Anatomy, and that Kevin McKidd and Melissa George were being added to the cast. On November 3, 2008 it was announced that Brooke Smith (Erica Hahn) had been written out of the show. Before the announcement of Smith's departure, it was announced that Mary McDonnell would appear as Virginia Dixon, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Asperger syndrome. It was also announced that Melissa George would not be remaining as a series regular, and her run on the show would end after her character, Sadie Harris, decides to leave the hospital.

On November 6, 2008, TV Guide reported that Grey's Anatomy would feature a multi-episode crossover arc with spin-off Private Practice in time for February sweeps.

The season focused on Derek's 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 appearance of Meredith's old friend Sadie, the reappearance of Denny Duquette, who appears to Izzie Stevens as a hallucination, only to later learn that she was terminally ill (further speculating rumors that Heigl was looking for a departure from the show) the intensity rising between the residents as an opportunity for a solo surgery comes into play, and various staff romances.

On February 26, 2009, Entertainment Weekly announced that Jessica Capshaw has signed a contract with ABC that allows pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins to be featured on all Season 5 episodes to come with the option to return as a series regular next season.

Season Six: 2009–2010

Main article: Grey's Anatomy (season 6)

On April 23, 2009, ABC picked up Grey's Anatomy for the 2009–2010 television season. The first episode of the sixth season aired Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central. T. R. Knight will not be a regular this season, while former recurring cast member Jessica Capshaw has been promoted to a series regular. Katherine Heigl is staying on Grey's Anatomy for another season. Martha Plimpton played a role in a multi-episode arc, that started with the season premiere episode. The season was the first to showcase episodes focused on different characters. While most episodes followed the same ensemble principle that were present in the first five years, certain episode focused on one character in particular such as Derek ("Give Peace A Chance"), Arizona ("Invest In Love"), Owen ("Suicide Is Painless") and Alex ("Sympathy For The Parents")

The sixth season introduced several new residents joining the Seattle Grace Hospital staff because of the merger with Mercy West Hospital. Those residents include Nora Zehetner's Dr. Reed Adamson, Jesse Williams' Dr. Jackson Avery, Robert Baker's Dr. Charles Percy and Sarah Drew's Dr. April Kepner, who was fired in episode six and rehired in episode thirteen.

Kim Raver joined the cast on November 12 as Dr. Teddy Altman, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Iraqi-war veteran who served with Dr. Owen Hunt. It was announced on January 4, 2010 that Raver has become a series regular.

The second Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice crossover event aired on January 14, 2010.

Izzie Stevens will no longer return to Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, as Katherine Heigl has been released from her contract.

Reception

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

Grey's Anatomy is a multi Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning television show.

U.S. television ratings

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

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

Season	Timeslot	Season Premiere	Season Finale	TV Season	Ranking	Viewers (in millions)
1st	Sunday 10:00PM	March 27, 2005	May 22, 2005	2005	#9	18.46
2nd	Sunday 10:00PM	September 25, 2005	May 15, 2006	2005–2006	#5	20.3
3rd	Thursday 9:00PM	September 21, 2006	May 17, 2007	2006–2007	#4	21.3
4th	Thursday 9:00PM	September 27, 2007	May 22, 2008	2007–2008	#8	15.9
5th	Thursday 9:00PM	September 25, 2008	May 14, 2009	2008–2009	#12	14.6
6th	Thursday 9:00PM	September 24, 2009	May 13, 2010	2009–2010	#15	14.9 ( To Date)

Awards and nominations

Primetime Emmy Awards

• 2005 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Sandra Oh)
• 2006 Award for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series (casting by: Linda Lowy & John Brace)
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Drama Series
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Sandra Oh)
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Kyle Chandler)
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Kate Burton)
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Christina Ricci)
• 2007 Nomination for Outstanding Drama Series
• 2007 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (T.R. Knight)
• 2007 Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Katherine Heigl)
• 2007 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Sandra Oh)
• 2007 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2007 Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Kate Burton)
• 2007 Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Elizabeth Reaser)
• 2008 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Sandra Oh)
• 2008 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2008 Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Diahann Carroll)
• 2009 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Sandra Oh)
• 2009 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2009 Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Sharon Lawrence)

Golden Globe Awards

• 2005 Nomination for Best Drama Series
• 2005 Nomination for Best Performance by an Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Patrick Dempsey)
• 2005 Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Film (Sandra Oh)
• 2006 Award for Best Drama Series
• 2006 Nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Patrick Dempsey)
• 2006 Nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Ellen Pompeo)
• 2006 Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Film (Katherine Heigl)
• 2007 Nomination for Best Drama Series
• 2007 Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Film (Katherine Heigl)

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (Patrick Dempsey)
• 2006 Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series (Sandra Oh)
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
• 2007 Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2007 Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
• 2008 Nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

NAACP Image Awards

• 2006 Award for Outstanding Drama Series
• 2006 Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series (Isaiah Washington)
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (James Pickens, Jr.)
• 2006 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2007 Award for Outstanding Drama Series
• 2007 Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series (Isaiah Washington)
• 2007 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (James Pickens, Jr.)
• 2007 Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2008 Award for Outstanding Drama Series
• 2008 Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2008 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (James Pickens, Jr.)
• 2009 Award for Outstanding Drama Series
• 2009 Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2009 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (James Pickens, Jr)
• 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Drama Series
• 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (Sandra Oh)
• 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)
• 2010 Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (James Pickens, Jr.)
• 2010 Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series (Shonda Rhimes)
• 2010 Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series (Chandra Wilson)

Peoples Choice Awards

• 2006 Award for Favorite Male TV Star (Patrick Dempsey)
• 2006 Award for Favorite TV Drama
• 2007 Award for Favorite Female TV Star (Katherine Heigl)
• 2007 Award for Favorite Male TV Star (Patrick Dempsey)
• 2007 Award for Favorite Scene Stealing Star (Chandra Wilson)
• 2008 Nomination for Favorite Male TV Star (Patrick Dempsey)
• 2008 Nomination for Favorite TV Drama
• 2009 Nomination for Favorite TV Drama
• 2009 Nomination for Favorite TV Drama Actor (Patrick Demsey)
• 2009 Award for Favorite TV Drama Actress (Katherine Heigl)

Satellite Awards

• 2005 Nomination for Best Drama Series
• 2005 Nomination for Best Supporting Actress (Sandra Oh)
• 2007 Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Ellen Pompeo)
• 2007 Nomination for Best Drama Series
• 2007 Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Film (T.R. Knight)
• 2007 Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Film (Chandra Wilson)
• 2008 Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Film (Chandra Wilson)

Ewwy Awards

• 2008 Nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series (Ellen Pompeo)
• 2009 Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Kevin McKidd)

Writers Guild of America Awards

• 2005 Nomination for Best Dramatic Series
• 2005 Award for Best New Series
• 2006 Nomination for Best Dramatic Series

Merchandise

DVD releases

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Buena Vista Home Entertainment) has released all completed seasons Grey's Anatomy on DVD in Region 1 and currently released in UK Region 2 are Series 1 - 4.

Also Blu-Ray released of Season 4 have been released most places outside the UK, and Season Five is expected to be released in Region A later this year.

Season releases

DVD Name	USA Release Date	Ep #	Discs	Additional Information
Season 1	February 14, 2006	9 (R2-14)	2	Alternate title sequence, audio commentaries, an extended pilot episode and a making-of featurette, Easter Egg (disc 2).
Season 2	September 12, 2006	27 (R2-22)	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	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	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	24	7	More Moments Edition: Behind the scenes of the 100th episode, Interview with Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Extended episodes, Unaired scenes, Bloopers

Syndication

On Monday, August 31, Lifetime began airing Grey's Anatomy Monday through Friday at 5/4c and 6/5c, with it currently being aired on a 3 hour block beginning at 6/5c. FOX will also be playing episodes.

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.[3] Patsavas similarly gained acclaim for selecting the music used for the FOX series The O.C. prior to her work with the ABC series. 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

In January 2008, Grey's Anatomy was made into a mobile game on behalf of video game publisher Gameloft. A Reuters.com article states that it "gives players and fans the chance to experience intense emotions and drama unique to their favorite show in unlimited different skill-based surgery mini-games taken from actual episodes of the show". 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. The game is a cross between Trauma Center and an adventure game, with players taking on the roles of the characters. It has been receiving low review scores, such as a 2 out of 10 from DigitalSomething.com [4]

Reality show

The CW is in the process of making a reality television series based on the medical series Grey's Anatomy, currently airing on ABC.

External links

• Official website
• Grey Matter Writers' Blog
• Grey's Anatomy at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show