Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital (later renamed Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, and finally Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital). The series premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement and has been renewed annually for two decades. Its title is a mixture of the protagonist's surname and the name of the classic human anatomy textbook Gray's Anatomy. Writer Shonda Rhimes developed the pilot and served as showrunner, head writer, and executive producer until stepping down in 2015. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series is filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California.
The original cast consisted of nine star-billed actors: Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T. R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Isaiah Washington, and Patrick Dempsey. For most of its run, the series revolves around Dr. Meredith Grey (Pompeo), chronicling her progression from surgical intern to fully-qualified doctor. The cast has undergone major changes throughout the series' run, with only three original members remaining by the 19th season – Pompeo, Wilson, and Pickens. Pompeo stepped back from the series in its 19th season, at which point the show shifted to more of an ensemble format. In March 2026, ABC renewed the series for a 23rd season, which is set to premiere in the fall of 2026. Grey's Anatomy has two spin-off series: Private Practice (2007–2013) and Station 19 (2018–2024); as well as a web series, Grey's Anatomy: B-Team.
Grey's Anatomy is the longest-running scripted primetime show currently airing on ABC, and the longest scripted primetime series carried by ABC. Its success catapulted many series regulars, including Pompeo, Oh, and Dempsey, to worldwide recognition; they were among the five highest-earning television actors in 2013. Once among the overall top 10 shows in the United States, the show's ratings have fallen, although it was still one of the highest-rated shows among the 18–49 demographic. The show also does well on streaming television; , Grey's Anatomy was ranked the 10th most popular on-demand program.
Grey's Anatomy has been well received by critics throughout much of its run and has been included in various critics' year-end top 10 lists. Since its inception, the show has been described by the media outlets as a television "phenomenon" or a "juggernaut", owing to its longevity and dominant ratings. It is considered to have had a significant effect on popular culture and has received numerous awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and a total of 38 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including 2 for Outstanding Drama Series. The cast members have also received accolades for their individual performances.
Plot The series follows the life of Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), the daughter of world renowned general surgeon Ellis Grey (Kate Burton), starting from her acceptance into the surgical residency program at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital (later named Seattle Grace Mercy West, and finally, Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital). During her time as an intern, Grey works alongside fellow physicians Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) and George O'Malley (T. R. Knight), who each struggle to balance their personal lives with hectic schedules and stressful residency requirements. During their internship, they are overseen by Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), a senior resident, who works with attending physicians Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), head of neurosurgery and Meredith's love interest, and Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), head of cardiothoracic surgery and Yang's eventual fiancé. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), Chief of Surgery and attending general surgeon, is the former lover of Ellis Grey. During the first six seasons, Burke, O'Malley, and Stevens all depart the series.
In addition to Webber, Burke, and Shepherd, the surgical wing is primarily supervised by Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), Shepherd's ex-wife and the head of OB/GYN, neonatal and fetal surgery who leaves for Los Angeles at the end of Season 3; Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), head of plastic surgery and also certified in ENT surgery; Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), a resident who later becomes head of orthopedic surgery and leaves Seattle for New York at the end of Season 12; Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith), as head of cardiothoracic surgery and Burke's replacement, who leaves Seattle Grace in Season 5 after a disagreement with Torres; Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), as head of trauma surgery who later marries and divorces Yang; Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), as head of pediatric surgery, and later head of maternal/fetal surgery who marries Torres; Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), as head of cardiothoracic surgery who departs at the end of Season 8 but returns in Season 14, later marrying Hunt; and Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), Derek's sister, who is hired to replace him as head of neurosurgery.
Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Meredith's paternal half-sister, joins the residency program in season 4 until her death with her love interest Sloan in a plane crash at the end of Season 8, after which Seattle Grace is renamed Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in their memory. Former Mercy West residents April Kepner (Sarah Drew) and Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) join Seattle Grace following a hospital merger in Season 6. Other additions include Leah Murphy (Tessa Ferrer), who departs at the end of Season 10 but returns during Season 13; Shane Ross (Gaius Charles), who leaves with Yang to work in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Season 10 finale; Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton), who resigns at the end of Season 13; Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington), who has a tumultuous romantic relationship with Karev; Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), the former love interest of Meredith's maternal half-sister Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) who also served as head of cardiothoracic surgery; and Ben Warren (Jason George), an anesthesiologist-turned resident-turned firefighter who marries Bailey.
Season 11 sees the deeply impactful death of Derek Shepherd. In Season 12, attending cardiovascular surgeon Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson) joins the show, and later briefly becomes Meredith's love interest. In the early episodes of Season 14, Tom Koracick (Greg Germann), an attending neurosurgeon, begins making appearances and Riggs leaves the series to start a life with Owen's long-lost sister Megan (Abigail Spencer); by the season finale, Robbins, Kepner and Warren also depart the show, with Warren joining the fire department featured on Station 19 before returning after the end of that series.
Midway through Season 16, Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood) becomes the new chief of pediatric surgery as Karev departs to reunite with Stevens. During Season 17, DeLuca is stabbed while chasing a child abductor/human trafficker and despite the efforts of Hunt and Altman, he dies. Avery and Koracick also depart in Season 17, with Avery moving to Boston to take over his family's charitable foundation and Koracick leaving to assist him. In Season 18, Hayes moves back to Ireland, Hunt and Altman flee the country, transplant surgeon Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman), a patient of Meredith's turned love interest, returns to Minnesota, and Bailey resigns as Chief of Surgery, leaving Meredith to take over the role.
In Season 19, new interns Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd), Benson "Blue" Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.), Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane), Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis) and Lucas Adams (Niko Terho), Derek and Amelia's nephew, join the program; Meredith moves to Boston, reducing her role at Grey Sloan while she works on a cure for Alzheimer's disease, and Pierce departs to further her own career in Chicago. In Season 20, Marsh resigns from his role as Residency Director and moves to Boston with Meredith, leaving Bailey to be the new Residency Director. After a traumatic car accident in Season 21, Yasuda departs from the program. The rest of her class become residents with their own interns to teach in Season 22, including Griffith's one-night stand Wes Bryant (Trevor Jackson).
Series synopsis
Grey's Anatomy chronicles the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital (formerly Seattle Grace Hospital, Season 1–6; Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, Season 6–9; and then Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Season 9–present), as the interns progressively evolve into seasoned doctors under the guidance of their residents, attendings, and the chief of surgery.
Each episode usually opens with a voice-over narration from Meredith Grey or another season regular, often foreshadowing the episode's theme.Grey's Anatomy of the Narrative Analysis | Media and Cultural Analysis, Spring 2014 . Karanovic.org (March 5, 2014). Retrieved on December 3, 2016. Most seasons typically mirror the physicians' academic year, with each completed year elevating the residents to a higher level in the surgical field. The season finale often culminates in a dramatic event, such as a character's death or departure.
The series focuses on the doctors' professional lives as surgeons, but also gives significant attention to their personal lives. Character development and relationships frequently take precedence over medical ethics concerns. While the physicians perform intricate surgeries and treat their patients' illnesses, they also exhibit a competitive drive and seek recognition.
Upon arrival at the hospital each morning, residents may compete over who gets assigned a challenging case, often generating tension. A hospital superior typically assigns cases, further intensifying the dynamic between residents and their superiors. Episodes shift between the doctors' interactions with patients and their personal dynamics with colleagues. Once assigned a case, each doctor works to diagnose the patient, typically with the support of an attending physician, which usually results in surgery. Each episode typically features scenes of a surgery towards the center of the episode.
The show often portrays the doctors forming personal connections with their patients, with many cases indirectly reflecting the doctors' own personal struggles. One notable instance is Izzie Stevens' entanglement with her patient, Denny Duquette, in Season 2. Relationships between the doctors, whether romantic or platonic, frequently develop and create conflicts between their personal and professional lives.
Emotional moments are often underscored by an indie rock soundtrack, with "songtages" – tracks that run through a montage of scenes, connecting storylines with poignant lyrics – becoming a hallmark of the series. Each episode concludes with a voice-over, generally providing contrast or a follow-up to the initial narration.
Cast, characters, and appearance period
Cast table
Main cast The five characters who are first introduced in the series premiere as surgical interns are Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev, and George O'Malley. They are initially mentored by Dr. Miranda Bailey, a senior resident who becomes the hospital's Chief Resident, and later an attending general surgeon, in Season 6. The surgical program is initially headed by Richard Webber, the Chief of Surgery, who has a pre-existing personal relationship with Meredith, having had an affair with her mother, famed general surgeon Ellis Grey, when Meredith was a child. In Webber's employ are attending neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd, dubbed 'McDreamy' by the residents, and attending cardiothoracic surgeon Preston Burke. Shepherd is introduced as Meredith's love-interest, while Burke begins a relationship with Cristina.