Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series that premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) as a mid-season replacement on March 27, 2005. The series focuses on the fictional lives of surgical interns and residents as they evolve into seasoned doctors while trying to maintain personal lives. The show's premise originated with Shonda Rhimes, who serves as an executive producer, along with Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Krista Vernoff, Rob Corn, Mark Wilding, and Allan Heinberg. The series was created to be racially diverse, utilizing a color-blind casting technique. It is primarily filmed in Los Angeles. The show's title is a play on Gray's Anatomy, the classic human anatomy textbook.
Episodes have been broadcast on Thursday nights since Grey's third season. The first two seasons aired after Desperate Housewives in the Sunday 10:00 pm EST time-slot. All episodes are approximately forty-three minutes, excluding commercials, and are broadcast in both high-definition and standard. Episodes are also available for download at the iTunes Store in standard and high definition, and Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes appearing the day after their live airings. ABC Video on demand also releases episodes of the show, typically one to two days after their premieres. Recent episodes are available on ABC's Android/iTunes app or at ABC's official Grey's Anatomy website, and Hulu.
Grey's Anatomy was among the ten highest-rated shows in the United States from the show's first through fourth season. The show's episodes have won a number of awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series, a People's Choice Award for Favourite TV Drama, and multiple NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Drama Series. Since its premiere, Buena Vista Home Entertainment has distributed all seasons on DVD. There have been several special episodes recapping events from previous episodes, and two series of webisodes.
In 2010, ABC signed a deal allowing Grey's Anatomy episodes to be streamed on Netflix, and in 2024, all episodes became available on Hulu. In April 2018, Grey's Anatomy became the longest-running drama ever for ABC, and the longest-running American primetime medical drama after the network renewed the series for a fifteenth season, surpassing ER (1994–2009). On March 30, 2026, ABC renewed the series for a twenty-third season.
Series overview
Episodes Season 1 (2005)
Season 2 (2005–06)
Kate Walsh (Dr. Addison Montgomery) joins the cast after guest starring in the Season 1 finale, "Who's Zoomin' Who?".
Season 3 (2006–07)
Sara Ramirez (Dr. Callie Torres) & Eric Dane (Dr. Mark Sloan) joined the main cast. Isaiah Washington (Dr. Preston Burke) and Kate Walsh (Dr. Addison Montgomery) departed the series after the season finale, "Didn't We Almost Have It All? ". Walsh would later star in the spin-off series Private Practice and return for guest appearances in subsequent seasons, while Washington only returned to guest star in the season 10 episode, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together".
Season 4 (2007–08)
Chyler Leigh (Dr. Lexie Grey) joined the main cast after previously guest starring on the final 2 episodes of Season 3. Touchstone Television was replaced by ABC Studios after the second episode, "Love/Addiction". After guest starring in several episodes from Seasons 2 & 3, Brooke Smith (Dr. Erica Hahn) was promoted to the main cast starting from episode 5 "Haunt You Every Day".
Season 5 (2008–09)
Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) and Jessica Capshaw (Dr. Arizona Robbins) joined the cast. Brooke Smith (Dr. Erica Hahn) departed the series after the seventh episode, "Rise Up". T.R. Knight (Dr. George O'Malley) departed the series after the season finale, "Now or Never". His character was mentioned and appeared through archival footage in subsequent seasons, while Knight eventually returned to guest star in the Season 17 episode, "You'll Never Walk Alone". The series reached 100 episodes with the season's 22nd episode, "What a Difference a Day Makes"
Season 6 (2009–10)
Katherine Heigl (Dr. Izzie Stevens) departed the series after the twelfth episode, "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked". Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman) joined the main cast starting from episode 19 "Suicide is Painless".
Season 7 (2010–11)
Jesse Williams (Dr. Jackson Avery) and Sarah Drew (Dr. April Kepner) joined the main cast.
Season 8 (2011–12)
Chyler Leigh (Dr. Lexie Grey) and Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman) both departed the series after the season finale, "Flight". Raver would eventually re-join the main cast in Season 15, while Leigh only returned to guest star in the Season 17 episode, "Breathe".
Season 9 (2012–13)
Camilla Luddington (Dr. Jo Wilson) and Jerrika Hinton (Dr. Stephanie Edwards) joined the cast. Eric Dane (Dr. Mark Sloan) departed the series after the second episode, "Remember the Time", Dane briefly return in the Season 17 episode, "Breathe".
Season 10 (2013–14)
Sandra Oh (Dr. Cristina Yang) departed the series after the season finale, "Fear (of the Unknown)". The series reached 200 episodes with the season's fourth episode, "Puttin' On The Ritz"
Season 11 (2014–15)
Patrick Dempsey (Dr. Derek Shepherd) departed the series after the season finale, "You're My Home", Dempsey eventually returned to guest star several episodes in Season 17. Caterina Scorsone (Dr. Amelia Shepherd), Kelly McCreary (Dr. Maggie Pierce) and Giacomo Gianniotti (Dr. Andrew DeLuca) joined the cast, Scorsone had previously portrayed the character on the spin-off Private Practice.
Season 12 (2015–16)
Martin Henderson (Dr. Nathan Riggs) joined the cast, while Jason George (Dr. Ben Warren) was upgraded to the main cast after recurring appearances in the previous seasons. Sara Ramirez (Dr. Callie Torres) departed the series after the season finale, "Family Affair".
Season 13 (2016–17)
Jerrika Hinton (Dr. Stephanie Edwards) departed the series after the season finale, "Ring of Fire".
Season 14 (2017–18)
Jake Borelli (Dr. Levi Schmitt) joined the cast. Martin Henderson (Dr. Nathan Riggs) departed the series after the fifth episode, "Danger Zone". Jessica Capshaw (Dr. Arizona Robbins), Sarah Drew (Dr. April Kepner) and Jason George (Dr. Ben Warren) departed the series after the season finale, "All of Me". George would later star on the spin-off series, Station 19, while Drew and Capshaw would eventually returned to the series for several guest star appearances in Seasons 17, 18 and 20, respectively. The series reached 300 episodes with the season's seventh episode, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story"
Season 15 (2018–19)
Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman) was promoted to the main cast, marking her first series-regular appearance since the Season 8 finale, "Flight". Greg Germann (Dr. Tom Koracick) joined the cast. The Mark Gordon Company was replaced by Entertainment One after the tenth episode, "Help, I'm Alive". The series surpassed ER as the longest-running American primetime medical drama series with the season's fifteenth episode and 332nd episode overall, "We Didn't Start the Fire".
Season 16 (2019–20)
Justin Chambers (Dr. Alex Karev) departed the series after the sixteenth episode, "Leave a Light On". ABC Studios was replaced by ABC Signature after the season finale, "Put on a Happy Face".
Season 17 (2020–21)
Giacomo Gianniotti (Dr. Andrew DeLuca) departed the series after episode nine, "In My Life". Jesse Williams (Dr. Jackson Avery) and Greg Germann (Dr. Tom Koracick) both departed the series after the season finale, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight". Both actors kept making recurring appearances in subsequent seasons, with Williams returning most frequently.
Season 18 (2021–22)
The series reached 400 episodes with the season's twentieth episode and season finale, "You Are the Blood".
Season 19 (2022–23)
Alexis Floyd (Dr. Simone Griffith), Harry Shum, Jr. (Dr. Benson "Blue" Kwan), Adelaide Kane (Dr. Jules Millin), Midori Francis (Dr. Mika Yasuda), and Niko Terho (Dr. Lucas Adams) all joined the cast. Kelly McCreary (Dr. Maggie Pierce) departed the series and Entertainment One was replaced by Lionsgate Television after the season finale, "Happily Ever After?", due to Lionsgate's acquisition of eOne. Ellen Pompeo (Dr. Meredith Grey) scaled back her role in the series starting from this season. Pompeo will appear in a limited quantity of episodes per season, while retaining her roles as an executive producer and narrator of the series.
Season 20 (2024)
Season 21 (2024–25)
Jake Borelli (Dr. Levi Schmitt) and Midori Francis (Dr. Mika Yusuda) left the series by episode 7 and 8, respectively. Borelli is credited as a series regular for episode 17, "Love You Like a Love Song". Jason George (Dr. Ben Warren) joined as a series regular again once the spin-off Station 19 concluded. ABC Signature was replaced by 20th Television after episode 8, "Drop It Like It's Hot".
Season 22 (2025–26)
Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) and Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman) departed the series following the season finale, "Bridge over Troubled Water".
Season 23 (2026)
Specials
Webisodes
Seattle Grace: On Call
Seattle Grace: Message of Hope
Grey's Anatomy: B-Team
References General
Specific
External links