Over the past year, I’ve started to watch Greys Anatomy and today I want to focus on it I absolutely fell in love with this past summer. I remember watching the first three seasons about fifteen years ago when I was in middle younger, back when we still rented DVDs from video stores. The only thing I remembered was that I stopped watching because I got tired of seeing endless surgeries and the entire cast hooking up with each other.
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Earlier this year, when I read that the 20th season aired last year, I started wondering what makes this show so compelling that it’s been on for two decades. Curiosity got the better of me: would it still seem boring to me, and could I actually handle watching it, considering that it has 435 episodes and they are 40 minutes long ? I decided to give it a shot and played the first episode, not knowing what I was in for: laughter, emotion, suspense, and many nights of minimal sleep as I watched episode after episode.
Incredible medical cases, human stories, a whirlwind of romantic, friendly, and professional relationships. It’s a show where every character that passed through the medical staff gave you a reason to both love and hate them, presenting everyday, multifaceted people through whom we’ve seen a variety of stories. There’s been great social representation, bringing to light groups that hadn’t been portrayed much—or at least, not so deeply—in series up to that point.
Honestly, I don’t even know where to start with this series, which has delivered so much and still does. I genuinely loved it so much, and I’m not one of those people who say, “it should have ended by now” or “it should have stopped after so-and-so left.” No way. Just because some characters have left doesn’t mean the quality has declined. After all, it’s natural for people in real life to change workplaces, so why would it bother us in a show? Just because we liked someone a little more? Thankfully, the main character is one of the three who’ve remained: Meredith Grey, who, twenty years ago, we met as a first-year intern, and now, she’s searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s. The show’s creator has stated that the series will continue as long as Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith, wants to, so here’s to another twenty years with her; I don’t know, maybe she’ll even become health minister in the show.
Twenty years and 435 episodes—the longest-running foreign medical TV series. So many amazing actors brought unforgettable characters to life. What a fantastic, tough, thrilling journey it’s been to watch this series (and witness the professional and personal growth of the characters over time), which was also enhanced by a unique selection of songs—nearly 2,000 tracks have been featured to date, highlighting the work of many artists, newcomers, and veterans alike. It’s a journey that, thankfully, continues, with the first five episodes of season 21 already out, and I can’t wait for each new episode. My decision to give this show another shot has been rewarded from the start.
PS. If there’s one character I loved above all others, it’s Miranda Bailey. Chandra Wilson has absolutely owned that role, and along with Pompeo and James Pickens Jr., who plays Richard Webber, they’re the trio that has remained on the show for 21 years, still mentoring new generations of interns.