Gray’s Anatomy is the name of an English textbook about human anatomy that came out in 1858 but has proven to be so influential in its field that it continues to be revised and republished in the present. For proof, look no further than the fact that the textbook is now on its 41st edition, which incorporates a wealth of knowledge that has been uncovered in recent times.
Grey’s Anatomy is a play on that, seeing as how its main character is Dr. Meredith Grey. For people who are unfamiliar with it, it is a medical drama that started up in 2005 and has continued to the present, thus making it the single longest-running scripted prime time drama to have ever been broadcast on ABC. Over that time, Grey’s Anatomy has seen a fair amount of change, though not so much so that its present has become unrecognizable when compared to its past.
How Has Grey’s Anatomy Changed Over Time?
For starters, the cast of Grey’s Anatomy has seen a fair amount of change. In part, this is because so much time has passed, meaning that multiple cast members have come and gone. However, it should also be noted that Grey’s Anatomy has a big cast, meaning that it has more potential for such shake-ups as well. Currently, there are still four main cast members – Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson, and James Pickens, Jr. – who have been with the show from the start. However, the other five main cast members have left the show at various points in time, with examples ranging from Sandra Oh who left before Season 11 to Katherine Heigl who left before Season 7. Naturally, other people have stepped into the main cast in their places, though their numbers have seen significant changes over time as well.
The characters played by the cast members have not remained static over the course of the show. Detailing the changes experienced by each of the characters would be too much, but summarizing one of their experiences is nonetheless useful for getting a general idea of how much has changed. For example, Dr. Meredith Grey started out as a surgical intern but has since become a resident, an attending, and now the Chief of General Surgery. Her personal life has seen even more dramatic changes, with her tumultuous relationship with Derek Shepherd being no more than a small subsection of it. After all, said character was written out in Season 11, whereas Dr. Grey promises to remain with the show until it comes to a close, whenever that might be.
On a related note, Grey’s Anatomy now occupies a very different position in the popular imagination compared to when it had just started out. This is because its length and its popularity have combined to make it a profoundly influential show, though the exact nature and the exact scope of that influence is something that interested individuals will be discussing for years and years to come. There are some people who believe that it proved that good TV needs to be capable of making a true emotional connection with the viewer. Likewise, there are people who believe with evidence that Grey’s Anatomy has convinced more people to see doctors as smart, interesting, and good-looking, though there are also plenty of surgeons who have grumbled about the show creating a misleading impression because they have nowhere near enough time to make themselves look glamorous in real life. Whatever the exact nature of Grey’s Anatomy‘s influence on its times, there can be no doubt that it is there, as shown by the countless shows and other works that have referenced it in one way or another.
Final Thoughts
For the most part, Grey’s Anatomy has remained the same medical drama that it started out as. Certainly, it has seen some changes because close to two decades and counting are bound to have had an impact on the people working on it in real life if nothing else. However, the core of the show has remained the same and promises to remain the same, which is presumably one of the factors that have kept people coming back to the show for season after season with no end in sight.
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