It is this successful fusion of drama and comedy that makes each visit to the Seattle Grace Hospital an enjoyable endeavor rather than a dreadfully painful one.
Sometimes clichés aren´t so bad after all.
Making a mid-season debut (March 27th, 2005) on the network that had two of television´s biggest breakout hits last year, "Grey´s Anatomy" is the perfect cap to a triumphant return for ABC after several trying years in the TV ratings doldrums. Helped along by the phenomenally popular, "Desperate Housewives" as its lead-in show, "Grey´s Anatomy" achieved critical success in its brief 9-episode debut run that prompted ABC to renew it for a full sophomore season. Initially, this might seem a tad surprising because "Grey´s Anatomy" does not boast of an original concept nor does it try to do away with the usual melodramatic clichés that seem to plague many TV shows nowadays. It does, however, soar above the rest with its intelligent writing, highly accessible characters and lighthearted humor that more than make up for the show´s perceived shortcomings.
"Grey´s Anatomy" is a one-hour dramedy (a mix of drama and comedy) that follows the lives of five fresh-out-of-medical-school surgical interns at the Seattle Grace Hospital. If you think this premise sounds awfully familiar, you are certainly not alone. The NBC half-hour sitcom "Scrubs" also features medical interns but is set in a more surreal environment that promises more laughs than dramatic content. Although on the surface, the similarities between these two shows can be quite obvious, "Grey´s Anatomy" rightfully distinguishes itself from "Scrubs" in other aspects. As it is, the show is more like the resulting love child of "ER" and "Scrubs", featuring predominantly serious medical drama that is often punctuated by moments of welcomed humor and poignant reflections that help break the perceived monotony of listening to the characters throw medical jargons left and right, as is the case with most medical-based shows.
The five young would-be doctors who are the focus of "Grey´s Anatomy" are Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), George O´Malley (T.R. Knight), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Isobel "Izzie" Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). First up, meet Dr. Meredith Grey, a talented surgical intern with practically the weight of the world balanced on her slender shoulders. Being the daughter of world-renowned surgeon Dr. Ellis Grey (Kate Burton) may sound exciting but for Meredith, her pedigree is more of a curse, as expectations become higher and the comparisons between mother and daughter become imminent. Expectations aside, Meredith always seem sad and somewhat distracted, having to keep the fact that her mother is suffering from Alzheimer´s a secret from everyone at the hospital, including the hospital´s Chief of Surgery, Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), a close friend and former colleague of her mother´s.
Just starting out as a fresh-faced intern who is viciously thrown into grueling 48-hour shifts, you can see why Meredith can get a little distracted while trying save lives and having to sort her personal issues out a the same time. However, things quickly become even more complicated when a one-night stand with a handsome hunk by the name of Derek turns into Meredith´s biggest nightmare. You see, unbeknownst to Meredith, that Derek from the night before is actually Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), the new neurosurgeon on staff at Seattle Grace, who is by default of his position, her boss. And the worst part is, even though Meredith does not care to acknowledge it, she is increasingly falling for Derek, which just seems to go against every hospital rule regarding intern-surgeon relationships.
In "Grey´s Anatomy", these interns may be good friends outside the hospital environment but that does not mean that they are all chummy during the stressful work hours as well. The strong sense of competition among these interns is palpable from the very start. Getting themselves assigned to the most complicated and serious cases marks not only a chance to learn but also to get ahead of your peers. No one exhibits this take-no-prisoners mentality better than the smart and very aggressive Dr. Cristina Yang. The direct opposite of Meredith, Cristina may be a book-smart surgical intern but her bedside manners are definitely in need of some polishing up. What Cristina lacks in empathy and making an emotional connection with her patients, she makes up for it with her medical knowledge. However, as it eventually becomes apparent, sometimes just curing a physical ailment may not always be enough.
Rounding up our group of interns are the lovable but unfortunately square George O´Malley, former fashion model Izzie Stevens, who is trying her best to overcome the stereotype that gets attached to her former profession and the ever-obnoxious and arrogant Alex Karev, whose own insecurities leads him to offend anyone he comes into contact with.
Keeping these young interns in line is the ever-entertaining surgical resident, Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), also affectionately known as "The Nazi", a no-nonsense surgeon who revels in pointing out all the flaws and mistakes that these inexperienced interns commit while on-call at the hospital. Completing the line-up is the brilliant but increasingly overconfident thoracic surgeon, Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), who thought his ascend to the Chief of Surgery post was all but assured until the appearance of Dr. Shephard. You see, the current Chief of Surgery, Dr. Webber, had encouraged Shephard to move to Seattle Grace in order to provide some competition to Burke.
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