The first season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy began airing in the United States on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on March 27, 2005, and concluded on May 22, 2005, and consist of only nine episodes, making it the shortest season to date. The first season introduces the main character, Meredith Grey, as she enrolls in Seattle Grace Hospital's internship program and faces unexpected challenges and surprises. Season one had nine series regulars, three of whom have been part of the main cast ever since. The season initially served as a mid-season replacement for the legal drama Boston Legal, airing in the Sunday night time slot at 10:00, after Desperate Housewives. Although no clip shows have been produced for this season, the events that occur are recapped in "Straight to Heart", a clip-show which aired one week before the winter holiday hiatus of the second season ended. The season was officially released on DVD as two-disc Region 1 box set under the title of Grey's Anatomy: Season One on February 14, 2006, by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
The second season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy commenced airing on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 25, 2005, and concluded on May 15, 2006. The season was produced by Touchstone Television in conjuction with Shondaland production company and The Mark Gordon Company, the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes. Actors Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, and T. R. Knight reprised their roles as surgical interns Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev, and George O'Malley respectively. Previous main cast members Chandra Wilson, James Pickens, Jr., Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey also returned, while Kate Walsh, who began the season in a recurring capacity, was promoted to series-regular status, after appearing in 7 episodes as a guest-star. Internationally, the season was distributed by Buena Vista International Television.
The third season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, commenced airing on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 21, 2006, and concluded on May 17, 2007. The season was produced by Touchstone Television, in association with Shondaland Production Company and The Mark Gordon Company, the showrunner being Shonda Rhimes. Actors Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers and T. R. Knight reprised their roles as surgical interns Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev and George O'Malley, respectively, continuing their expansive storylines as focal points throughout the season. Previous main cast members Chandra Wilson, James Pickens, Jr., Kate Walsh, Isaiah Washington, and Patrick Dempsey also returned, while previous guest-stars Sara Ramirez and Eric Dane were promoted to series-regulars, following the extension of their contracts.
Derek Christopher Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S., also referred to as "McDreamy", is a fictional surgeon from the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey. He made his first appearance in the pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night", which was broadcast on March 27, 2005.
Meredith Grey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional and titular character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by actress Ellen Pompeo. She made her first appearance in the pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night", which was broadcast on March 27, 2005. She made her final appearance in the seventh episode of season 19, "I'll Follow the Sun" which was broadcast on February 23, 2023. She will continue to do the voiceover at the beginning and end of each episode. Meredith appears in the spin-off series Station 19 as a recurring character.
Cristina Yang, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which has aired for 20 seasons on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by actress Sandra Oh. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Yang worked her way up to resident level, eventually becoming a cardiothoracic surgical fellow, while her relationships with colleagues Meredith Grey, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev and George O'Malley formed a focal point of the series. Earlier in the series, Yang got engaged to Preston Burke, in the past had a relationship with renowned surgeon and mentor Colin Marlow, and married but later divorced Owen Hunt.
Isobel Katherine Stevens, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and was portrayed by actress Katherine Heigl from 2005 to 2010. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Izzie worked her way up to resident level, while her relationships with her colleagues Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Alex Karev and George O'Malley formed a focal point of the series.
Alexander Michael Karev,, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Karev eventually obtained the position of resident, later becoming a pediatric surgeon. He then becomes Interim Chief of surgery for a six-month period while Bailey is on a "stress sabbatical". The relationships among colleagues Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens and George O'Malley formed a focal point of the series.
Miranda Bailey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy. The character was created by series creator and producer Shonda Rhimes, and has been portrayed by actress Chandra Wilson since the show's inception in 2005. Wilson has reprised her role in the spin-off series Private Practice and Station 19. Having appeared in 387 episodes total, as of October 2021, Bailey is the most appearing character in the Grey's Anatomy franchise.
"A Hard Day's Night" is the pilot episode of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, which first aired on March 27, 2005 on ABC. The episode introduces main characters and surgical interns Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev and George O'Malley, who come face to face with what their future holds as they enter the realm of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. Other main characters include Derek Shepherd, Miranda Bailey, Richard Webber and Preston Burke.
"Losing My Religion" is the twenty-seventh episode and the season finale of the second season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and the show's 36th episode overall. Written by Shonda Rhimes and directed by Mark Tinker, the episode was originally broadcast with "Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response", in a two-hour season finale event on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on May 15, 2006. Grey's Anatomy centers around a group of young doctors in training. In this episode, Dr. Izzie Stevens and her fellow interns have to plan a prom for Dr. Richard Webber's niece Camille Travis. Further storylines include Dr. Preston Burke recovering from his gunshot wound and Denny Duquette's death following his seemingly-successful heart transplant surgery.
"Didn't We Almost Have It All?" is the twenty-fifth episode and the season finale of the third season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and is the 61st episode overall. It was written by Tony Phelan and Joan Rater and directed by Rob Corn. The episode originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on May 17, 2007. The episode runs for 53:05 minutes, making it the longest episode of the series, excluding 2-part episodes. The title of the episode refers to the song "Didn't We Almost Have It All", by American singer Whitney Houston.
"It's the End of the World" is the 16th episode of the second season of the ABC series, Grey's Anatomy. The episode was written by series creator Shonda Rhimes and directed by co-executive producer Peter Horton. This episode is the first of a two-part story, concluding its plot on the following episode, "As We Know It". It originally aired on February 5, 2006, serving as the lead-out program for Super Bowl XL. On its original broadcast, "It's the End of the World" was watched by 38.1 million viewers. It is the highest rated and most watched episode of the series.
"Time Has Come Today" is the first episode of the third season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and the show's 37th episode overall. Written by Shonda Rhimes and directed by Daniel Minahan, the episode aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on September 21, 2006. The episode primarily focuses on Dr. Izzie Stevens coping with the unexpected death of her fiancé, Denny Duquette, while dealing with the decision to quit the internship program. Further storylines include Dr. Preston Burke facing the repercussions of his being shot, and Dr. Meredith Grey dealing with the aftermath of her affair with Dr. Derek Shepherd, which puts a strain in his already troubled marriage to Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd.
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is the fourth season premiere of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and the 62nd episode of the overall series. The premiere focused on the aftermath of the main characters' promotion to residency, following the conclusion of their internship. The episode was the first not to feature Isaiah Washington, portraying Preston Burke, due to his being fired from the series at the conclusion of season 3. The episode also marked Chyler Leigh's promotion to series regular status, following her guest appearances in the last 2 episodes of the previous season. Also featured were one-time guest actors Mark Pellegrino, Stephania Childers, Sandra Thigpen, and Steven Porter.
"What a Difference a Day Makes" is the twenty-second episode of the fifth season of the American television medical drama, Grey's Anatomy and the show's 100th episode overall. It is written by series creator Shonda Rhimes and directed by Rob Corn, the episode was originally broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on May 7, 2009.
"Now or Never" is the twenty-fourth episode and the season finale of the fifth season of the American television medical drama, Grey's Anatomy and the show's 102nd episode overall. Written by Debora Cahn and directed by Rob Corn, the episode was originally broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on May 14, 2009. The initial airing was viewed by 17.12 million viewers and garnered a 6.2/17 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. The episode received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise directed towards Katherine Heigl's performance. It marked the last regular appearance of original cast member T. R. Knight, who played Dr. George O'Malley who got into an accident during the episode and dies in the season 6 premiere. He later returns in season 17 as part of a dream of Meredith Grey.
"Fear (Of the Unknown)" is the twenty-fourth episode and the season finale of the tenth season of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and is the 220th episode overall. It aired on May 15, 2014, on ABC in the United States. The episode was written by Shonda Rhimes and William Harper and directed by Tony Phelan. On its initial airing, it was watched by 8.92 million viewers. The episode marked the departure of one of the lead characters, Cristina Yang, played by Sandra Oh since the inception of the series. The episode focuses on Yang as she prepares to say her goodbyes to the doctors at Grey-Sloan Memorial hospital, including her "person" Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), her long-time friend and Meredith's husband Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and her love-interest Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and leave for Zurich for her new job at the Klausman Institute for Medical Research. The episode received widespread critical acclaim with high praise directed towards Oh's performance.
The sixth season finale of Grey's Anatomy consisted of two parts, "Sanctuary" and "Death and All His Friends". Both parts, encompassing the twenty-third and twenty-fourth episodes of the season, were written by Shonda Rhimes and originally broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on May 20, 2010. The first hour gained 13 million viewers and the second hour had an audience of 16.13 million viewers. The two-parter opened up to universal acclaim with television critics lauding the writing and performance of the entire cast. It went on to be hailed as one of the best episodes of the entire series.
