Are You a Grey’s Anatomy Fan?

By Jordie Papa

Image courtesy of wikimedia

Last week I wrote a blog about Scrubs, the TV show.  This week I am going to tackle another medical drama that is not only popular, it also spawned a line of premium scrubs.    Premiering on March 27, 2005, Grey’s Anatomy is in its fifteenth season on ABC.  While the name of the series is a word play on the classic anatomy textbook first published in 1858 by Henry Gray, the series follows Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo), daughter of surgeon Ellis Grey as she toils alongside fellow doctors.  While ardent fans who have faithfully followed the series can regale newcomers with tales of many characters who have come and gone during the past decade and a half, I thought it would be fun to clue viewers in on some facts about the series they may not know.

      
      1.      Grey’s Anatomy was originally going to be called Complications

Series creator, Shonda Rhimes came up with the idea for the series after watching numerous surgical shows on the Discovery Channel.  The original locale for the series was to be Ms. Rhimes hometown of Chicago.  But she had second thoughts due to the popularity of the medical drama E.R.   So, she decided to set the series in Seattle.  Note: The hospital interior and exteriors seen onscreen are actually those of a VA hospital in California.

2. You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.

Image courtesy of wikimedia

Several actors and actresses on the show initially auditioned for other parts.  Sandra Oh originally auditioned for the part of Bailey.  Isaiah Washington first auditioned to play Dr. Derek Shephard.  He only got called back to play Dr. Preston Burke at the last minute when the actor originally cast for the part backed out.  There was even a drop in, when Alex Karev (played by Justin Chambers) was added to the script after the pilot had finished shooting.  As a result, all of his scenes were digitally dubbed into the episode after the fact.  The champ when it comes to auditions belongs to Jessica Capshaw who read for three different roles before finally winning the part of Arizona Robbins.

      3.      Many of the storylines on the show are gleaned from medical journals.

      The set also features a real MRI machine.  But the blood and guts that you see onscreen are manufactured.  The blood is made from a mixture of Jell-O and chicken fat.  The organs being operated on from cows and lambs taken from local slaughterhouses.  Before medical procedures are performed onscreen, the actors and actresses are shown videos of actual operations.

4. Physician heal thyself?

Did you ever wonder why Ellen Pompeo’s character, Dr. Meredith Grey spent so much time recuperating in Season 6 after donating part of her liver to her estranged father?  That’s because Ellen Pompeo was pregnant.  Rather than making her character pregnant, the writers decided to hide her pregnancy by keeping her belly covered by sheets.

5. Doctors and their lockers.

Image courtesy wikipedia

In her treatment for the series, Shonda Rhimes included not only descriptions of the characters, but the contents of their lockers too.  Meredith Gray’s locker has three alarm clocks to prevent her from napping too long on her breaks.  Christina Yang’s include such items as a Palm Pilot and high heels.

6. Was Dr. Jekyll really supposed to be Mr. Hyde?

Chief Richard Webber, one of the most lovable characters on the show, was originally described as something of a cad; A man who is cold and aloof with his patients, his students and his family.

7. The show is not only ethnically diverse, it’s a gender bender.

Image courtesy of flickr

When asked how she managed to develop characters that were anything but stereotypical, Ms. Rhimes replied, "Take half the characters that you made men, and make them women. Take one character you were gonna cast one color, cast them differently.  I think it's important for people to rethink because what people see on television changes what people think about themselves."

8. The surprise marriage.

Patrick Dempsey didn’t know his character was married until the Season 1 finale when his “wife” showed up to blurt, “So, you must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband.”

9. Can you name that tune?

Did you realize that each episode of Grey’s Anatomy is named after a popular song?

10. The Grey’s Anatomy line of Scrubs was named for the show.

If you work in healthcare and are looking for premium quality scrubs that can stand the test of time and keep you comfortable through the longest shift, consider donning a pair as a tribute to the show you know and love.

Jordie Papa is owner of Uniform Destination with four locations in North Florida.