How Grey's Anatomy helped shape network TV and strong female friendships

After nearly two decades, Grey's Anatomy is still a staple of network television. The long-running medical drama taught viewers about the importance of strong friendships — especially strong female friendships — in an ultra-competitive field, and prompted a whole generation of people to ask, "How was Izzie not fired for cutting Denny's LVAD wire?"

For over 400 episodes, this show has followed the exciting, harrowing, heart wrenching and occasionally sexy escapades of Meredith Grey and a revolving door of doctors at a teaching hospital in Seattle. (Although, who could ever forget MAGIC — Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie and Cristina — the core five medical interns viewers fell in love with in Season 1?) 

Tonight, Grey's Anatomy premiers its 20th season.

Writers Emily Longeretta and Sarah Hunter Simanson join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the legacy of titular character Meredith Grey and how Grey's Anatomy became a staple of network TV. 

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, plus writer Charlie Warzel's take on the doctored Kate Middleton photo situation that has taken over social media, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast on your favourite podcast player.

LISTEN | Today's episode on YouTube:

Elamin: Emily, this show has been on the air since 2005. I refuse to believe that I have been around for something that has existed for 20 years, but let's just talk about the idea of 20 seasons. Why is it still so popular, do you think?    

Emily: I agree, I think it's really hard to imagine a show that's been on for 20 seasons, especially in the landscape we are now with TV. But I think this show works because it's a perfect mix for a procedural, with stories about real people, stories about healing these people that really connect to not only the cases each week, but the doctors, the interns, the nurses, the residents, every single person on there. It's all about connection. It's all about these characters that Shonda Rhimes created, that every single person watching can connect to in one way or another. 

Elamin: It's incredible to look back, Sarah Hunter, and think, when Shonda Rhimes was creating Grey's Anatomy, this was the very first show that she created by herself. And now she's got this entire massive empire, Shondaland. She's created all these other shows: Private Practice, Bridgerton, How to Get Away With Murder. The list goes on and on. Do you think it was obvious to us back then that this is a show that was going to go on to found an empire? 

Sarah Hunter: I don't know if it was obvious when they were debuting, but I think as soon as the first few episodes came out, it became clear that this was something special and the amount of people watching surpassed what anyone thought it would be. 

And when you have the combination of these imperfect but very strong female characters, I think that is where Shonda shines. And that's in all of her shows. 

Elamin: Emily, I tell a story about Grey's that is not entirely correct, which is that I say out loud, "I'm not somebody who watches Grey's Anatomy." But it's not true, because every time that it's on, I don't leave the room. There's something transfixing about someone's relationship to Grey's. Can you talk a little bit about the anatomy of the ways that Grey's takes a hold on you? Even when you don't necessarily think of yourself as someone who's a fan of the show? 

Emily: Yeah, 100 per cent. I think it goes back to what Sarah Hunter was saying about how these strong female characters, who are imperfect and real, are realistic and they draw you in. I mean, from the relationships that they have, like you mentioned in your intro, that's sometimes a bit sexy. Shonda has a very easy way of doing that and makes it look very good. 

But I think it's also about this escapism. Grey's takes you out of your own life for a little while, allows you to look at a lot of people who are very pretty and are also connecting with each other. There are some crazy storylines that make you giggle and laugh throughout the day. 

Elamin: In Season 10, Meredith Grey is saying goodbye to her best friend Cristina Yang, who's played by Canada's very own Sandra Oh. Sarah Hunter, when you think about these relationships and this show's portrayal of friendships between women, how is it different from other shows on TV at the time? 

Sarah Hunter: I think it goes back to that imperfection and having these characters who are ambitious, they support each other and what they want, and they're also there when things go wrong. Sandra Oh's character says, "You're my person."

Also, one of the most vivid images to me is when Meredith is cutting her out of her wedding dress. I think that became the pinnacle of female friendship at that time. And you see that through the seasons, whether it's escaping a wedding with slurpees or other moments like that. And I think that vernacular is still so much a part of female friendships now — like when I was interviewing a Gen Z person for an article.

There's a pregnancy loss in this story. There's a divorce. There is a mortgage pre-approval that comes up over and over again. And so, there are all of these markers of midlife in the story that can appeal to anyone. But we're really, I think, speaking to a millennial audience that is staring down middle age. 

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Amelia Eqbal