Grey’s Anatomy

Created by the estimable Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy was an instant hit for ABC (ranking among the 10 most-watched series on television in its first four seasons). The medical drama follows the personal and professional lives of the surgical interns, residents and attendings at Seattle Grace — sorry, we mean Grey Sloan — Memorial Hospital.

Since its debut on March 27, 2005, the series has undergone countless cast changes — to the point that the only OGs that are still regulars are Chandra Wilson, who plays Dr. Miranda Bailey, and James Pickens Jr., who plays Dr. Richard Webber. Ellen Pompeo, after whose character Dr. Meredith Grey the show is named (with a nod to Henry Gray’s anatomy reference book), has just been recurring since Season 19.

Notable cast members have included Patrick Dempsey as Meredith’s ill-fated husband, Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Mer’s “person,” Dr. Cristina Yang, Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex “Evil Spawn” Karev and Katherine Heigl as Dr. Izzie Stevens, for whom Alex left wife Jo Wilson in Season 16. Season 19 introduced a new class of interns, among them Dr. Benson “Blue” Kwan (played by Glee grad Harry Shum Jr.), Dr. Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd, late of The Bold Type) and Derek’s nephew, Dr. Lucas Adams (Niko Terho, who was Jake Borelli’s leading man in the 2020 romcom The Thing About Harry).

To date, Grey’s Anatomy has birthed two spinoffs, Private Practice (2007-13), which followed Derek’s first wife Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) to the West Coast, and the first-responders drama Station 19, which ABC cancelled in 2023 after seven seasons.