Themes: Doctors and Patients, Single Life, Work Ethics
Main Cast: Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, James Pickens, Jr., T.R. Knight, Sandra Oh
Release Year: 2005
Country: US
Run Time: 60 minutes
Plot
Launched as a mid-season replacement on ABC in spring 2005, this sex-soaked medical soap opera quickly became a hit during its nine-episode inaugural run. Creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes, who wrote the first three episodes herself, wasted no time in setting up the central conflicts at Seattle Grace. In taking an internship at the hospital where her mother once enjoyed great renown as a surgeon, beautiful Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) must suffer through not only heightened expectations, but also the terrible secret that her mother now suffers from Alzheimer's. As if that's not enough, Meredith also enters into an unlikely romance with her boss, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), aka "Dr. McDreamy." Once word gets out, the affair irks most of Meredith's co-workers: no-nonsense senior resident Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), who toes the party line regarding resident/intern romance; nice-guy intern George O'Malley (T.R. Knight), who harbors a not-so-secret crush on Meredith; and ultra-competitive intern Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), who believes Shepherd is playing favorites with Meredith. Much to her own surprise, however, Cristina soon finds herself hooking up with Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), who's not only her supervisor but also Shepherd's rival for chief resident. As for surgeons-in-training Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), they're too busy loathing each other to get caught up in any inter-office romance. Chief of Surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), too, remains above the fray -- until, during the cliffhanger season finale, he inadvertently affects the course of Meredith and McDreamy's relationship by hiring a new pediatric surgeon (guest star Kate Walsh) with a surprising link to Derek's past. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
