Grey’s Anatomy is a dinosaur. A non-threatening, herbivorous dinosaur, certainly – imagine the Parasaurolophus, with its goofy banana head. But a dinosaur nonetheless. After this current season, its 20th, Grey’s Anatomy will become the sixth-longest-running scripted series in television history. It will be tied with American Dad and surpassed by only The Simpsons, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Family Guy, and NCIS, all of which are similarly and miraculously still on the air.
Still, in this line-up, Grey’s is an anomaly. It’s live-action (read: expensive), and it isn’t a pure procedural, either. And yet, that may be the key to its success: It has the core of a familiar medical procedural, but swaddles it in twisty storytelling, compelling cases, and loveable characters. Ever since it first introduced viewers to MAGIC (Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Cristina) in Season 1, the show has spent 400 episodes delivering sultry hookups, timeless friendships, and high-octane medical drama.
And considering its staying power, it’s no wonder that it has breathed life into so many other great movies and series. Here are 7 of the most notable.
Grey’s Anatomy was the first TV series that Shonda Rhimes ever created, so the then-fledgling screenwriter had high hopes for it. Thankfully, Rhimes’ big risk paid off, and Grey’s not only nabbed her an Emmy nomination, but gave her a blank check to create an entire Shondaverse of excellent shows. Her first major hit post-Grey’s was Private Practice; Scandal was to follow. However, How to Get Away with Murder, which she exec-produced, may be her most enduring mid-2010s offering, since it turned Viola Davis from a critical darling into a mainstream star. Also, who can forget those steamy same-sex scenes, which were unlike anything on TV at the time.
One could argue that How to Get Away with Murder helped raise Viola Davis’ profile in Hollywood – enough to gain her real influence among her peers. It’s thanks to that influence that allowed Davis to expand her career as a film producer and ultimately bring 2022’s The Woman King to life. This historical action adventure, which Davis produced and starred in, became an unexpected box office hit and a well-received offering across the board. That’s not to mention that its story, about an all-female warrior team that protected an African kingdom in the 19th century, is unforgettable.
Sure, you could argue that this dark, twisted fairy tale about the iconically chic psychopath Villanelle (Jodie Comer) might have existed without Sandra Oh, a Grey’s alum. But would it have made it past the pilot stage if anyone else had starred in it? Oh, who also exec-produced this genre-bending cult favorite, won a Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe for her co-starring role as the obsessive, brilliant Eve Polastri.
Firefly Lane is another hit series that came to life with the help of a Grey’s alum in the exec-producer role. Katherine Heigl, who also stars in this popular Netflix series, helped bring its tale of enduring female friendship to life. One could also argue that Grey’s influenced Firefly Lane by centering female friendships nearly two decades beforehand. Ultimately, Meredith and Cristina walked so that Tully and Kate could … Well, walk. We wouldn’t say that this show has surpassed Grey’s – no matter how much Heigl would love that.
Part-procedural, part relationship drama, part medical thriller … Sound familiar? Though NBC’s flagship Chicago Med is not the only addictive medical drama out there, it does have a noticeably diverse cast – something that can be tied back to Grey’s. Shonda Rhimes herself told Variety in 2021: “I think the legacy [of Grey’s] might simply just be that we made it possible for more people of color to have jobs on camera on television … which makes me embarrassed for television.”
This one is a no-brainer. It was the first-ever Rhimes-produced scripted series to bloom from her ongoing deal with the streamer, and it didn’t disappoint. In addition to catapulting Regé-Jean Page to semi-stardom and spawning an endless supply of memes, it all but dominated pop culture upon its arrival. Its third season remains one of the most anticipated offerings of 2024. And, likely, it wouldn’t have existed without the helping hand of Shondaland, the Rhimes-backed production company that rose to prominence thanks to Grey’s.
Rhimes’ follow-up to Bridgerton on Netflix may not have achieved the critical success of Bridgerton, but it certainly earned a place in pop culture. Julia Garner’s wild take on Anna Delvey, a fake German scam artist who infiltrated New York high society, has been parodied to death. Garner’s take on Delvey even earned an impersonation on the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race (to mixed results). In any case, if you haven’t seen this show, then I do not have time for this!
