Grey's Anatomy Was Almost Axed Before The Very Start
Not everyone was sold on the Shonda Rhimes show.
It's hard to believe, but Grey's Anatomy started 18 years ago. And despite its age, the show continues to gather a large number of fans in front of the screens.
However, it turns out that the show was hanging by a thread even before its release.
In a recent interview with Variety, Ellen Pompeo, who starred as Meredith Grey, shared that the president of ABC Entertainment didn't think the show would be successful, had doubts about the talent of show creator Shonda Rhimes, and wanted to cancel the series:
"We'll be very nice and not name the executive who almost took a nap on Shonda Rhimes. I'm not saying it, but he almost slept on Shonda Rhimes — almost didn't air that pilot! You can do your research and find out who it was. Imagine being that guy."
But the fans have not found any serious reasons to doubt the talent of Shonda Rhimes throughout 19 seasons.
The scriptwriting team under her leadership creates the characters perfectly: the motivation almost never raises questions, everyone develops in accordance with their personal characteristics, and therefore what happens on the screen is easy to imagine in reality.
This is the main reason why Grey's Anatomy is so popular: all the doctors are ordinary people with their own peculiarities, shortcomings and problems.
That is why, even after 19 seasons, the viewers continue to empathize with their favorite characters.
On the screen are stories of mere mortals, literally. In the show no one is immune from serious tragedies and even death. The standard logic "this character is one of the main ones, everything will be fine with him" does not work here.
In addition, over the course of 19 seasons, entire lives pass, and this is always reflected in the characters.
Someone changes beyond recognition over time, and these metamorphoses are logical and consistent, while someone becomes stronger in their positions and wiser.
The gender aspect of the show deserves special attention. Thanks to Shonda Rhimes' innovation and ability to delve deeply into the characters, the series revolutionized television when it debuted in 2005.
Many believe that Rhimes should be credited with introducing "new generation" role models to television – strong, independent, self-centered women.
Source: Variety