At this point, if you’re not one of the millions of Grey’s Anatomy fans, you’re in the minority.
For nearly two decades, the show has captured the attention of millions of viewers around the world.
No matter how many cast losses there are and how many hiatus fans experience, it remains one of the most popular shows in the world.
Over the years, Grey’s Anatomy storylines have ranged from heartbreaking to downright ridiculous.
But nonetheless, we’ll be back every Thursday all season long.
The characters on Grey’s Anatomy experience a disproportionate number of unprecedented events.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Is a Master Class in Torturing Its Protagonists
Meredith herself has experienced hand-held bombs, drownings, mass shootings, plane crashes, infertility, and miscarriage.
She deals with the death of a spouse, the deaths of both parents and stepmother, and the revelation of not one, not two, but three unknown half-sisters (one of whom is deceased).
She was brutally attacked by a patient, jailed for insurance fraud, lost custody of her daughter, and had her house burned down.
She also lost several close friends, either through their tragic deaths or because they chose to move far away. Oh, and she almost died from COVID.
Most recently, she was unceremoniously fired for going public with her Alzheimer’s research.
That’s Meredith.
The point is, “Grey’s Anatomy” pretty much does it all and then some.
That’s why it has nothing to lose.
If a lot of us stuck around this long to watch all of these incredible storylines play out, we wouldn’t be going anywhere.
Shonda Rhimes now has a unique opportunity, because as Grey’s Anatomy fans, there’s almost nothing we can’t tolerate.
Is there anything Grey’s Anatomy fans don’t accept?
Why not make an animation where everyone is a claymation character? We’ve got Grey’s Anatomy Season 7 Episode 18 and it’s music.
Derek came back from the dead and resumed his life as if nothing had happened.
any. We didn’t blink when Megan Hunt did this, or when Izzy got involved with Danny Duquette’s ghost/hallucination form.
Even if they decided to have a sinkhole open in the Season 21 premiere and swallow up the hospital and everyone inside, killing them all, it wouldn’t matter.
Grey’s Anatomy really eats up our time
They still accomplished an almost unheard of feat.
Grey’s Anatomy is the longest-running medical drama in history, having aired an incredible 20 seasons and 430 episodes.
Approximately 19,350 minutes or 322 hours.
This means that if you’ve watched every episode, you’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy for more than 13 days.
For those of us who have watched the series more than once?
Well, I’m not capable of doing math.
Suffice it to say, this show has been a huge part of our lives for a long time.
So the writers have carte blanche to do whatever they want and trust that the fans will stay loyal.
That’s not a bad thing; rather, it’s proof that they’ve earned our trust over the past two decades.
What ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Learned
We know that no matter how many sad goodbyes we have to endure, there will always be a new Grey’s Anatomy character to win our hearts.
We know we’ll be happy no matter how many new classes of interns take turns bringing their new plays.
We know that no matter how many times Richard threatens to retire or Meredith says she’s leaving, they always come back.
We know that even if other relationships fall apart, Miranda and Ben will live happily ever after.
Finally, we know that tragedy can strike at any time, and everything we thought we knew could be wiped out.
But that’s the beauty of Grey’s Anatomy , isn’t it?
Such longevity does not happen by accident.
We’ll be here until the bitter end, accepting whatever Shonda and the producers throw at us.
Stay tuned for the Season 21 premiere on Thursday, September 26 at 10/9c on ABC, and come back after the episode for our review!
