I was a late-comer to the Grey's Anatomy craze. During the summer of 2014, I binge-watched every season just in time to catch the premiere of season 11. I started watching Grey's Anatomy because at the time I wanted to become a doctor and figured I'd find the medical aspect of the show interesting. I did find the medicine and surgeries fascinating, as exaggerated as they were at times, but even after I decided against becoming a physician I continued to find myself drawn to the TV show.
What is it about Grey's Anatomy that has allowed it to become one of the longest-running TV shows in American history? Some say its sustained and even increased, popularity is due to a feeling of nostalgia that audiences hold dear to their heart. That may be so, but it doesn't explain why young people like me, who were definitely too young to understand the dynamics of the show when it initially aired, have latched on to the show so tightly and fervently after a month-long binge.
I definitely think that the power of nostalgia plays a role in Grey's Anatomy's high ratings but it's not the whole story. After contemplating why I'm still so willing to watch Meredith Grey and the other surgeons of Grey-Sloan Memorial navigate the halls of their hospital and absurd drama, I realized that the fact that there will always be an absurd level of drama is what keeps me coming back.
Grey's Anatomy is a pretty predictable show - there's no denying that. But, its predictability isn't a hindrance. In fact, I think it's Grey's Anatomy's strength.
When two surgeons are constantly eyeing each other throughout an episode, it's a safe bet that they will act on that attraction at some point. When a patient in the emergency room seems completely fine at the beginning of the episode, there's a pretty high chance that they were the most injured all along. There's always an ever revolving door of three to four fellow doctors living in Meredith's house at any given point in any season. These are things that us viewers can count on, that bring us comfort even if we've only been watching the show for a few years. In our crazy, changing world it's nice to have an idea of what's going to happen - even if it's just regarding an ABC drama about a fictional hospital in Seattle.
This year, Grey's Anatomy is entering its 15th season. On my social media, I still see fans excitedly posting theories about what's going to go down in the upcoming episodes. There are no plans to end the show anytime soon and Ellen Pompeo, who portrays Meredith, has said that she's willing to continue the show as long as fans keep watching. I hope she's ready to play an elderly, retired surgeon because fan fervor looks like it's going to be consistent for the time coming.
