I was a skeptic too, once. I made excuses. I didn’t think I wanted to commit to a show with more than sixteen seasons (and counting). But Grey’s snuck up on me, and before I knew it, I was hooked.
One night in December, my roommate and I were enjoying a quiet night in right before finals season was about to start, and she put on Grey’s Anatomy. She had already seen the entire thing and was rewatching it, so the episode she put on was from season 7. I had seen a few episodes before, and the internet goes crazy every time an important character dies (which is often, sorry), so I went into this experience with a bit of prior knowledge about the show. One episode was followed by another and then another, and by the end of that experience I remember saying to her, “I think I might start this from the beginning…”
And I did.
So why should you watch it, you might ask.
Well, to start, the gist of the show is that it follows a group of surgical interns through their time at the hospital, including their intern year, five years of residency, medical fellowship year, and attending years. The storyline is solid. Each episode brings new patients to the hospital, and the main characters learn new things from themselves and their patients, all while experiencing the drama of a usual primetime ABC show.
What makes Grey’s different is that the show really has a way of evoking your emotions. I laugh, I smile, and I cry while I watch. You get attached to characters as they fall in love, break each other’s hearts, live, and die, all in the context of working with patients in the hospital who deal with the same things.
The show expresses human emotion in such a unique way, which is why it does such a good job making me cry all the time. It illustrates the struggles that everyone faces in life, like heartbreak, job cuts, and family traumas, but it also makes you think about the brevity of life and how lucky we all are to be alive because anything can happen. They give you characters, let you get attached to those characters and get invested in their lives, and then take them away like it’s nothing. For some reason, even with that constant emotional trauma, you won’t be able to let yourself stop them from doing it to you again and again.
I will say, one insane thing happens after another. These people live through more traumatic events and accidents than anyone ever should, so you have to be willing to use your imagination a little bit. They do have to keep the show interesting for 17 seasons, so some unrealistic stuff happens sometimes. It’s not perfect. There are plot holes sometimes, and they occasionally fail to address the actual long-lasting emotional trauma that would come with some of the things that these people live through, but again, it is TV and you do have to use your imagination.
Another great thing about Grey’s Anatomy is that so many people love it! It’s an automatic conversation starter. Some people started it and never kept up with it, some people have watched and re-watched it over and over again, but everyone who watches it loves it and has that in common (and can talk about it for probably way too long).
If you’re looking for a new show to watch, Grey’s Anatomy should be your go-to. I know it seems like a big commitment, but once you’re hooked you’ll fly through episodes like it’s your job. It is emotional and thought-provoking, and you’ll probably even learn a little bit about surgery and hospitals, depending on how accurate the show actually is.
So pick up Grey’s Anatomy! It could be your next 10,000-minute commitment.
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