92 Fun Facts About Grey's Anatomy

Who is the creator and executive producer of the television series Grey's Anatomy?

Shonda Rhimes says she was obsessed with televised surgery, so when ABC asked her for another pilot the operating room seemed the natural setting.

Like her mother before her, Meredith Grey specialises in which branch of surgery on Grey's Anatomy?

General Surgery made Ellis Grey's name, and when Miranda Bailey took over as chief in Season 12 she promoted Meredith to run the department.

Which nickname do the interns give Derek Shepherd in the first season of Grey's Anatomy?

McDreamy caught on so well that the interns kept minting 'Mc' names: when Meredith later dated a vet, he became McVet.

Which cancer is Izzie Stevens diagnosed with in Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy?

Melanoma: Izzie's visions of her dead fiancé Denny turn out to be a symptom, because the cancer has already spread to her brain.

Cristina Yang leaves Grey's Anatomy in Season 10 to run a research hospital in which city?

Zurich: the fiancé who once jilted her runs a research hospital there, and he hands Cristina his job so that he can move away with his family.

What is the nickname of Miranda Bailey's son, born during Season 2?

Tuck: Bailey's son William George Bailey Jones, delivered in Season 2 with George O'Malley's help, is nicknamed Tuck after his father, Tucker Jones.

What neurological condition did Ellis Grey suffer from?

Alzheimer's Disease, early-onset, is what made Meredith a doctor: she was called home from Europe to care for Ellis, and the diagnosis pushed her into medical school.

Which character was the Head of Orthopedic Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital?

Callie Torres arrives in Season 2 as the orthopedic surgeon who falls for George O'Malley, and the pair impulsively marry in Las Vegas a season later.

In which surgical specialty is Jackson Avery's mother, Catherine, renowned?

Urology: Catherine makes her entrance in Season 8 by arriving to perform what the show bills as the first penis transplant in the United States.

Which show did Grey's Anatomy overtake in 2019 as America's longest-running primetime medical drama?

ER ended in 2009 after 331 episodes; Grey's Anatomy, first scheduled for a four-week tryout, passed it with its 332nd episode in February 2019.

Which actor plays George O'Malley on Grey's Anatomy?

T.R. Knight left after five seasons, yet returned in 2020 when George appears to a gravely ill Meredith on a dream beach and the two talk over his death.

Which Snow Patrol song plays in the Season 2 finale of Grey's Anatomy?

Chasing Cars was heard during an emotional scene in the May 2006 finale, and the exposure pushed the song onto the US download and pop charts.

Which two Mercy West transfers are killed in the Season 6 hospital shooting on Grey's Anatomy?

Reed Adamson and Charles Percy: Reed is killed outright, while Charles dies in Miranda Bailey's arms because the lifts are shut off and she cannot get him to an operating room.

In Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy, what do Meredith and Derek write their wedding vows on?

A Post-it note: the couple had given their planned ceremony to Izzie and Alex and could not reach City Hall in time, so they signed their vows on a sticky note instead.

Which spin-off followed Addison Montgomery after she left Seattle for California?

Private Practice was launched from inside its parent show: a two-part Season 3 episode sent Addison to a California clinic as a trial run for the new series.

Why does George O'Malley repeat his intern year on Grey's Anatomy?

He failed his exam by one point, as Lexie Grey later found out; armed with that, George confronted the Chief, won an early retake and passed.

Which surgeon does Callie Torres marry in the Grey's Anatomy episode 'White Wedding'?

Arizona Robbins and Callie marry in a garden ceremony led by Miranda Bailey, though Callie's mother refuses to attend because her daughter is marrying a woman.

Where do the doctors of Grey's Anatomy drink after work, across the street from the hospital?

Joe's Bar, officially the Emerald City Bar, is where Meredith picks up a stranger the night before her first day, only to find he is one of her new bosses.

Where does Derek Shepherd propose to Meredith in Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy?

In a hospital elevator: Derek covers its walls with scans from the surgeries the two of them have worked on together, then asks her to marry him.

Zola, the baby Meredith and Derek adopt on Grey's Anatomy, was born with which condition?

Spina Bifida is why six-month-old Zola was flown from Malawi to Seattle with a group of children needing surgery, which is how the couple came to meet her.

How did Izzie Stevens pay her way through medical school?

Modeling paid Izzie's bills through medical school, and the work comes back to haunt her in Season 1 when Alex Karev exposes her old lingerie ads to their colleagues.

In a Season 2 train-crash episode of Grey's Anatomy, two strangers arrive impaled on the same what?

Metal pole: the surgeons cannot save both, because the only way to operate is to slide one patient off the pole, which will almost certainly kill them.

What crime puts Meredith Grey's medical licence at risk in Season 16 of Grey's Anatomy?

Insurance fraud: Meredith broke the law to get an uninsured patient treated, and a colleague took the blame until she turned herself in and was sentenced to community service.

Which Grey's Anatomy surgeon has a large brain tumor removed in Season 14?

Amelia Shepherd, a brain surgeon herself, learns the tumor has been growing for years, and that it may explain a decade of her most reckless decisions.

What was Cristina Yang's primary surgical specialty?

Cardiothoracic Surgery took Cristina away from Seattle after the plane crash, to a heart fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, before she came back.

Which actress plays Meredith Grey?

Ellen Pompeo led the cast from the 2005 pilot, then scaled back in Season 19 to eight episodes while staying on as narrator and executive producer.

Which guest star played bomb squad leader Dylan Young in Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy?

Kyle Chandler earned an Emmy nomination for the two-part story, in which his character takes the explosive from Meredith and is killed when it goes off moments later.

How does George O'Malley die on Grey's Anatomy?

He is hit by a bus while pushing a stranger out of its path, and is so badly hurt that his own friends treat him as a John Doe until he traces a clue on Meredith's palm.

On Grey's Anatomy, what is Izzie Stevens's patient and fiancé Denny Duquette waiting for?

A heart transplant: Denny finally receives his new heart, only to die of a stroke hours later, on the day Izzie accepted his proposal.

What was Addison Montgomery's primary surgical specialty when she first arrived?

Neonatal surgery: Addison flew in from New York at Richard Webber's request to help with a case, and her arrival was how Meredith learned Derek was still married.

Which character was known by the nickname 'McSteamy'?

Mark Sloan got the name on his first day in Seattle, minutes after Derek greeted his former best friend with a punch for sleeping with his wife.

What does Arizona Robbins lose after the Season 8 plane crash on Grey's Anatomy?

Her left leg: Arizona made Callie promise not to let it be amputated, but Callie gave the order to save her life, and Arizona resented her for it.

In Season 3 of Grey's Anatomy, Meredith nearly drowns at the scene of which disaster?

A ferry accident: Meredith is knocked into the water while treating a victim, and it is Derek who pulls her out before their colleagues fight to revive her.

Who went on a shooting spree through Seattle Grace in the Grey's Anatomy season 6 finale?

Gary Clark was a grieving widower whose wife had been taken off life support at the hospital, and he came back armed and asking the way to Derek Shepherd's office.

Camilla Luddington, Jo Wilson on Grey's Anatomy, voiced which video game heroine?

Lara Croft: the Tomb Raider reboot was cast under a code name, so Luddington auditioned without knowing the role and was told only once she had won it.

To which city does Meredith Grey move in Season 19 for a research post?

Boston: Meredith's daughter Zola, newly found to be gifted, falls for a science school there, and that settles her mother's decision to take the research job.

Which Grey's Anatomy surgeon quits to become a firefighter on the spin-off Station 19?

Ben Warren had already changed careers once, from anesthesiologist to surgical resident, before he swapped the operating room for a fire engine in Season 14.

What was April Kepner's primary surgical specialty?

Trauma Surgery stayed April's field even after she failed her board exams and left the hospital: Owen Hunt, by then chief, brought her back as an attending.

What personal struggle does Richard Webber battle on Grey's Anatomy?

Alcoholism: Richard Webber relapses in Season 6 and is forced out as chief, then wins the job back after a spell in rehab.

What was Jackson Avery's primary surgical specialty?

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Jackson was steered into the field by his mentor Mark Sloan, who recruited him to what the two called the Plastics Posse.

What was Jo Wilson's name before she fled her abusive husband?

Brooke Stadler became Jo Wilson to hide from her husband Paul, and she never dared divorce him in case he traced her, which is why she first turned down Alex's proposal.

Which character famously left Cristina Yang at the altar?

Preston Burke walked out on Cristina Yang on their wedding day in the Season 3 finale and left Seattle Grace for good, returning only once, in Season 10.

What was the cause of Derek Shepherd's death on Grey's Anatomy?

Injuries from a car crash: Derek had just helped the victims of a roadside wreck when a truck hit his own car, and the hospital that took him in delayed a head CT until it was too late.

In which branch of the US military did Owen Hunt serve before joining Seattle Grace?

Army: Owen Hunt arrived at Seattle Grace in Season 5 as a U.S. Army surgeon back from Iraq, and his PTSD from that tour shaped his early storylines.

How is Lexie Grey related to Meredith on Grey's Anatomy?

They share a father: Lexie is the daughter Thatcher Grey had with Susan after leaving Ellis, and Meredith wants nothing to do with her when she turns up as a new intern.

Which actress plays Maggie Pierce on Grey's Anatomy?

Kelly McCreary joined at the end of Season 10 as a newly hired heart surgeon who turns out to be the daughter Ellis Grey secretly had with Richard Webber.

What is the name of the dog Meredith and Derek share in the early seasons of Grey's Anatomy?

Doc stayed a shared responsibility even while the couple were apart, and the vet who treated him went on to become Meredith's next boyfriend.

On Grey's Anatomy, which prestigious surgical prize did Meredith's mother win twice?

Harper Avery Award: Ellis Grey won it twice, and Meredith won it too in Season 14, shortly before a scandal over its namesake saw the prize renamed.

Grey's Anatomy premiered in March 2005 in the Sunday time slot of which ABC series?

Boston Legal was only meant to step aside for four weeks, but the newcomer rated so well in its Sunday slot that ABC left it there for the rest of the season.

What condition causes Cristina Yang to collapse in the operating room early in Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy?

An ectopic pregnancy: Cristina collapses mid-operation when her fallopian tube bursts, which is how the baby's father, the surgeon working beside her, learns she was pregnant.

What did Izzie Stevens cut to move her patient Denny Duquette up the transplant list?

His LVAD wire: cutting it made Denny sick enough to jump the queue, and it nearly ended her career, as Izzie quit the programme and came back in Season 3 on probation.

What nickname does George O'Malley earn after botching his first appendectomy in the pilot?

007, as in licence to kill, is the watching interns' verdict on his first operation, and years later a dying George uses the same three digits to tell Meredith who he is.

Whom does Maggie Pierce marry in Season 17 of Grey's Anatomy?

Winston Ndugu, a former colleague, meets Maggie again at a medical conference, dates her long-distance, then travels to Seattle to help the hospital through the pandemic.

How does Andrew DeLuca die in Season 17 of Grey's Anatomy?

He is stabbed: Andrew DeLuca recognises a human trafficker, trails her across Seattle to stop her getting away, and is knifed by her accomplice.

Which actress, known for playing Cristina Yang, left Grey's Anatomy after season 10?

Sandra Oh announced before the tenth season began that it would be her last, saying she had given the part her all and felt ready to let Cristina go.

Which condition is Miranda Bailey diagnosed with in Season 10?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: after patients died of an infection traced to her in Season 9, Bailey developed OCD in Season 10 and sought treatment with Ben's support.

Which Oscar-winning actor directed the Grey's Anatomy episode in which a patient attacks Meredith?

Denzel Washington directed 'The Sound of Silence' in Season 12; the attacker is no villain but a patient left disoriented and violent by a seizure.

What does Cristina Yang call Meredith to mark her as her closest friend on Grey's Anatomy?

My person is first said in Season 2, when a clinic insists on an emergency contact and Cristina writes down Meredith's name.

What is Dr. Derek Shepherd's surgical specialty?

Neurosurgery: Derek came from New York to run the department, and in Season 4 he and Meredith lost patient after patient in a brain-tumor trial before the last one survived.

Which surgeon, Owen Hunt's estranged friend, dates Meredith Grey in Season 13 of Grey's Anatomy?

Nathan Riggs was engaged to Owen's sister Megan, who had been missing for ten years; when she is found alive, his romance with Meredith ends and he leaves with Megan.

What kind of doctor is Dr. Arizona Robbins?

Pediatric Surgeon: Arizona glides round the children's ward in wheeled sneakers, and took over the department in Season 5 because its previous head had died.

Which actress plays Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy?

Chandra Wilson won a part that had been written as a tiny blonde woman with curls; after her audition, the role of Bailey was rewritten for her.

Which actress plays Addison Montgomery on Grey's Anatomy?

Kate Walsh left the regular cast after Season 3 because Addison was given a series of her own, and came back to Seattle as a guest in Season 18 after nine years away.

What is the name of the daughter Izzie Stevens gave up for adoption as a teenager?

Hannah: Izzie gave birth at 16 and placed her daughter for adoption; in Season 3 the girl, Hannah Klein, is treated at Seattle Grace for leukemia and Izzie donates bone marrow.

The main title theme of Grey's Anatomy is an excerpt from which song?

Cosy in the Rocket, by the British duo Psapp, played over the opening titles in the early seasons; the title sequence was later dropped, but an instrumental version closes each episode.

What do the titles of almost every Grey's Anatomy episode have in common?

They are all named after songs, starting with the pilot, 'A Hard Day's Night'; in Season 14 one planned song title was swapped for a helpline's phone number instead.

Which alternative title was discussed for the show before it aired?

Complications was a working title for the series before ABC settled on Grey's Anatomy ahead of its March 2005 premiere.

Although set in Seattle, Grey's Anatomy is filmed mostly in which city?

Los Angeles: most scenes are shot on sound stages at a studio lot in Los Feliz, while Seattle supplies only some exterior shots, such as the helipad on a television station's roof.

What colour scrubs do attending surgeons wear on Grey's Anatomy, unlike the residents?

Navy: attendings at Grey Sloan wear navy-blue scrubs while residents and interns wear light blue, so rank can be read at a glance in the corridors.

Which actor plays Alex Karev on Grey's Anatomy?

Justin Chambers played Alex Karev from the 2005 pilot until his exit in Season 16, when Alex left Seattle to reunite with Izzie in Kansas.

Who won the 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Grey's Anatomy?

Katherine Heigl won the 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series as Izzie Stevens; she withdrew from consideration the next year, citing the material she was given.

The Grey's Anatomy episode '1-800-799-7233' takes its title from which phone number?

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: the episode has Jo face her abusive husband, and a cast member suggested using the title to put a number viewers could call on screen.

Which word completes Meredith Grey's plea to Derek on Grey's Anatomy: 'Pick me, choose me, ... me'?

Love: Meredith makes the plea just after learning that Derek is married, and it fails, because he decides to give his marriage to Addison another try.

Which sporting event gave the show its most-watched episode a lead-in?

'It's the End of the World' aired right after Super Bowl XL in February 2006 and drew 37.88 million viewers, the series' most-watched episode.

Besides acting, Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey is known for competing in which sport?

Auto racing: Dempsey has driven the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and became a team owner as well, with Dempsey Racing.

On Grey's Anatomy, what injured Cristina Yang the day she first met Owen Hunt?

An icicle falls and impales Cristina outside the hospital in the Season 5 premiere; Owen Hunt carries her in, pulls it out himself and patches her up, and the two bond at once.

Meredith donated part of which organ to her estranged father Thatcher?

Liver: in Season 6 Meredith gives her estranged father Thatcher part of her liver after his drinking destroys his own, sidelining her from surgery while she recovers.

Ellen Pompeo played Karen Page in which superhero film?

Daredevil: Pompeo's Karen Page is only a cameo as the secretary at Matt Murdock's law firm, though in the comics the character is the hero's original girlfriend.

The creator of Grey's Anatomy first considered setting the show in which city?

Chicago was her home town and first choice, but she moved the hospital to Seattle so the show would not be confused with a medical drama already on air.

After two seasons on Sunday nights, Grey's Anatomy moved in 2006 to which night of the week?

Thursday: two hit seasons behind Desperate Housewives on Sundays persuaded ABC to hand the show its coveted 9 p.m. Thursday slot for Season 3.

The doomed Season 8 flight was carrying the surgeons to which city?

Boise: the surgeons were flying to Idaho to separate conjoined twins when their plane came down in the wilderness, where the Season 8 finale leaves them stranded.

How is Richard Webber injured in the Season 9 finale of Grey's Anatomy?

He is electrocuted while trying to restore the hospital's power, and the intern who finds him in the next episode is killed by the same current when she rushes to help.

Before Grey's Anatomy, James Pickens Jr. played Deputy Director Kersh on which sci-fi series?

The X-Files: Pickens played Alvin Kersh, the FBI boss who takes charge of Mulder and Scully once they are moved off their paranormal cases, and keeps blocking their way back.

Under her 2018 contract, roughly how much did Ellen Pompeo earn per episode of Grey's Anatomy?

$575,000 an episode: Pompeo has said she could push for it only after co-star Patrick Dempsey left, because the studio had long used him as leverage against her.

Which actress won a 2011 Emmy for playing Adele Webber on Grey's Anatomy?

Loretta Devine won for the season in which Richard's wife Adele begins losing her memory, the plight that tempts Meredith into tampering with a drug trial.

As a teenager, Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey was runner-up in a juniors championship in what?

Juggling gave Dempsey his first taste of performing: he placed second in the juniors at the 1981 International Jugglers' Association championships, behind Anthony Gatto.

Why does Teddy Altman marry her patient Henry Burton in Season 7 of Grey's Anatomy?

For her health coverage: Henry could not afford the surgery he needed, so Teddy married him as a favour, and then fell for her husband for real.

Doktorlar, a 2006 adaptation of Grey's Anatomy, was made for television in which country?

Turkey: Show TV's Doktorlar, whose title simply means 'Doctors', came from the producer Medyapım, which went on to remake one of the American show's spin-offs for Turkish viewers too.

Which special format did Grey's Anatomy use for a Season 7 episode built around a surgeon's road accident?

A musical: the injured surgeon imagines her colleagues singing songs the show had made famous, an idea its creator had wanted to try ever since the pilot.

What does Derek Shepherd live in on his land outside Seattle in the early seasons of Grey's Anatomy?

A trailer: Derek chose it over a house despite a surgeon's salary, and in Season 4 he took in Richard Webber when the Chief's marriage broke down.

Which sport did Alex Karev take up to protect his mother?

Wrestling: Alex learned it to stand up to his violent father, and once he finally fought back, his father disappeared from the family's life.

What does Izzie Stevens do with the fortune Denny Duquette leaves her on Grey's Anatomy?

She funds a free clinic at the hospital, a project Miranda Bailey had been pushing for, and it opens under the name of the man whose money paid for it.