At this point, if you’re not one of the millions of Grey’s Anatomy fans, you’re in the minority.
For close to two decades, this show has captured the attention of millions of viewers globally.
No matter how much churn the cast has seen or how many hiatuses fans have endured, it remains one of the most popular shows in the world.
Over the years, Grey’s Anatomy’s storylines have ranged from heartbreaking to completely absurd.
But still, we keep coming back every Thursday, all season long.
Grey’s Anatomy characters have been through a wildly disproportionate number of unprecedented events.
Grey’s Anatomy is a Master Class in Torturing Your Main Character
Meredith herself has experienced holding a bomb, drowning, a mass shooting, a plane crash, infertility, and pregnancy loss.
She’s dealt with the death of a spouse, the deaths of both parents and a stepmother, and the revelation of not one, not two, but three unknown half-sisters (one of whom has since died).
She’s suffered a brutal attack by a patient, spent time in jail after committing insurance fraud, lost custody of her daughter, and her house burned down.
She has also lost several close friends, either due to their tragic deaths or their choices to move far away. Oh, and she nearly died of COVID.
Most recently, she’s been unceremoniously fired for releasing her Alzheimer’s research to the public.
And that’s just Meredith.
The point is, Grey’s Anatomy has pretty much done it all and then some.
That’s why it has nothing left to lose.
If so many of us have stuck around this long to watch all of these unbelievable storylines play out, then we’re not going anywhere.
Shonda Rhimes has a unique opportunity now because there’s virtually nothing we won’t tolerate as Grey’s Anatomy fans.
Is There Anything Grey’s Anatomy Fans Won’t Accept?
Why not have an animated episode in which everyone is a claymation figure? We accepted Grey’s Anatomy Season 7 Episode 18, which was a musical.
Derek comes back from the dead and resumes his life as if nothing happened.
Whatever. We didn’t blink when Megan Hunt did it or when Izzie had a relationship with the ghost/hallucination form of Denny Duquette.
Even if they decided that the Season 21 premiere would involve a sinkhole opening up and swallowing the hospital and everyone inside, killing them all, it wouldn’t matter.
Grey’s Anatomy Has Literally Consumed Our Days
They have still accomplished a feat that is almost unheard of.
Grey’s Anatomy is the longest-running medical drama in history, running an incredible 20 seasons and 430 episodes.
That’s roughly 19,350 minutes or 322 hours.
This means that if you’ve seen every episode once, you’ve spent more than 13 days watching Grey’s Anatomy.
For those of us who have seen the series more than once?
Well, I don’t have it in me to do that math.
Suffice it to say, this show has been a huge part of our lives for a very long time.
As a result, the writers have carte blanche to do whatever they want and trust that fans will stay loyal.
It’s not a bad thing; on the contrary, it proves that they’ve earned our trust over the past twenty years.
What Grey’s Anatomy Fans Have Learned
We know that no matter how many sad goodbyes we have to endure, there will always be new Grey’s Anatomy characters to win our hearts.
We know that no matter how many new classes of interns cycle through, bringing their new brand of drama, we’ll be entertained.
We know that no matter how many times Richard threatens to retire or Meredith says she’s leaving, they’ll always be back.
We know that even if every other relationship crumbles, Miranda and Ben will live happily ever after.
Finally, we know that tragedy could strike at any moment, and everything we think we know could go up in smoke.
But that’s the beauty of Grey’s Anatomy, isn’t it?
Something with this kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident.
We’ll be here until the bitter end, taking whatever Shonda and the showrunners will throw our way.
Catch the Season 21 premiere on ABC on Thursday, September 26 at 10/9c, and stop back by here after the episode for our review!