Grey’s Anatomy is pretty much a cultural touchstone at this point, as the show has amassed quite a following over its 19 seasons. Fans tune into ABC faithfully to see what’s going on with the staff of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The series is now looking towards its historic 20th season, though it’ll be doing so without a familiar face. Longtime showrunner Krista Vernoff is officially set to exit after the end of Season 19. With that, the outgoing boss opened up about being part of the series and how it’s literally saved lives.
Medical dramas, which involve fictional characters, utilize medical jargon and life-saving procedures in accurate ways. This helps to add a layer of authenticity to the proceedings. As Krista Vernoff prepares to depart the series for a second time, she spoke to TVLine about the impact the ABC drama has had by revealing the types of fan letters she and her colleagues receive:
Grey’s Anatomy is such an extraordinary platform, such an extraordinary microphone. It’s in hundreds of territories worldwide, and it has a very real impact on hearts and minds, and sometimes it literally saves lives. We get letters from people [that say], ‘I was able to save the life of my baby because of what I saw on Grey’s Anatomy.’ ‘I was able to save my brother who was drowning because I saw CPR on Grey’s Anatomy.’ We get these letters that — I have full body chills as I talk about it — and so I’m proud of it all. If I say any more, I’ll start to cry.
It’s pretty remarkable to know that the series has helped so many people in such profound ways. The series has featured some intense storylines over the course of its run, so it’s understandable that folks would’ve picked up a few things. Krista Vernoff deserves a lot of credit for her the guidance. (She even oversaw Grey’s exhausting pandemic storyline.)
I has to be nothing short of profound for someone to hear that a show you work on is actually helping people. Who says you can’t learn anything important by watching scripted TV shows, right? It wouldn’t be surprising if plenty of people have decided to enter the medical field due to watching the series as well.
Though the show is incredibly helpful, we do have to remember that at the end of the day, not everything is going to be 100% accurate. The producers aren’t always going to have things totally on point when it comes Grey’s surgery scenes, for example. Still, the effort that everyone puts in is much appreciated.
Meanwhile, Krista Vernoff’s exit as showrunner from Grey’s Anatomy marks the latest departure for the long-running medical drama. Fans just said goodbye to Kelly McCreary’s Maggie Pierce and also Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey earlier this year. Though Pompeo will be returning for the Season 19 finale, and she has still been providing the voiceovers. This is clearly a period of transition for the show, one that sees a number of stars joining and exiting the program. But as things change behind the scenes, let’s hope that audiences are able to continue pulling invaluable information from this lifesaver of a show.
Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC as part of the 2023 TV schedule, and past seasons can be streamed by anyone with a Hulu subscription.