It’s astounding that Grey’s Anatomy has managed to maintain its presence on television, and it’s still going strong in its 19th season. With leading star Ellen Pompeo making her exit from the series, the ABC drama now faces an exciting challenge. Fortunately, the show’s writers revisited the essence that had originally propelled the show, setting the foundation for the 19th season now available on Netflix. But is it worth the watch?
GREY’S ANATOMY – SEASON 19: SHOULD YOU STREAM IT?
Opening Scene: A band of fresh faces begins their journey as interns at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital, rekindling familiar narratives, including an intern who has already been involved with an attending.
The main characters of Grey’s Anatomy’s 19th season are the surgical interns, residents, and attendings at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital. The new interns all share certain similarities with the old group. Meanwhile, Bailey is still on leave, giving her brain and body a much-needed break from the high-stress medical profession; Webber finds a new intern to take under his wing; Amelia deals with another family member entering the medical profession; and Meredith and sporadic boyfriend Nick are forced to confront the status of their relationship.
Similar Shows? Interestingly, the 19th season echoes the early seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. The series appears to be revisiting its roots with a renewed focus on the interns, recapturing the essence that made it so unique nearly two decades ago.
Our Opinion: Not many television shows have the longevity to last beyond five or six seasons, yet Grey’s Anatomy has, impressively, churned out engaging narratives for almost 20 years. Season 19, which ran on ABC from fall 2022 to spring 2023, revitalizes the series by introducing new interns navigating the demanding landscape of surgical practice.
The charm of Grey’s Anatomy in its initial seasons was the tumultuous and messy lives of highly accomplished individuals working closely under immense pressure. This involved inappropriate relationships, competitive rivalries, and plenty of mistakes and lessons. In the premiere of the 19th season, we see a return to this narrative core, with the interns stepping into the limelight, and mirroring the struggles and problem-solving our beloved characters faced back in 2005.
Although the new season also features the show’s long-standing actors (including Owen and Teddy), the fresh faces bring a refreshing change to the somewhat stale older narratives. The older characters find themselves engaging in new dialogues, passions, and teaching experiences.
The much-discussed departure of Ellen Pompeo, who plays the iconic Meredith Grey, later in the season, while somewhat underwhelming, sets the stage for the series to reinvent itself and revisit the allure of its initial seasons.
Sex and Skin: The first episode doesn’t show any explicit scenes, but fans of Grey’s know it’s only a matter of time before a heated romance unfolds in the on-call room.
Closing Scene: The first episode of the new season concludes with a nostalgic scene of interns on rollaway beds in a corridor, swiftly dispersing at the sound of an urgent page.
Standout Performer: Harry Shum Jr., playing Dr. Benson Kwan, shines in the season premiere as the ambitious older intern (if we’re drawing parallels with early Grey’s, he aligns closely with a Karev-like character).
Most Characteristic Line: “I would advise against using the elevators for a while,” Meredith amusingly suggests to Link after he confesses to having slept with an intern, recalling her own memorable encounters throughout the hospital with her late husband, Derek Shepherd.
Our Verdict: GO AHEAD AND STREAM IT. Grey’s Anatomy, one of the longest-running