Since its debut in 2005, the show has captured the hearts of millions of viewers around the world, with its gripping storylines, complex characters, and emotional rollercoaster moments.

The show follows the lives of the surgical interns, residents, and attending physicians at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle, Washington.

Whether you're new to Grey's Anatomy or a long-time fan, these facts will surely entertain you.

1.
Grey's Anatomy was going to be called Complications.

2.
Grey's Anatomy was initially supposed to be set in Rhimes' hometown, Chicago. However, because the popular medical show ER was already set in Chicago, the company moved the location to Seattle, Washington.

3.
The building used to film the exterior of the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is the very real Los Angeles Veterans Administration Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center in California.

4.
The roof of local ABC affiliate in Seattle, KOMO-TV, is used to film scenes when helicopters land on the roof of the hospital.

5.
The producers used real animal organs to make the surgery scenes in Grey's Anatomy appear more lifelike and authentic.
There's also blood matter: red Jell-O, blood, and chicken fat.
And lamb brains have been used for some of the brain surgeries.

6.
The MRI machine is real.

7.
The names on the OR board are actually names of Grey's crew members.

8.
Some of Grey's Anatomy's insane medical cases, like the girl who couldn't feel any pain, are actually based on real-life medical cases.

9.
The only Grey's Anatomy episode that isn't named after a song is season 14, episode 9, "1-800-799-7233", and there's a very specific reason why this is the case.
This is the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a fitting title since the episode tackles this sensitive subject.

10.
Shonda Rhimes was obsessed with watching surgical shows on the Discovery Channel.

11.
But her idea for Grey's Anatomy really started to develop after a doctor told her how hard it is to shave her legs in a hospital shower.

12.
Rhimes started Meredith, Cristina, Alex, George, and Izzie as interns instead of established surgeons because she thought "there's something really horrible about not knowing what you're doing for a living."

13.
One unnamed executive nearly canceled Grey's Anatomy before the pilot episode could even air on March 27, 2005!

14.
Miranda Bailey was the only role written with a character description: "tiny blonde with curls."

15.
Bailey's infamous vagina euphemism "vajayjay" was actually coined by an assistant on set. When Rhimes heard it, she wrote it into the script.

16.
Shonda Rhimes' mother partially inspired the character Dr. Miranda Bailey.

17.
Justin Chambers was cast as Alex Karev after the Grey's Anatomy pilot was shot, and the writers decided to add him as they wanted a male character who could play opposite to George O'Malley, who was shy and kind, while Karev was "rough around the edges".
The creators wanted him in the pilot episode, though, so they used CGI and clever editing to add him in post-shoot.

18.
Sandra Oh was initially asked to audition for Bailey on Grey's Anatomy, but she demanded a role that was the antagonist, which is how she got Cristina Yang.

19.
When Cristina finds out Owen cheated on her, she tosses a bowl of cereal in his face. But it took three takes to get the shot just right so McKidd was covered in milk.

20.
Jessica Capshaw, who plays Dr. Arizona Robbins, had to audition three times to land a role on the show. She first auditioned for Nurse Rose, then Sadie before finally securing a part.

21.
Kate Walsh was initially hired for only a few episodes, but she had such great chemistry with the cast that she was brought on full time and eventually given her own spin-off, Private Practice.

22.
Before Grey's Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey (Dr. Derek Shepherd) auditioned for the role of Dr. House on the popular medical drama House MD.

23.
Ellen Pompeo didn't know that Derek was married until the Season 1 finale was being filmed.
And Dempsey didn't know his character was married until halfway through the first season.

24.
When Patrick Dempsey first auditioned, he was terrified of Rhimes because of her stone-cold expression.

25.
When Derek writes his and Meredith's wedding vows on a Post-it note, Dempsey was actually writing down the things they were saying in that moment.

26.
Despite being a fictional couple, Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey had an actual wedding registry website. Instead of requesting wedding gifts, they asked devoted fans to donate to disease research organizations.

27.
Dr. Derek Shepherd is called McDreamy for his good looks and charm.

28.
Isaiah Washington originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd.
Though Washington didn't win that part, he got a call that the actor who had signed on to play Dr. Preston Burke had to drop out and the writers wanted him for the part.

29.
Isaiah Washington, who played Dr. Preston Burke on the show, studied how to perform all his surgeries for the show. He often worked 48-hour shifts shadowing surgeons at the hospital.

30.
Despite his important part on the show, Isaiah landed in hot water starting in the fall of 2006. Isaiah Washington was fired from "Grey's Anatomy" for using a homophobic slur while filming the series.

31.
Kathy C. An, who plays BokHee on Grey's Anatomy, is a real-life scrub nurse in Los Angeles.
She's the supporting character who has been in the show the longest and even appears in the spinoff Private Practice.

32.
Ellen Pompeo wanted to do a different ABC pilot, written by Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman, called Secret Service. When that didn't get picked up, she was asked to play Meredith Grey.

33.
Ellen Pompeo got pregnant while filming Season 6, but instead of making Meredith pregnant as well, the writers had the character give part of her liver to her estranged father, Thatcher (Jeff Perry), so that Pompeo could be confined to bed rest to hide her pregnant belly under sheets.

34.
A few months after it was revealed that April Kepner (Sarah Drew) was pregnant at the end of Season 10, Drew announced she was pregnant in real life.

35.
Brooke Smith, who played Dr. Erica Hahn (a love interest for Sara Ramirez's Dr. Callie Torres), was let go from the show. She was told the writers could no longer "write for her character."

36.
Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) is Scottish.

37.
Jesse Williams (Dr. Jackson Avery) was a teacher before being cast on the show.

38.
Grey's Anatomy has birthed three new series connected to the main show while exploring other aspects of medical life: Private Practice, Station 19, and Grey's Anatomy: B-Team.

39.
The 16th episode of season two, "It's the End of the World," is the most-watched episode of Grey's Anatomy, with 38.1 million viewers. It originally aired on ABC on February 5, 2006, and is also the show's highest-rated episode.

40.
Health experts discovered that Grey's Anatomy's inaccurate depictions of organ donations could be discouraging people from becoming organ donors.

After 19 years, many original cast members have left, had their characters written out of the show, or were given less screen time.

As of 2024, Miranda Bailey and Richard Webber are the only original characters who are still fully part of the show.

Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer to the series, Grey's Anatomy offers a captivating blend of drama, romance, and medical intrigue that keeps viewers coming back for more.

Sources
Wikipedia - Grey's Anatomy episodes / Glamour / Oprah / The Take / Looper - Grey's Anatomy pilot / Screen Rant - Alex Karev pilot scenes / Looper - Sandrah Oh's audition / Screen Rant - Jessica Capshaw Casting / Wikipedia - Addison Montgomery / Grey's Anatomy Fandom / Grey's Anatomy Fever / Collider / Looper - Real-life wedding registry / Nicki Swift / Backyard Destinations / Screen Rant - Real-life cases / Showbiz Cheatsheet / Wikipedia - Grey's Anatomy episodes / Screen Rant - Grey's Anatomy original concept / CBR / New York Post / Screen Rant - Sarah Drew early labor / Screen Rant - Grey's Anatomy spinoff timelines / Wikipedia - It's the End of the World / Digital Spy / Vox / Movie Web