2008 Woodie Awards
Grey's feels gray
Jesimin Berman
Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: Opinion
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If I asked what you were doing at 9 p.m. on Thursday night, what would you say? Let's assume you didn't have a date that night, a birthday dinner, family event, or something ordinary - would you answer that you had to watch Grey's Anatomy? Grey's joins an extended list of medically based TV programs such as ER and Scrubs, but why does this show generate such enormous ratings that shows like 20/20 and Prime-Time can't even touch it when they have a medical feature discussing a medical miracle.
Grey's certainly appeals to a limited number of emotions. You know there's the possibility of a "good cry" if the show proves to be a tear jerker that night, such as the episode where Meredith loses the opportunity to confront her Alzheimer's afflicted mother during her lucid phase. If it's not a heart-wrenching show, no worries, it might be funny to watch the awkward social interactions of the different characters. But if it's an extraordinary Grey's, we might find ourselves feeling a key connection to the patient or their family who either suffers from an illness or has to deal with the effects of that disease.
Doesn't this sound like a recipe for success? Powerful writing that centers mostly on the hospital staff and has a solid cast of actors including Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh. That should be all it takes to create a fulfilling hour of television.
So why don't I like this show? Part of me feels like I should since so many of my friends act like Thursdays at 9 p.m. is the new Sabbath. But I can't get over the drama. Yes, the overtly fake drama. At some point, you have to realize that Grey's over-sensationalizes the actual events of working in a hospital to an extent that the show is more laughable than moving. I understand that this is part of the thrill of make-believe TV.
Obviously, Grey's would not be as exciting if it lacked that heart breaking quality of watching Dr. Yang repeatedly sabotage her relationships or if the characters were not so mesmerizing.
Grey's certainly appeals to a limited number of emotions. You know there's the possibility of a "good cry" if the show proves to be a tear jerker that night, such as the episode where Meredith loses the opportunity to confront her Alzheimer's afflicted mother during her lucid phase. If it's not a heart-wrenching show, no worries, it might be funny to watch the awkward social interactions of the different characters. But if it's an extraordinary Grey's, we might find ourselves feeling a key connection to the patient or their family who either suffers from an illness or has to deal with the effects of that disease.
Doesn't this sound like a recipe for success? Powerful writing that centers mostly on the hospital staff and has a solid cast of actors including Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh. That should be all it takes to create a fulfilling hour of television.
So why don't I like this show? Part of me feels like I should since so many of my friends act like Thursdays at 9 p.m. is the new Sabbath. But I can't get over the drama. Yes, the overtly fake drama. At some point, you have to realize that Grey's over-sensationalizes the actual events of working in a hospital to an extent that the show is more laughable than moving. I understand that this is part of the thrill of make-believe TV.
Obviously, Grey's would not be as exciting if it lacked that heart breaking quality of watching Dr. Yang repeatedly sabotage her relationships or if the characters were not so mesmerizing.
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