Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series that premiered on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) as a mid-season replacement on March 27, 2005. The series focuses on the fictional lives of surgical interns, residents and attending physicians, as they evolve into seasoned doctors while trying to maintain personal lives and relationships. The title is a play on Gray's Anatomy, a human anatomy textbook by Henry Gray. The show's premise originated with Shonda Rhimes, who serves as an executive producer, along with Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Krista Vernoff, Rob Corn, Mark Wilding, and Allan Heinberg. Although it is set in Seattle at the fictional Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital (formerly Seattle Grace) it is primarily filmed in Los Angeles, California. The show was originally titled Complications, a reference to the complicated medical procedures and personal lives of the characters.

The series was created to be racially diverse, utilizing a color-blind casting technique. It revolves around the title character, Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. The original cast consisted of nine star-billed actors: Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T. R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey.