Getty Shonda Rhimes Ellen Pompeo onstage during the 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Scandal,' and 'How To Get Away With Murder' panel discussion in 2015.
As the hit ABC show, Grey’s Anatomy, comes to its 332nd episode, it has made television history as the longest running prime time TV medical drama.
Have a look at E! New’s compilation of the show’s successes:
The ABC show had originally celebrated its 300th “episode birthday” on November 9, 2017, in an episode that included flashbacks from the now-in-its-15th-season tear-jerker drama by Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland.
The 300th episode had been written by Krista Vernoff, a veteran who had been part of the Grey’s Anatomy writing staff for the first seven seasons. Vernoff returned as co-showrunner for the 300th episode, which featured the show’s star, Ellen Pompeo, and residents who played versions of Izzie (originally played by Katherine Heigl), George (T.R. Knight) and Cristina (Sandra Oh).
As if that memorable 300th episode weren’t enough, here comes Grey’s Anatomy to unseat medical dramas like ER for a seat as the longest-running medical drama on television.
This time around, the 332nd episode entitled, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” centered on Jackson, a character played by Jesse Williams, who throws a party to celebrate the surgery of his mother, Catherine–played by Debbie Allen.
FUN FACT: Chandra Wilson, who plays Dr. Miranda Bailey, directed this special 332nd episode.
Allen herself has directed some episodes of Grey’s Anatomy in the past, and posted an Instagram video featuring her and some of her co-stars in a fun argument about whether they were a “TV show” or a “medical drama.”
An excited Allen declared that she was all too happy to have beaten “ER” for the title of longest-running prime time television medical drama…indeed, a mouthful, hence the jokes in her above Instagram video.
“We beat ER, that’s all I know,” Allen could be heard saying in the video.
The creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Rhimes, also posted to social media about the show’s milestone.
Accomplishing something history-making is an excellent way to close out #BlackHistoryMonth. Well done, #GreysAnantomy15 family!
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) March 1, 2019
“Accomplishing something history-making is an excellent way to close out #BlackHistoryMonth,” Rhimes tweeted. “Well done, #GreysAnantomy15 family!”
Strangely, the show’s star, Pompeo stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to celebrate Grey’s beating ER’s record and told Kimmel that she actually has a hard time watching medical dramas.
“I never watched it—it’s so funny–because medical shows make me too anxious,” Pompeo said of ER.
And, what about her own show? “Sometimes, but not lately,” she said.
Jimmy Kimmel said he had seen roughly 100 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy’s 332 installments, while Pompeo put her viewership around 60 percent.
Grey’s Anatomy found its grip on TV audiences and on TV writers who often can’t believe the series still airs (yes, it still airs!) and often features memorable tear-jerkers lines like Pompeo character, Meredith’s famous line, “So, pick me, choose me, love me.”
The medical drama series focuses young interns at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, whose careers take off and are centered around the show’s namesake, Meredith Grey (the emotionally layered and complicated daughter of a famous surgeon).
Congratulations to the series!