Claim: The characters in Grey's Anatomy evolve.

Grey 's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series that premiered on American Broadcasting Company -LRB- ABC -RRB- 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 -LRB- formerly Seattle Grace -RRB- 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 . The cast has undergone major changes through the show 's run , with many members leaving and being replaced by others . In its twelfth season , the show had a large ensemble of sixteen actors , including four from the original cast . On February 10 , 2017 , ABC renewed Grey 's Anatomy for a fourteenth season , which will premiere in the fall of 2017 .   Grey 's Anatomy , even in its thirteenth season , is ABC 's highest-rated drama ; although its ratings have fallen over the course of its run -LRB- it was once among the overall top 10 shows in the United States -RRB- , it is still one of the highest rated shows among the 18 -- 49 demographic , and the No. 3 drama on all of broadcast television . Grey 's Anatomy has been well received by critics throughout much of its run , and has been included in various critics 's year-end top ten lists . Since its inception , the show has been described by the media outlets as a television `` phenomenon '' or a `` juggernaut , '' owing to its longevity and dominant ratings . It is considered to have had a significant impact on popular culture and has received numerous awards , including the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series -- Drama . It has received multiple Emmy nominations , including two for Outstanding Drama Series . In 2012 , Grey 's Anatomy was named the fifth-highest revenue earning show , in terms of advertising per half-hour . It is the longest running scripted primetime show currently airing on ABC , and the second-longest scripted primetime ABC show ever .