This document summarizes the television show Grey's Anatomy and its large, dedicated fanbase. It describes how the show was created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, focusing on the relationships between female characters. It details the original cast and how the cast has changed over 11 seasons. It also analyzes the demographics of the fanbase and how fans have formed large online communities to share fan fiction, discuss episodes, and create memes related to the show.

1. GREY’S ANATOMY:
A FANDOM PRESENTATION
Libby Galatis
Billinson
Media Audiences

2. The Beginning of
• Grey’s was the first show Rhimes’ created and executive produced
• Was originally scheduled for a 4-week run in March 2005 as a mid-season
replacement
• Premiered on Sundays, bumping out “Boston Legal”
• People were looking for a show they can watch with other household members
• Started with the five original surgical interns in Seattle Grace hospital
• “..the large female audience for “Desperate Housewives” provided the perfect
lead-in for the relationship-heavy show. The idea of having a show about smart
women who compete against one another was interesting to me” (Rhimes, 2005).
• “Shondaland is the most integrated and interesting geography in America: it’s a
field inhabited by blacks, whites, women with power and vulnerable men,
veterans with PTSD, queer folk, Asians without accents, Republicans, autistic
savants, southerners, assassins, Hispanics, and interracial siblings. They all
stab each other in the back; then they all have make-up sex.” (Giorgis, Perez,
Henderson & Williams, 2014).

3. “Shonda Rhimes does not play games. Every Thursday night is an emotional rollercoaster, and
…I can rest assured that it won’t be a moment when I see black women painfully reduced to a
single defining, dehumanizing characteristic” (Giorgis, Perez, Henderson & Williams, 2014).

4. The Original Cast, 1st Season (2005):

5. Current Cast, 11th Season (2014):

6. Fandom Demographics
• 76.6% female viewers
• 20.4% male viewers
• 18.6% of viewers are 12-17 years old
• 17.1% of viewers are 18-24 years old
• 16.3% of viewers are 25-34 years old
• 14.4% of viewers are 35-44 years old
• Season 9 had an average of 8.53 million viewers per episode
The bulk of posts were from 2007
• In 2012, Grey’s Anatomy was the #1 drama in adults 18-49
• ABC's Grey's Anatomy defeated CBS' Person of Interest by 3%, NBC's
comedies (The Office/Up All Night) by 42% and Fox's Tursdays #1 drama in
the key young adult sales demo” (Gorman, 2012).

7. Connections to Fans
• Alcoholism
• PTSD, military values
• Depression
• Unrequited love
• Gay/lesbian/bisexual relationships
and family/social unacceptance
• Religion, virginity
• Infidelity
• Marriage, divorce
• Adoption, abortion
• STDs
• Cancer, death
• Mass shootings
• Plane crash
• Ferry crash
• Parents dying
• Discovering a half sibling, and discovering parents
• Drug addictions
• Countless medical conditions/deaths
• Racism
• Suicide
• Sexism

8. Has anyone NOT been together?
1. Meredith and Derek
2. Cristina and Hunt
3. Callie and George
4. Lexi and Mark
5. Callie and Mark
6. Alex and Jo
7. Teddy and Henry
8. Erica and Callie
9. Alex and Izzie
10. Meredith and Finn
11. Jackson and April
12. Bailey and Ben
13. Mark and Teddy
14. Callie and Arizona
15. Mark and Addison
16. Izzy and Denny
17. Richard Webber and Adele
18. Mark and Julia
19. Shane and Cristina
20. Derek and Addison
21. Catherine Avery and Richard Webber
22. Teddy and the Trauma Counselor
23. Lexie and Jackson
24. Lexie and Alex
25. Alex and Lucy (the OB)
26. Teddy and Owen
27. Matthew and April
28. Alex and Jane Doe
29. Kristina and Burke
30. Stephanie and Jackson
31. Izzie and George
32. Bailey and Nurse Eli
33. Addison and Alex
34. Emma and Owen
35. Richard Webber and
Ellis Grey
36. Bailey and Tucker
37. Leah and Arizona
38. George and Meredith
39. Alex and April
40. Alex and Olivia
41. George and Olivia
42. Derek and Rose
43. Jo and Jackson
44. Megan, Pierce and Steve
45. April and Dr. Stark
46. Ellis and Thatcher
47. Izzie Stephens and the
Ghost of Denny Douquette

9. Fan and Show Jargon
Meredith and Derek - MerDer, DerMer
George and Izzie - Gizzie, O'Stevens
Callie and Erica - Callica, EriCal
Mark and Lexie - Slexie, Sexie, Slexipedia, McSexie
Owen and Cristina - Huntina, Crowen, Owina
Izzie and Alex - Lexzie, Izzex, Azzie
Derek and Addison - Addek
Alex and Addison - Addex
Mark and Addison - Maddison
Callie and Arizona - Calizona
Denny and Izzie - Dizzie
Lexie and Alex - Alexie
Lexie and George - Gexie
Callie and George - O'Callie
Burke and Cristina - Burkina, Bang
Callie and Mark - Mallie
Mark and Izzie - McStizzie, Mizzie
Dempeo : Dempsey and Pompeo
• “Dark and twisty”
• “Evil spawn”
• “post-it”
• “twisted sisters”
• “Dance it Out”
Medical Jargon and the Cast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgs2D1x_s6k#t=11

10. McEverything
• The “Mc” trend began when referencing a patient intern George was
operating on (McBurney)
• McMarried
• McWhat
• McBastard
• McDouchey
• McDog
• McLife
• McSexy
• McYummy
• McVomit
• McHot
• McYeah
• McVet
• McGuilty
• McBaby
• McNasty
• McHottie
• McBastard
• McBitchy
• McFricken’
• McLove
• McSex
• McCrap
• McDreami
ed
• McSleazy
Only from seasons 1-4!

11. McDreamy versus. McSteamy

12. • Fans constantly posting fanfiction, “Our Own Grey’s”
• Hundreds of posts and followers “merder fanfic”
• Episode discussion boards
• Responses, opinions, COMMUNITY

13. Social Media:

14. Fan Communities, cont.
http://z3.invisionfree.com/GreysMcboard/index.php?
Grey’s Anatomy fan fiction, HUNDREDS of active participants
http://www.fanfiction.net/tv/Greys_Anatomy/
Grey’s Anatomy fan fiction, THOUSANDS of participants, hundreds of chapters
http://community.livejournal.com/ga_fanfic
Grey’s Anatomy fan fiction
http://fanficga.1.forumer.com/
http://www.greysanatomynews.com/
http://www.greysanatomyinsider.com/
Tvfanatic.com: discussion boards and evaluation grades for each character
http://z8.invisionfree.com/GreysAnatomyFans/index.php?act=idx
http://greysanatomy00.proboards51.com/index.cgi
http://z6.invisionfree.com/Dempeo_Dreamers/index.php

15. Fan-Created Media: MEMES

16. References:
http://z8.invisionfree.com/GreysAnatomyFans/index.php?act=idx
http://greysanatomy00.proboards51.com/index.cgi
http://z6.invisionfree.com/Dempeo_Dreamers/index.php
http://fanficga.1.forumer.com/
http://www.greysanatomynews.com/
http://www.thegreysanatomywiki.com/page/Grey%27s+Anatomy+Fanfiction+%3A+Stranger+Danger
http://www.greysanatomyinsider.com/
http://www.tv.com/shows/greys-anatomy/forums/mcdreamy-vs-mcsteamy-11457 696493/
http://www.fanforum.com/f210/honeymooners-meredith-cristina-5-because-theres-no-other-friendship-like-cristina-merediths-
63104470/
http://www.fanforum.com/f210/honeymooners-meredith-cristina-5-because-theres-no-other-friendship-like-cristina-merediths-
63104470/
https://www.fanfiction.net/tv/Greys_Anatomy/
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/sep/26/-sp-women-shonda-rhimes-shondaland
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E2DA133EF937A25757C0A9639C8B63
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgs2D1x_s6k#t=11
http://anatomy629.rssing.com/chan-28460754/all_p1.html
http://greysanatomy.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:31827
http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/greys-anatomy-look-major-events-past-seasons/
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a31732/46-greys-anatomy-characters-ranked/
http://www.lexicalist.com/search.cgi?s=grey%27s+anatomy
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/greys-anatomy-season-10-ratings-30092/