Conception
What was the proposed alternate title of Grey's Anatomy?
Grey's Anatomy
Shonda Rhimes, the series' creator, wanted to make a show that she would enjoy watching, and thought it would be interesting to create a show about "smart women competing against one another". When asked how she decided to develop a medical drama, Rhimes responded: The series was pitched to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), who gave the green light, and the show was picked up as a mid-season replacement for "Boston Legal" in the 2005 television season. Francie Calfo, executive vice president of development at ABC Entertainment, commented that ABC was looking for a medical show that was unlike the others airing at the time. She pointed out that “shows are hard, and it was hard trying to figure out where ours could be different. But where everybody else is speeding up their medical shows, [Rhimes found a way to slow it down, so you get to know the characters. There's definitely a strong female appeal to it. "Rhimes initially conceived "Grey's Anatomy" as a statement against racism. She endeavored to create a show that featured a racially diverse cast that allowed viewers to relate to characters regardless of race. While creating characters, as well as writing the first script, the series' writers had no character descriptions in mind, and hoped to cast the best actor available for each part. Rhimes has explained that if the network did not allow her to create characters this way, she would have been hesitant about moving forward with the series. Female roles in particular were developed as multi-faceted characters. Rhimes offered her insight on this: "I wanted to create a world in which you felt as if you were watching very real women. Most of the women I saw on TV didn't seem like people I actually knew. They felt like ideas of what women are. They never got to be nasty or competitive or hungry or angry. They were often just the loving wife or the nice friend. But who gets to be the bitch? Who gets to be the three-dimensional woman? "The series debuted on March 25, 2005 and was scheduled to run in the "Boston Legal" time slot for four weeks. However, high ratings and viewership led to it holding onto the slot for the remainder of the season. ABC Entertainment President, Steve McPherson, commented on the scheduling change: "Ultimately we decided that, without having adequate lead time or marketing dollars to devote to moving either show so late in the season, we'd continue to let ["Grey's Anatomy"] build on its tremendous momentum through May." The show's title, "Grey's Anatomy", was devised as a play on words: a reference to both Henry Gray's medical textbook, "Gray's Anatomy", and the title character Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Prior to broadcast, it was announced that the show's title would change from "Grey's Anatomy" to "Complications", although ultimately this did not come to pass. The show was renewed for a tenth season on May 10, 2013.