Marla Gibbs has joined the season 19 cast of Grey's Anatomy and will play Simone Griffith's grandma, Joyce Ward, according to Deadline. The new season will feature new intern characters along with their relatives, which is a compelling fresh take since this hasn't been seen before.
The hospital drama has been on the air since 2005 and it's amazing to look at how the series has shifted since season 1. From a significant relationship that isn't out in the open yet to the characters who aren't part of the show anymore, Grey's Anatomy has changed a lot since viewers were first introduced to Meredith Grey and her ambition.
The Show Focuses On The Interns
There are many details about the Grey's Anatomy interns that are important, including the long and tough shifts that test their patience and inner strength. In season 1, the series focuses on the interns since those are the main characters: Meredith Grey, George O'Malley, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev and Cristina Yang.
While season 19 will have new characters who are part of the hospital's internship program, that hasn't been true of every single season of the show. There are several interns who aren't given much screen time and who fans don't know a lot about, unlike season 1 which gives everyone complete backstories and personalities.
The Interns Live Together In Meredith's House
Another notable difference between season 1 of Grey's Anatomy and later episodes is the fact that the interns are roommates. In the season 1 episode "The First Cut Is the Deepest," Izzie and George want to live in Meredith's house, and Maggie Pierce and Amelia Shepherd move in as well over the years. The house is a special place that means a lot to Meredith and it's heartwarming that the other characters feel that they have somewhere to go when they need comfort.
While there have been other interns on the series, they don't share the same residence and don't seem to have the same strong connection that Meredith and her peers do in the very first season of this popular show.
There's A Discussion About Employees Dating
In the season 1 finale "Who's Zoomin' Who?" Richard Webber wants to talk to the employees about the STDs that are going around the hospital. Richard is understandably upset about this, and it's a notable storyline since for the rest of the show,
This plotline stands out as there have been so many hook-ups, dates, and relationships between main and minor characters on Grey's Anatomy. The show is known for its medical cases but also for the dramatic, sometimes chaotic romantic entanglements that the characters experience. While Richard shows concern, this isn't seen as a problem later on.
Only Meredith Is Still On The Series
Several Grey's Anatomy characters have left the show and viewers still miss the people who populated the hospital for so many seasons. When comparing season 1 to more recent seasons, one of the biggest differences is that Meredith is the only main character who is still around.
George and Izzie both leave in season 6, with George tragically passing and Izzie moving away. Alex decides in season 16 that he doesn't want to be with Jo Wilson anymore and reunites with Izzie, which is tough for fans to think about. Cristina also moves to Zurich in season 10, leaving Meredith without her closest and most beloved confidante. It's still sad to think about Meredith living without the people who she was once so connected to.
More Formulaic Structure Focused On Cases
While every episode of Grey's Anatomy focuses on the surgeries that the main characters are working on, not every episode since season 1 has a "case of the week" formula. Season 1 still has that formula, though, with the doctors focusing on a man who is almost brain dead, a construction worker who falls, a pregnant patient who has been diagnosed with cancer, and a sick baby.
Since season 1, there are many episodes of Grey's Anatomy that focus on one big event, like the season 8 plane crash or the season 5 flood at the hospital. These episodes are always dramatic and impossible to look away from.
No Locations Other Than The Seattle Hospital
In the seasons since the first 9 episodes of Grey's Anatomy, there have been many episodes that have featured the main characters leaving the hospital and going on a work trip or romantic getaway. In the season 19 episode "The Makings Of You," Meredith and Nick Marsh go to his cabin in Minnesota, just one example of the other locations that the show focuses on. In the season 8 episode "Migration," several doctors fly to Boise, which results in the terrifying plane crash.
Season 1, however, is all about the hospital as Meredith and the other interns get used to their new life. There's a lot going on and a lot at stake as the characters figure out how to balance having a potential personal life with the hard work and long hours that they need to put in so they can be successful.
The Hospital Is Called Seattle Grace
In season 6, Seattle Grace merges with Mercy West and is now called Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. It's a surprising Grey's Anatomy storyline that is realistic and reveals how tough it is for both sets of doctors to learn to work together, get along, and figure out this new normal.
Back in season 1 of the hospital drama, the hospital is still called Seattle Grace and it's clear that the interns are thrilled and honored to be working there and learning from such great surgeons as Derek Shepherd and Miranda Bailey.
Meredith And Derek's Hidden Romance
Season 18 of the hospital series sees Meredith in a relationship with Nick, and back in season 1, she has just started dating Derek without telling anyone. Derek and Meredith meet at Joe's bar in the pilot episode, sleep together, and then realize that they both work at the same place.
It's amazing to think how different Meredith's life is from these first few episodes. She and Derek fall in love, commit, get married on a post-it note and have children, and Meredith loses Derek in a season 11 accident. Meredith and Derek have so many experiences and it's upsetting to see Meredith go through such a horrible loss.
The Storyline About Meredith And Ellis's Relationship
Meredith has many strong Grey's Anatomy storylines, including in season 1 when she comes to terms with her mother, Ellis, having Alzheimer's. Meredith loses her mom in season 3 and they never really get a chance to properly connect, which suggests that Meredith always carries around tough memories and thoughts about Ellis.
In the past few seasons, Meredith has been able to move forward and stop thinking about her tragic childhood so much, and there hasn't been the same focus on Ellis in years. There is an important moment at the end of the pilot when Meredith visits Ellis to tell her about her fellow interns and what's happening in her life.
Meredith's Sisters Aren't On The Show Yet
One of the most compelling and sweetest parts of Grey's Anatomy is watching Meredith bond with her half-sisters Lexi Grey and Maggie Pierce. Viewers meet Lexi in season 3 and Maggie starts working at the hospital in season 10, replacing Cristina as the head of the Cardiothoracic department.
Although season 1 explores Meredith's difficult connection to her mom, she doesn't meet her sisters for several more seasons, which changes the dynamic of the show and makes it more heartfelt. These characters are significant because Meredith feels all alone in the world but that isn't the case at all.