Guilty pleasures - Grey's Anatomy

I am officially a pop-culture junkie. Ever since the 1960's I've enjoyed what is hot. In the 60's it was Motown music, The Man From Uncle, The Monkees... In the 1970s it was The Partridge Family, bubblegum music and Love American Style. In the 80s it was New Wave music. 

Whatever, I always seem to get caught up in the pop culture of the moment. But, I make no excuses for it. Many of these pop culture things weren't hot when I first started liking them. I guess I just have a way with things...

Currently my favourite television programs are Grey's Anatomy, Doctor Who and CSI. All of these shows have huge cult followings. 

This is a soap opera set in a hospital...and I love it.

Grey's Anatomy began as a mid-season replacement for Boston Legal on March 27, 2005. The main character is Meredith Gray who started out as an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, the hospital in which her mother had at one time been the top surgeon. It's also the hospital where Meredith's mother had an affair with another doctor who is now the Chief of Staff.

The night before work started, Meredith slept with a man she met in a bar near the hospital. This man turned out to be a brain surgeon who works at Seattle Grace named Derek. The two have remained involved romantically off and on during the past five seasons. Complications arose in season 1 when his wife showed up, they had been separated but the divorce papers hadn't been signed. The wife ended up working at the hospital for a couple of seasons. To add more complications, Derek's ex best-friend showed up and began working at Seattle Grace as a plastic surgeon. The friend, Mark Sloan, had slept with Derek's wife precipitating their breakup. Like I said, this is a soap opera.

Now in it's fifth season, Grey's Anatomy is still going strong in the ratings. It was moved from Sunday to Thursday nights during season three where it consistently beat CSI in it's timeslot.

The interns who started in season one are now residents in season five with their own interns. One of the interns is the half-sister of Meredith, Lexie. Lexie is now involved with Mark Sloan. Callie, the orthopedic resident who was married to George O'Malley briefly is now having a lesbian affair with the pediatric surgeon and has been disowned by her family because of it. Cristina Yang (Meredith's best friend) is involved with an ER surgeon who is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He almost strangled her in his sleep. One of the residents, Izzie Stevens, is battling cancer and we won't know if she will survive until next season. (Izzie by the way had an affair with George while he was married and is now married to another resident, Alex Karev). Another resident, George, was badly injured in a bus accident at the end of season five and it is doubtful that he will survive. Meredith and Derek sort of got married, they said their vows to one another and wrote them on a post-it note. Doctor Bailey, the attending who is in charge of the residents, is facing a divorce because he husband doesn't understand why she has to work so much.

While Grey's Anatomy is not the most realistic program, it is fun to watch. Yes, it is fluff, but it's good fluff. Watching the show is a great release for the stresses of the work day. I look forward to seeing it on Thursday nights and it looks like that will continue for a little while yet.