On the cover of Entertainment Weekly - September 23, 2005 issue
Playing Doctors
Grey's Anatomy may be a medical drama, but in this hospital, booty calls definitely take precedence over brain surgery. The foibles and fumbles of Anatomy's oversexed group of first-year interns (and their equally horny superiors) made the ABC series one of last season's breakout hits. It debuted March 27 as a placeholder for Boston Legal, but something unexpected happened: Sixteen million viewers watched the premiere, and the numbers kept growing. An elated ABC held Legal's remaining episodes until this season and gave Anatomy (which returns Sept. 25 at 10 p.m.) an uninterrupted nine-week run. It quickly became the biggest hospital hit since ER bowed in 1994, and the most watched midseason drama series since Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman 12 years ago. ''I've been around long enough that my hopes weren't up too high,'' admits Patrick Dempsey, 39, whose role as Dr. Derek Shepherd reignited a career that began with late-'80s teen farces Can't Buy Me Love and Loverboy. ''But the thing kept building. It shocked me.'' Creator Shonda Rhimes? Not so shocked: ''I knew that the show was good. I assumed that if I wanted to watch the show, others would want to watch it.'
The role of Meredith was easy to fill, since execs at ABC had promised Pompeo (Old School, Moonlight Mile) another shot after she tested for their failed pilot Secret Service. (''The network didn't go for it,'' says the wispy 35-year-old actress, feigning incredulity. ''Me...as the head of the Secret Service!'') Rhimes, without realizing it, had wanted Pompeo all along. ''I kept saying, 'We need a girl like the girl from Moonlight Mile!' and finally somebody said, 'I think that girl is Ellen Pompeo. We have a deal with her at ABC!''' The pilot episode — a soapy hour that established Derek and Meredith's forbidden romance and featured a hip soundtrack (music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas also works on The O.C.) — was a perfect post-Desperate Housewives palate cleanser. Dempsey, meanwhile, quickly became known on set by his character's nickname, Dr. McDreamy. Cracks Rhimes: ''We called him Dr. McScreamMeMcF---Me during the pilot. This is the PG-rated version.'' May's season ender was Anatomy's most watched episode yet, with 22.2 million viewers: The humdinger of an hour featured a staff syphilis outbreak, Webber's surgery for a possible brain tumor, and the revelation that Meredith's Dr. McDreamy was also McMarried. While it was the 9th of 13 episodes produced for season 1, the unintentional cliff-hanger sent fans into a summer-long tizzy. The four unaired hours sit in Rhimes' office, and she has taken great pains to keep their contents a secret. ''I went to Mexico on vacation, and I took all 13 tapes to figure out what was going to happen in the next season. After I had gotten there, I realized I was basically carrying millions and millions of dollars with me.'' Which brings us to The Memo. The notice warning the entire Anatomy's family that loose lips mean pink slips. Every actor interviewed for this story mentioned it, usually when asked what fans can expect this season. ''The network and Disney are extremely difficult about letting us reveal anything,'' huffs Pompeo. ''So you'll have to excuse me if I seem difficult.'' The July 15 letter from ABC/Touchstone's legal affairs department is taped to the wall in the makeup trailer. Some previous reader highlighted the words confidential and confidentiality — which appear no less than 11 times. ''I'm the person demanding that my actors don't reveal anything,'' admits Rhimes, who won't even say whether Meredith has siblings. ''We have fake stories up on the wall in the writers' room for that very reason.'' Since we're talking about a prime-time soap — not a conspiracy-laden thriller like Lost or 24 — isn't this level of secrecy a tad ridiculous? ''We're making appointment television,'' says McPherson. ''We want to keep our [big reveals] under wraps for as long as we can.''
scans by jesouhaite
Source: EW
