‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Doctor Who,’ and a surprising connection

It is not particularly often that you find “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Doctor Who” paired off together, and there are a variety of different reasons for that. For example, in one corner you have a medical drama that is a part of ABC history now as one of their most-successful shows. However, in the other corner you have a science fiction show from Britain about an alien who can travel through time and space, who has gone through a variety of different transformations over the years.

Yet, in some bizarre way, these two shows are separated by only a day when it comes to TV history. On March 26, 2005, the “modern” version of “Doctor Who” first premiered with Christopher Eccleston in the lead role. He only lasted a single season as The Doctor, and was eventually replaced by David Tennant. He and Matt Smith had lengthy stints as The Doctor, and Peter Capaldi is now working on his second season.

Meanwhile, on March 27 of the same year, “Grey’s Anatomy” officially premiered on ABC. This actually did more than just introduce the world to Meredith Grey; it also introduced them to Shonda Rhimes. Before this show, Rhimes’ most well-known credit was writing the Britney Spears movie “Crossroads.” Now, she is the architect behind this show, “Private Practice,” and “Scandal.” She also serves as an executive-producer on “How to Get Away with Murder,” and is cultivating each one of her writers to be their best.

Obviously, major congratulations are in order for both shows for still being around! We feel like “Grey’s Anatomy” will be the first one of the two to end, but this is mostly due to the cyclical nature of network TV dramas, especially since you cannot recast Meredith every few season.

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