‘Grey’s Anatomy’ reaches its 450th episode. Meet the people who’ve been there from the start

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If you were to watch every episode of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” right now, it would take about 19 days of non-stop viewing.

This week, the long-running medical drama created by Shonda Rhimes reaches an impressive milestone: its 450th episode, titled “We Built This City.” The show first aired in March 2005, and its continued success – now spanning over two decades – is especially noteworthy in an era when many TV shows have shorter seasons and don’t last as long.

As a huge TV fan, it’s amazing to me how this show managed to keep going even through the big writers’ strike back in ’07 and ’08, and then again with the double strike last year. It really highlights how important it is for Los Angeles to stay a major hub for entertainment. What’s even more impressive is the sheer number of people it employs – thousands of actors, directors, writers, and crew! I heard last season alone, there were around 1,100 people working on it, and for many of them, this show has been their entire career. It’s a real testament to its lasting impact, both creatively and economically.

Rhimes recently celebrated a major milestone for the show, expressing gratitude that it began and continues to be filmed in the same location. She highlighted the show’s long-term impact, providing years of jobs and new opportunities for people. She also noted that in an industry where shows like theirs are becoming rare, its continued success and viewership are particularly rewarding.

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With ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ back from its midseason break, the show’s creator, Meg Marinis, is looking back at her time leading the series and teasing what viewers can expect in the season finale.

Betsy Beers, who has worked with Rhimes for many years as a producer, explained that they prioritize developing talent from within their company. They enjoy seeing people learn and advance their careers, and they aim to create a stable environment where people can build long-term careers.

Meg Marinis, who now leads the show creatively, started as a writer’s assistant when it was just beginning its third season, fresh out of college. Through hard work, she earned her way up to become showrunner before the show’s twentieth season in 2024.

It’s amazing to look back at how much has gone into this show! Over its run, they’ve used around 900 gallons of fake blood, treated 733 patients in the ever-changing hospital setting, and even had nine doctors meet their end. Now, fans are wondering if the show will reach the impressive milestone of 500 episodes.

Standing near a large cake shaped like a hospital bed, Rhimes explained they’d stopped tracking episode numbers. “When we reached 200, it was amazing,” she said. “Now, we don’t really keep count anymore. There will always be more stories, and new viewers are discovering the show all the time. We’re just grateful we get to keep doing what we love.”

To celebrate the show’s anniversary, The Times interviewed key people who make it happen – Chandra Wilson, an actor and director, Linda Klein, the executive producer, and Antonio Pinto, a member of the construction crew. Each of them plays a vital role in bringing the show to viewers.

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Chandra Wilson: Original series regular, director and co-executive producer

As “Grey’s Anatomy” celebrates its 450th episode, Chandra Wilson – who’s been playing Dr. Miranda Bailey since the very beginning – is reflecting on the show’s journey, almost as if she’s analyzing a complex medical case.

She explained that with 450 episodes, and at least one surgery per episode, they’re already using a significant number of gloves. Add in cases involving trauma patients requiring extra gloves, and the number increases. Considering they film at least three takes of each scene, even on one side of the operating room, she estimates they use around 1,800 gloves – and that’s a conservative estimate.

Wilson couldn’t have imagined these numbers when she first auditioned. She was performing as an understudy for Gary Coleman in the Broadway show “Avenue Q” when she got the chance to read for a role originally written as a strict, short, blonde woman nicknamed “The Nazi” – a character known for her direct approach to teaching interns. She didn’t think much would come of it, so she took her daughters to Universal Studios to pass the time between auditions with the network and studio.

Even after getting the part, Chandra Wilson remained cautious at the beginning of the medical drama. While establishing herself as Dr. Bailey, she still approached the job like a working actor prepared for anything.

During the first season of the show, she continued working her long-term temporary job at Deutsche Bank as a financial safety net. Each week, she’d let her supervisor know she couldn’t come in for her shifts. Once filming wrapped, she returned to New York and resumed working those shifts. When the show was renewed for a second season and she moved back to Los Angeles, her supervisor told her to stop requesting time off and realize she was now fully committed to the show.

She explains that she learned to diversify her work. As an actor, she always needed a stable job to rely on, and the Shonda Rhimes project was that for her. She even considered the possibility of working at a local Deutsche Bank branch if needed, just to have something to fall back on while still pursuing work in New York. She says that’s how actors survive – always expecting a show might not last, and being prepared for the next opportunity. That cautious mindset never really goes away.

While Meredith Grey remains an important part of the show, Chandra Wilson’s character, Miranda Bailey, has consistently been the audience’s steady anchor throughout the series’ long run. Over the years, Bailey has experienced major life events – divorce, remarriage, raising children, a frightening MRSA outbreak, a heart attack, and recognition for her work in women’s health, even coining a term for female anatomy. Despite playing Bailey for over two decades, Wilson continues to approach the role with fresh energy, refusing to believe she fully understands the character.

Even now, when I receive a script, my first instinct is to consider what feels true to the character. I ask myself, ‘Would Miranda actually say this?’ Then, as an actor, I focus on *how* to make it believable. That’s really what people do – we all act in ways that sometimes surprise even ourselves, and it’s interesting to explore *why*. That’s the exciting part! After 20 years of playing Miranda, I still feel challenged and creatively fulfilled. My job is to keep the audience engaged and make them want to hear what she has to say, even if her voice has evolved over time. That evolution *is* what makes the role so compelling.

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Linda Klein: Executive producer

You know, when I really think about how I got into movies, it actually started way back when I was a kid – I was about six, pretending and playing make-believe in my bed, and I just *knew* I wanted to be on TV. It sounds cheesy, but I always believed dreams could come true! The funny thing is, I took a bit of an unusual path – I became a healthcare professional first, and *then* chased my Hollywood dreams.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she worked as an operating room nurse at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. She learned that a neurosurgeon she knew was writing an episode for the first season of “Dynasty” and needed a nurse on set as a medical resource. (As she remembers, “I did open hearts, she did neuro.”) She was amazed to see a “Dynasty” script at her friend’s house, being a huge fan herself. While working on the “Dynasty” set, her friend met the medical advisor for “Trapper John, M.D.,” a spin-off of “MASH.” That show filmed on the same studio lot and was sharing equipment with “Dynasty,” and the advisor invited her friend to visit the set anytime. Klein, eager to get involved, asked her friend to pass along the invitation.

Klein explained that after meeting a film professional, she was immediately inspired. “I told her I wanted to do what she did,” she recalled during a recent phone call from the film set. Unlike a friend who tried it once and moved to Hawaii, Klein never looked back. She went on to work on popular shows and movies like “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “Chicago Hope,” “Oceans Eleven,” and “Nip/Tuck.”

“Grey’s,” though, has been her longest gig in Hollywood.

She was the fourth person brought onto the show, joining the team even before any actors were cast. She secured the position by sharing her creative ideas for a pivotal scene in the first episode – a surgical scene involving Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd, nicknamed “McDreamy.” Shonda Rhimes, the show’s creator, told her she envisioned the scene as a graceful, almost dance-like interaction between the two characters while they operated. Klein has been a part of the show ever since.

Ellen Klein initially joined the show as a medical consultant, but she’s worn many hats over the years. She’s worked as a producer, co-executive producer, even appeared on screen as a background nurse, and now serves as an executive producer. Outside of work, she’s also a godmother to two of Kevin McKidd’s children.

Shonda Rhimes shared that Linda Klein’s contributions have been essential to the show’s success. She also highlighted Klein’s growth as a director, noting that the show has allowed her to expand her creative skills. Rhimes expressed particular pride in the fact that many people involved with the show have been able to stay and find new opportunities within the creative team and beyond, thanks to the show’s ability to foster growth and create possibilities.

She dedicates most of her time to ensuring the medical scenes on “Grey’s Anatomy” are as accurate and realistic as possible. She’s supervised around 1,300 medical procedures depicted on the show, working to bring the writers’ ideas to life on screen. However, she understands “Grey’s” is a drama, not a real-life documentary, so she chooses her battles carefully. What she enjoys most is teaching the actors how to convincingly portray doctors.

She described herself as very demanding, like a drill sergeant. She often has trainees observe actual surgeries to fully understand the impact of their work. She prefers a straightforward approach, giving clear, step-by-step instructions. If anyone fails to follow them, they face her strong disapproval – something everyone wants to avoid.

When the call came in, Klein was dealing with a crisis on set. She explained, with a sigh, that they’d been using special Giraffe Warmers for the newborn babies, but they malfunctioned. She was frantically trying to locate replacements while also being bombarded with emails, leaving her with no time to respond to the growing inbox of over a thousand messages.

But she’s grateful to have a crisis to triage.

She shared that she starts every day with a prayer of gratitude, acknowledging that none of her success would have been possible without the show. During the show’s 450th episode celebration, someone jokingly suggested they aim for 500, which made her pause to consider the future. While she admits there are days when she questions how much longer she can continue, she’s certain she’ll retire while still working on the show – it’s a definite plan.

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Antonio Pinto: Construction crew member

Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital has seen countless dramatic events, both within its walls and in the lives of its doctors. From Meredith and Derek’s first surgery as a team to shocking reveals, crises like an active shooter and a bomb inside a patient, and the intense beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the show is filled with unforgettable moments. Beyond the stories and acting, the hospital sets themselves have become key to the show’s success, essentially acting as characters alongside the cast.

From the very start, Antonio Pinto has been a key part of the construction, working as a member of the crew.

When Pinto was 24, he was living with his parents in Newhall and got a job working on a TV show. He recalls the show being promoted as a way for actor Patrick Dempsey, popular in the 1980s, to relaunch his career.

During a recent video call from the set, Pinto explained, ‘I immediately recognized him.’ They started by building the operating room set, initially thinking the show wouldn’t be successful. But it quickly became a global phenomenon and completely changed her life.

Not only did he achieve independence and move into his own place, but he eventually purchased two houses. Pinto, now 45, appreciates the long-lasting success of the show, which has allowed him to live a comfortable and secure life. He remembers being advised early in his career to prepare for the inevitable slow times and job insecurity that are common in Hollywood.

People kept telling me to save my money, just in case I lost my job – they said you never know what might happen and I could be out of work for a while. I specifically remember the first time the show paused, the foreman told me he’d see me when the next season started, and I realized I didn’t need to worry about finding another job right away. So I just kept saving, and now we’re all the way up to Season 22.

He explains that he’s never had to stress about things like healthcare, eating out, or unexpected expenses. He’s even been able to help others, like buying tires for a friend in need. It’s a relief not having those financial worries. While he still watches his spending, he acknowledges that everything is a bit more expensive these days.

The passage of time has also revealed itself in more physical ways:

He laughed, pointing out, “I actually began performing the show with brown hair,” – a noticeable contrast to his current, strikingly white hair, which he partially covered with a black baseball cap.

After 22 seasons, he acknowledges he doesn’t follow the complex plots as closely as he used to, but he’s still very passionate about being on the show. He was excited to share that the team recently built a new ambulance for use on set.

He said it’s really exciting and will likely appear in the fourth episode of the current season.

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2025-10-16 13:39