Grey's Anatomy: Every Season Ranked Worst To Best
The highs and lows of Shonda Rhimes' long-running medical drama.
After 20 years, as many seasons, countless cast changes, numerous deaths, an endless supply of romantic entanglement and abundant tragedy, Grey's Anatomy shows no signs of slowing down.
Created by TV powerhouse Shonda Rhimes, who would go on to produce such megahits as Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder, Grey's Anatomy premiered at a time of seismic change, when numerous prestige dramas such as The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Deadwood were shaking up the way TV was watched and perceived.
Unlike these shows, though, Grey's Anatomy proved that TV dramas didn't have to be too self-serious or, crucially, male-dominated. With its diverse cast and comedic touch, the show was an instant hit, intensely watchable, and maddeningly popular.
Two decades into its run, it's not able to rake in the rating highs of its early seasons, which could rope in as many as 20 million viewers an episode, but it remains one of the most popular series on-air, and through the years its mark on pop culture has been felt even by those who've never visited Seattle Grace Hospital or the lives of its surgeons.
Grey's Anatomy has endured despite its many reinventions, controversies, and missteps, and for all its inescapable flaws it remains, even at its weakest, a show endlessly fascinating, deeply entertaining, and truly empowering in its depiction of the professional and personal lives of Meredith Grey and her family and friends.
With that in mind, here are all 20 seasons of Grey's Anatomy ranked worst to best, with major spoilers throughout.
20. Season 17
Going into the 2020 TV season, Grey's Anatomy was facing a mountain because of the COVID pandemic, which hindered season 17's production at every turn. But Grey's, never one to shy from a challenge or a real-world cataclysm, took the global tragedy and decided to use it, telling a vital story about the heroics of frontline workers.
And to that end, the much-maligned season actually does quite well, especially when it settles on the real, such as ventilator shortages and the difficulties of performing life-saving surgeries when the simple act of getting close to another human being could bring disaster.
Following Meredith as she falls into a coma also has its virtues, with cameos from deceased fan favourites George, Mark, Lexie and Derek offering some affecting closure. Unfortunately, Mer being lost in a beached purgatory quickly runs out of steam, and for all its tragedy much of the season ends up feeling repetitive and emotionally dulled.
All of this is compounded by some questionable twists, from the death of DeLuca to the departure of Jackson, two characters whose stories should have ended with much more care, and a jumbled narrative that can't quite settle on all it wants to say.