The Grey's Anatomy season 18 finale marked the initial end of the Residency Program at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, but was reinstated in the premiere under new interim Chief of Surgery Meredith Grey. The hospital and the series are both starting fresh, making necessary changes to avoid the mistakes made with the previous, and unsuccessful, intern classes.
The Grey's Anatomy season 19 intern class is the fourth intern class that has been introduced since the original, and seems to be the most refreshing and promising group. The original formula followed the five interns (Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Cristina) as they navigated their newfound responsibilities as doctors and their ever-increasingly dramatic personal lives. Each subsequent intern class failed to recreate the magic of the original five characters from Grey's Anatomy season 1, mainly because they were competing for screen time with those very same characters who were more interesting and familiar to audiences. Viewers had little to no incentive to care about the newbies, who were steadily picked off with each ing season - something that is now being seemingly avoided in the new season.
Grey's Anatomy Season 19's New Class Can Restore The Show's Glory Days
The intern classes of seasons 4, 9, and 14 featured short-lived and unmemorable characters, with a few exceptions. However, Grey's Anatomy appears to have different intentions with this new batch, using the slogan "Begin Again" to highlight a return to the old formula. Ellen Pompeo will also play a smaller role this season as Meredith, allowing for new and previously sidelined characters to shine in ways they were unable to previously, as the series has always been centered around her. Season 19 could not just return the show to its glory days, but also prove that Grey's Anatomy can survive without Meredith.
Despite its staying power, the later seasons of Grey's Anatomy pale in comparison to its earlier seasons. The series' glory days are often referred to as the first five or so seasons, in which the original cast remained intact, and the hospital drama was at the forefront as the main draw to viewers. As the originals either left the show or settled into their attending roles, the hospital hierarchy and ladder climbing began to disappear. With the room for professional growth in the main characters dwindling, the series lost its once-perfect balance between the medical and personal drama. However, the balance could be restored this season. In order to rebuild the Residency Program at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Meredith had to recruit a class of rejects and misfits looking for a second chance. Viewers will be able to see, and root for, their growth as not just people, but doctors as well.
How The Season 19 Premiere Paralleled The Pilot
The first episode of Grey's Anatomy, which aired in 2005, followed the original five during their first 48-hour shift at Seattle Grace and all the chaos that came with it. Almost 20 years later, the season 19 premiere followed the same format, just with different interns. Viewers met Benson "Blue" Kwan, Jules Millin, Mika Yasuda, Lucas Adams, and Simone Griffin in the aftermath of a tornado that left a bus full of patients brain-dead. The episode featured multiple direct and obvious parallels to the Grey's Anatomy pilot, from the locker room meetings to the welcome speech given by the Chief and their final scene in which the exhausted interns bonded in a back hallway lined with gurneys after their first surgery.
The Grey's Anatomy season 19 premiere acknowledged the inevitable comparisons viewers would make to the original five, while also establishing the interns as their own unique characters. Jules sleeps with an attending prior to her first day, reminiscent of Meredith and Derek, but her relationship with Link ends there. Lucas' major error appears to make him the George of his class, but in a shocking twist, he's revealed to be Derek and Amelia's nephew. The new Grey's Anatomy season 19 interns aren't trying to be the original five, but they do have a chance to replicate their success.