Developed by powerhouse showrunner Shonda Rhimes (Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder), the show, which follows the lives of Dr Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) Dr Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Dr George O’Malley (TR Knight), Dr Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Dr Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), is a super slick blend of soap opera, romcom and medical drama.

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It takes you on a journey

It’s extremely satisfying to watch the characters grow over the course of the series. Each season equates to one academic year within the hospital, and we’ve seen the original group go from being eager young interns to accomplished surgeons, not least Meredith, who’s now head of general surgery – we’re so proud!

There’s plenty of competition between the characters

Medical dramas often feature internal squabbles, but the characters generally pull together in the end. In Grey’s Anatomy, however, the air is thick with competition, with the staff members consistently stepping on each other to get where they need to be. It’s great drama, and Rhimes was keen to show headstrong female characters who dare to rise to the challenge from the outset.

The show has a strong female centre

We’ll get to romance in a moment, but the most special relationship on Grey’s Anatomy is the friendship between Meredith and Cristina. These two are joined at the hip and always put each other before the men in their lives. Heck, they even describe each other as their “person”. Sandra Oh may currently be killing it in Killing Eve, but in Grey’s Anatomy, she taught us the real meaning of friendship.

It packs an emotional wallop

Two areas of the anatomy that the show cleverly targets are the heart and the gut. Its series of characters feel like real people who you come to know, love and care about. Plus, Grey’s Anatomy pioneered the use of the “songtage” – brooding end-of-episode montages where characters stare off into the distance while an emotive ballad plays in the background. “How To Save A Life” by US rockers The Fray is the definitive Grey’s Anatomy anthem.

There’s a healthy dose of romance

Considering how busy they are with work, it’s remarkable that the characters on Grey’s Anatomy manage to find time for love. Luckily for us, matters of the heart are just as key to the show as medical maladies. If you enjoy rooting for couples you’ll be spoilt for choice, but our personal favourite will always be Meredith and Dr Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). We defy you not to melt when Meredith gives Derek a heartfelt ultimatum: “So pick me. Choose me. Love me.”

The characters aren’t strangers to tragedy

The medical professionals on the show are shockingly prone to needing medical attention themselves. No spoilers here, but on occasion, they don’t always make it. A mass shooting, a plane crash, electrocution, a wayward bus and dying of old age while performing surgery have all finished off key characters.

You’ll be kept guessing

At present, four original cast members remain on the show, but that doesn’t mean the producers are afraid to mix things up. Popular characters have been cut despite fans’ protestations – even the name of the hospital has changed twice over the course of the series. 

Ellen Pompeo rocks!

In addition to delivering a medically precise and perfect performance, lead actress Ellen Pompeo is nobody’s fool. In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she discussed the deal that made her one of the highest-paid women on television (netting more than $20 million a year as of January 2018). “When your face and your voice have been part of something that’s generated $3 billion for one of the biggest corporations in the world, you start to feel like, ‘OK, maybe I do deserve a piece of this’,” she mused. Preach!

Find Grey’s Anatomy seasons 1-14 from Sunday 18 November in On Demand > Box Sets