Longtime Grey’s Anatomy star Kim Raver — who plays Dr. Teddy Altman on the series — said she’s thrilled to be a part of something “extraordinary” as the acclaimed ABC medical drama celebrates its 20th anniversary.
“It’s extraordinary with the amount of episodes that we get to do, especially now,” Raver, who started on Grey’s Anatomy in 2009, said in a Zoom conversation Wednesday. “You know, most episodic runs now are seven to eight episodes. But for a long time, we’ve been doing 20, 24, 26 [episodes] and now we’re doing 18 and that’s still huge … That’s so incredible as an artist to be able to tell the story of the characters over such a long arc of time.”
Grey’s Anatomy officially turned 20 on March 27, two decades after the pilot episode for the classic series aired in 2005. Created by Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy, of course, chronicles the personal and professional lives of the doctors at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital.
Raver made her debut on Grey’s Anatomy on Nov. 12, 2009, which was the ninth episode of Season 6. Following a five-year break after Season 8 in 2012, Raver returned Seattle Grace at the beginning of Season 14 in 2017 and has been with Grey’s Anatomy ever since. Raver also directed Episode 11 — Training Day — in Season 19 in 2023, and returns to the director’s chair to helm Thursday’s episode, titled Don’t You (Forget About Me).
Approaching the 450 episode mark, Grey’s Anatomy stars Ellen Pompeo (Dr. Meredith Grey), Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey) and James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber), who have been with the series from the very beginning.
Since then, the likes of Patrick Dempsey (Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd), Katherine Heigl (Dr. Izzie Stevens), Sandra Oh (Dr. Christina Yang), T.R. Knight (Dr. George O’Malley) and Kate Walsh (Dr. Addison Montgomery) have come and gone through the doors of Seattle Grace, but the series in its 21st season is as strong as it’s ever been.
In addition to Pompeo, Wilson, Pickens and Raver, today’s lineup includes Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt), Camilla Ludington (Dr. Jo Wilson), Caterina Scorsone (Dr. Amelia Shepherd) and Debbie Allen (Dr. Catherine Fox) — one of the many cast members who have doubled as a director and executive producer on the series — as well as several other series regulars, recurring and guest stars.
Kim Raver Celebrates Shonda Rhimes As The Voice Of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Thursday night’s episode is particularly special for Kim Raver since it marks the second episode she’s directing in the series. Raver is in front of the camera, too, of course, as Dr. Teddy Altman, the Chief of Surgery at the Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, and she’s thrilled to be directing herself in a huge character development that will unfold during the episode.
The excitement Raver said she feels for Thursday’s episode is an extension of the blessings she’s felt all along as a cast member and creative on Grey’s Anatomy. Ultimately, Raver said, she’s forever thankful to Shonda Rhimes for not only the opportunities she’s had on the series, but for what Rhimes has meant to the entire Grey’s Anatomy family since the show kicked off in 2005.
“It really starts with Shonda Rhimes and the voice that she found in telling these stories … that’s the thing that I love most,” Raver said, humbly. “Also, I think what makes this show so sustainable over such a long period of time is that these characters aren’t perfect. They’re messy. They make mistakes. They’re in their real lives. I mean, yes. Sometimes they’re very heightened situations — they have their hero moments and they have their moments where they really fall from grace.
“That’s what I’ve loved about Teddy, that she’s ever-evolving … Shonda has never shied away from allowing the characters their many moments,” Raver added. “There are things that they get right and things that they get wrong.”
While Raver can’t be grateful enough for the opportunity to work with Rhimes and her fellow cast and crew members, she also noted that the show wouldn’t exist if not for the love of it from viewers.
“The fans of the show have been with us for so long,” Raver enthused. “The fan base is so incredible.”
Raver, naturally, can’t wait for the enormous fan base of Grey’s Anatomy to see Thursday’s episode. The official logline for Don’t You (Forget About Me) reads, “Amelia and Simone attempt to perform a high-stakes and groundbreaking brain surgery. Teddy and Bailey attend a medical conference and run into Dr. Cass Beckman. Meanwhile, Jo struggles with her irritation toward a younger OB-GYN.”
“The episode is very large in creative and emotional arcs within each character,” Raver teased.
Raver discussed in spoiler-filled detail the events of Thursday’s episode, which will be published in a new interview feature on Friday — so check back for the episode wrap-up.
