Most of the action and drama in Grey’s Anatomy happens inside the hospital, but is the series filmed in a real one? Created by Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy premiered on ABC in 2005, and while it started as a mid-season replacement, it was so well-received by critics and viewers that it has lived on for over 10 seasons and shows no signs of stopping soon as it continues to be quite popular, even if many fan-favorite characters are now gone.
Grey’s Anatomy follows the basic premise of medical dramas and focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they juggle their professional and personal lives, which more often than not overlap. The series is led by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who viewers have seen go from an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital to head of general surgery at the same place. As expected, the main setting of the series, which has seen all types of storylines from both doctors and patients, is Seattle Grace Hospital, now known as Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, but is there really a hospital named liked that or where is the series filmed?
Grey’s Anatomy is set in Seattle, but the hospital that has served as the look of the hospital isn’t located there. Most of the exterior and some interior shots are filmed at the VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center in North Hills, California, and viewers have pointed out that in some shots from the inside of the hospital, the California mountains can be seen through the windows – however, since season 12 some exterior shots are also filmed at the West Los Angeles College, and scenes taking place at the hospital’s helipad are filmed on the roof of KOMO-TV, in Seattle. The rest of the hospital scenes – such as operating rooms, hallways, and the main reception – are filmed on a soundstage at Los Feliz’s Prospect Studios, though many of the props, including the MRI machine, are working medical equipment.
Seattle Grace Hospital was ranked among the top teaching hospitals for a surgical residency program, so it’s not surprising why interns are so competitive when they arrive. After going through financial difficulties, Seattle Grace Hospital merged with Mercy West Medical Center, becoming Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. Some time later, the hospital went bankrupt and was bought by the Harper Avery Foundation, and the new board of directors (formed by the survivors of the plane crash, known as the “Seattle Five”) voted to change its name to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
The hospital in Grey’s Anatomy has become a character of its own, as it carries a lot of history and has been key in keeping many storylines going, such as that one time where a grieving widower, wanting to avenge his wife’s death, arrived to kill the doctors who worked on her case, killing 11 people, injuring seven, and killing himself instead of shooting Richard Webber, the lead doctor in his wife’s case. Grey’s Anatomy can get rid of its main characters, but it would be very difficult for it to leave Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital or change it for another hospital.
