‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Will Cover the COVID-19 Pandemic in Upcoming Season 17
Executive producer Krista Vernoff revealed that Grey’s Anatomy‘s upcoming season will tackle the coronavirus pandemic, using real-life doctors’ first-hand experiences.
Krista Vernoff made the announcement public during the “Quaranstreaming: Comfort TV That Keeps Us Going” special, hosted by the Television Academy, which will be streamed in full, Tuesday on Emmy.com.
“Every year, we have doctors come and tell us their stories, and usually they’re telling their funniest or craziest stories. This year, it has felt more like therapy,” Krista Vernoff said in a statement. “The doctors come in and we’re the first people they’re talking to about these types of experiences they’re having. They are literally shaking and trying not to cry, they’re pale, and they’re talking about it as war — a war that they were not trained for… it’s been “really painful” to hear about the suffering that patients and healthcare workers are experiencing during the pandemic. I feel like our show has an opportunity and a responsibility to tell some of those stories.”
On March 30th, the Grey’s Anatomy cast shared a touching video message via Instagram, thanking, and celebrating front line healthcare workers for their services. The caption also acknowledged Barco Uniforms will be donating 10,000 scrubs each month to health professionals.
Due to the pandemic, shooting for season 17 has been temporarily delayed. However, producer Kristen Vernoff mentioned that writers are hard at work discussing ways to portray these “painful” stories accurately.
#GreysAnatomy is depicting #COVID19. So many stories can be told…anyone can get sick….it could even hit hard for the Station 19 crew. And don’t get me started on New York where Callie and Arizona are and Switzerland where Yang is! Grey’s has and always will be authentic.
— Kyle (@KyleKylewhite) July 21, 2020
Stay tuned for more updates on season 17, here.
