Whilst different 11-year-olds within the ’90s could have been preoccupied with cruising the mall or enjoying video video games after wrapping up homework, precocious Meg Marinis was once steadily soaring over the circle of relatives’s clunky digital phrase processor, punching out “ER” scripts like an impressed TV author on cut-off date.
“Scripts” is also an overstatement, the present showrunner of “Gray’s Anatomy” clarifies. “It would higher be known as fan fiction,” she says in her place of work at the Prospect Studios lot in Los Feliz. With two older sisters, Marinis steadily watched TV displays that had been reasonably irrelevant for her age — “Pals,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “The X-Information.” However she truly beloved the place of job drama and the clinical facet of “ER,” steadily crafting her personal flashback-heavy episodes and exploring the angsty romance possible between characters like Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) or Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) and Doug Ross (George Clooney).
“I were given so into the [medical] terminology. I believed it was once so cool, I don’t know why,” she says. “And the best way that the whole thing was once at the transfer and fast and alarms can be blaring. It was once so thrilling and, in the midst of it, there have been love tales. It wasn’t only one factor.”
Possibly manifestation was once at paintings. At the moment, she’s busy helming the present clinical drama stalwart over on ABC. “Gray’s Anatomy” returned Thursday for the second one part of its twenty first season in dramatic taste — an armed theft at a comfort retailer threatened Jo’s (Camilla Luddington) being pregnant, whilst Teddy (Kim Raver) and Owen’s (Kevin McKidd) marriage is dealing with demanding situations. This week, Marinis has been placing the completing touches at the season finale, which is able to start capturing later this month.
Maintaining the tales flowing on TV’s longest-running clinical drama can also be an intricate problem, no longer in contrast to the procedures that happen at Gray Sloan Memorial Sanatorium, the display’s surroundings. The collection additionally boasts a big ensemble forged, and the presence of its namesake personality, performed by means of Ellen Pompeo, was once scaled again. However Marinis has skilled for it. She’s been with the display just about so long as the remainder unique forged participants. She was once employed proper out of faculty as a writers’ manufacturing assistant because the drama was once heading into its 3rd season. She labored her means up, turning into a author’s assistant and clinical researcher ahead of being promoted to workforce author. She was once tapped to supervise the display forward of its twentieth season, which introduced in 2024.
At her place of work (and in a separate video name), Marinis spoke about Pompeo’s long run with the display, the chatter surrounding new clinical drama “The Pitt” and which “Gray’s” personality will do one thing they’ve by no means achieved ahead of. This interview has been edited for readability and period.
Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Gray in “Gray’s Anatomy.”
(Anne Marie Fox / Disney)
Beginning with Season 19, Ellen Pompeo’s display screen time was once scaled again as she pursued different initiatives, basically Hulu’s upcoming “Excellent American Circle of relatives.” It was once introduced she’d seem in a minimum of seven episodes this season. Is that also the case and can we see extra of her?
We’ve aired 3 together with her, so that you a minimum of have 4 extra and I’m simply gonna let y’all proceed to observe to look what else you get. With Ellen, we all the time need her to be right here up to she will be able to and he or she desires. That’s an open dialog shifting ahead. After this season, we’ve but to have the ones conversations as a result of her display is set to premiere. However we wish her right here up to conceivable as a result of she is the essence of the display; her voice-over, it’s nonetheless in each and every episode. What we did this remaining season, we attempted to have a look at her episodes as teams of episodes as it’s extra a laugh to inform an arc with Meredith, fairly than a number of various one-offs. Meredith’s dating with Nick [Scott Speedman] is truly essential to me. I really like her with the ability to in finding love after Derek [Patrick Dempsey]. Scott Speedman is fantastic. He’s so sport to return right here and play with us on every occasion he’s ready to. It’s simply staying true to her personality as she’s developed over twenty years and the way she interacts with the brand new characters that we’ve introduced, is truly fascinating to me.
However discussions haven’t began but about how a lot she’d seem for a conceivable Season 22?
The ones conversations haven’t slightly began but. I imagine that there’s one thing in position [from her previous deal] for her already, however I’m no longer totally conscious about it. My feeling is that it could most certainly be round the same quantity as this season, and it additionally simply will depend on her agenda.
Are you able to consider ”Gray’s” with out Meredith? Her identify is within the identify, her tale set this global in movement.
I am hoping that we don’t ever have to look a “Gray’s” with out Meredith once in a while. We’ve got an incredible forged along Ellen Pompeo. I believe our episodes with out her are simply as robust, however it’s simply so great to listen to her voice with the voice-overs. However I additionally really feel that even if she’s no longer within the episodes, it looks like she can be there. We continuously reference her. She’s clearly pop out as a world-class surgeon out of this medical institution. Bailey [Chandra Wilson] and Richard [James Pickens Jr.], once they’re coping with a brand new category of interns, they invoke that spirit of Meredith that anytime they believe that they’ve were given a troublesome intern, they bear in mind who they introduced up and what she become. We nonetheless have [Derek’s family] Amelia Shepherd [Caterina Scorsone] and Lucas Adams [Niko Terho]. The essence of Meredith by no means disappears.
What are you able to tease about Meredith’s Alzheimer’s analysis? It’s unclear how she’ll be concerned after frightening Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) together with her shift in center of attention.
We’re certainly going to select that again up once more in probably the most first few episodes after we go back. I believe individuals are gonna be more than happy to look the place it is going. We wrote this some time in the past, however we move into probably the most problems that researchers are dealing with at this time, with securing investment and what you select to middle your analysis on truly has an impact on whether or not you get cash or no longer. We’re going to look Meredith battle with the ones demanding situations.
What about her private existence? Protected to think that Nick is the only?
Smartly, he’s the only after Derek. A large number of dialogue occurs as a result of everyone is all the time asking, “Will she get married once more? Will she do that once more?” And I don’t assume it’s such a lot about marriage however the truth that the 2 of them have now merged their lives in combination on the finish of remaining season. I believe that’s an indication for lovers to assume that he’s the only. He is also someone who respects the existence that she had ahead of him and he’s by no means going to take a look at to switch that. He may love to get married, however he is aware of who Meredith is and he’s by no means going to push that on her. I additionally like how he demanding situations her in ways in which folks since Derek have no longer, which additionally makes me assume that he’s her equivalent. He’s going to thrust back when he looks like he’s being driven away.
Niko Terho and Camilla Luddington in a scene from Season 21 of “Gray’s Anatomy.”
(Tina Thorpe / Disney)
The display has tackled well timed subjects ahead of, whether or not it’s immigration, abortion, COVID. While you see probably the most healthcare-related headlines beneath this present management, in particular Medicaid, are you excited about whether or not those problems are price exploring subsequent season?
We all the time have a look at it from the physician’s standpoint. Our lovers have all varieties of other views and evaluations and affiliations. We all the time take the stance of, “What are docs going via at the present time?” Once we did the COVID season, we informed that tale totally from a physician’s standpoint. We didn’t discuss politics, we didn’t discuss who was once proper, who wasn’t proper. We simply confirmed the impact that the pandemic had on our docs and the isolation and loneliness that they needed to undergo. We’ll do the similar factor if we see headlines we wish to discover.
Heading into this midseason premiere, I used to be frightened the place this being pregnant scare was once going to move as a result of Jo has persisted so much. Her young children are positive. However was once there a model the place she misplaced one or each young children?
It was once certainly pitched and I mentioned, “No, she’s no longer dropping the ones young children.” I’m excited about enjoying the truth of the way tough multiples are and in order that’s why we did that tale the best way we did as a result of that may be a commonplace process that many ladies undergo. I wish to additionally admire the truth. I don’t assume it’s going to be a full-term being pregnant with the ones young children. Is she out of the woods? I wouldn’t say sure, as a result of she’s a lady pregnant with twins.
What’s happening with Teddy, Owen and Cass Beckman (Sophia Bush)? Would you name it a love triangle?
I’m very excited for the lovers to look the again part of the season as a result of we observe that tale extra intently. I’m any person who likes to create the largest mess conceivable within the tales after which I believe the writers are like, “Oh nice, she’s tangled us in some knot once more that we will be able to’t determine.” Nevertheless it’s a 21-season display. We need to make messes in an effort to stay it fascinating and other. That is one thing we truly haven’t achieved ahead of on our display with a wedding, a minimum of. I additionally assume that the scenes that Kim and Kevin are acting are so actual and prone and uncooked, and they’ve no time of their lives to prioritize themselves and their dating as a result of they’ve children and their jobs. We’re seeing roughly the effects of that.
Your first season as showrunner was once behind schedule and truncated on account of the twin Hollywood moves. On your 2d season on the helm, the new wildfires in Los Angeles close down manufacturing. How was once it to steer a display in a time like that?
That Tuesday, we had been all operating right here. Everybody was once gazing their telephone. A large number of folks left ahead of we wrapped on Tuesday that lived in Altadena and Pasadena to verify the whole thing was once OK. Then at 4 o’clock within the morning, I used to be sitting there and I used to be gazing the inside track and I believed, “We will be able to’t move to paintings.” So, at 5 a.m. I began texting the road manufacturer and I mentioned, “Do we’ve a plan?” And so they mentioned, “What do you wish to have to do?” I believed, I don’t assume we will be able to paintings. I known as Shondaland at 5 o’clock within the morning. Fortunately, I were given my exec over there at the telephone. They had been all having conversations, however as we were given nearer to that 6:45 a.m. practice session, I used to be like, “I believe I simply have to mention no.”
We temporarily contacted everybody and stopped, and we heard that different displays had achieved the similar factor. There was once this immense force of, “Am I unexpectedly blowing tens of millions of bucks by means of us no longer operating?” However I will be able to’t ask my workforce to go away their properties and their households. Then we began getting experiences that a few of our workforce participants had misplaced their properties, which was once terrible. That Sunday, they mentioned that individuals can go back to paintings on Monday, and I requested us to attend another day as a result of I simply assume we had to mobilize and determine how shall we assist our workforce participants who misplaced properties. Fortunately, we had been [in a position where] it wasn’t about making air dates for us. We known as the workforce again the Tuesday [after the start of the fires]. We had a very simple day. Debbie Allen and I spoke to the workforce firstly of the day. We employed a therapist to return to set in order that folks may just discuss to her. I believe it truly helped calm everyone simply to have normalcy.
Manufacturing on “Gray’s” was once halted all through the wildfires. “We employed a therapist to return to set in order that folks may just discuss to her. I believe it truly helped calm everyone simply to have normalcy,” Meg Marinis mentioned.
(Marcus Ubungen / Los Angeles Occasions)
What’s the problem of taking up a display that’s been on for 20 years?
I think higher about it this 12 months now that I’ve achieved one season. The force is immense. You’re taking Shonda Rhimes’ child and taking good care of it for her when she’s constructed it to be an trade icon. And in addition simply the immense force from the lovers — making the tales really feel contemporary and thrilling after twenty years; no longer repeating your self. And simply the force of being the chief of the display as a result of there’s no longer truly an afternoon the place you’ll conceal on your place of work and be unhappy in regards to the fires. It’s important to increase your entire energy since you truly set the tone, and in the event you appear in keep an eye on, your workforce’s going to really feel protected.
On account of funds trims, you had been tasked with having to slender the solid down and cut back display screen time for some veteran forged participants. How did you means that?
It was once a number of conversations with Shonda. She got here right here and spoke to the solid with me and helped give an explanation for what was once happening. They totally understood that after she and I spoke to them in combination, they knew it wasn’t one thing that we needed to do, that it was once simply the state of the trade. It was once probably the most worst moments of of my activity, figuring out the local weather of what’s going down, and I really like each and every unmarried personality right here and no person desires to make that telephone name.
“Gray’s” has persisted as others within the style have come and long past. While you see one thing like “The Pitt” grow to be this drama that has folks speaking, what do you’re taking from that at this degree in “Gray’s” run?
There’s a few issues — you’ll’t assist however assume, “Oh, what sort of tales are they telling? Are they telling cooler tales than we’re?” I truly wish to watch “The Pitt.” I’m ready till hiatus as a result of I do love clinical displays, however I take a look at to not watch them once I’m writing simply to stick totally keen on “Gray’s.” I don’t wish to compete or examine. They’re all other. The pastime signifies that folks nonetheless like clinical displays. They’re nonetheless related.
The existence “Gray’s” has on TikTok is lovely superb. I will be able to by no means no longer prevent to observe a video of any person filming their pal or vital different attaining the George O’Malley episode for the primary time.
I believe it’s a testomony to Shonda Rhimes and what she created with the ones unique characters — gazing them develop via their profession. Everyone can determine with beginning your first activity and no longer figuring out what you’re doing and no longer making some huge cash and no longer having time for relationships and your highest pal is your co-worker. It’s so a laugh so that you can see folks relive the ones moments or reside the ones moments for the primary time. I believe that there’s one thing comforting in a display that’s been on for see you later, that you’ll all the time flip to “Gray’s Anatomy.” There’s a writers thread the place they textual content issues [like the TikToks]. There was once a meme that was once like, “We’re gonna see the top of democracy ahead of the top of ‘Gray’s Anatomy.’”
You’re these days placing the completing touches at the season finale. Is there one thing you’ll tease now that may make sense after we watch it?
Teddy will do one thing she’s by no means achieved ahead of.
