10 Heart-Stopping Statistics About ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s Longevity

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ELLEN POMPEO
beautybeast
Walt Disney Studios

We are farther in time from the Grey’s Anatomy series premiere than the premiere was from the 1991 Disney film Beauty and the Beast.

greysmbb
ABC

Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, who played Ruby in Season 11, was 1 year old when Grey’s Anatomy premiered.

Jake Borelli as Dr. Levi Shmitt in Grey's Anatomy
ABC/Mitch Haaseth

Jake Borelli, a.k.a. Dr. Levi Shmitt and one of the ABC show’s newest full-time cast members, was 13 at the time of the show’s debut.

Apple launch the exclusive iPhone on O2
Jon Furniss/Wireimage

Grey’s Anatomy is two years older than the original iPhone.

NBC News - Barack Obama Campaign
Stephen Azzato/NBC NewsWire

Grey’s Anatomy has aired during three men’s U.S. presidencies, including Barack Obama’s double term.

ABC's
Danny Feld/ABC via Getty Images

Jesse Williams, who made his Grey’s debut as Jackson Avery midway through Season 6, has already appeared in more episodes than original cast member Sandra Oh, who starred in 10 seasons.

ABC's Private Practice - Season Six
Colleen Hayes/ABC via Getty Images

Spinoff Private Practice aired on ABC for six seasons and 111 episodes. Grey’s has already aired three times as many episodes.

Rob Lowe in Parks and Recreation - Season 6
Colleen Hayes/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

Rob Lowe famously passed on the role of Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd. Since Grey’s has been on TV, he has starred in or hosted 11 television series.

ABIGAIL SPENCER, KEVIN MCKIDD, JESSE WILLIAMS, ELLEN POMPEO
ABC/Mitch Haaseth

By the Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 airs, a person who was born on the date of the series premiere might be deciding between different pre-med programs.

Ellen Pompeo in Grey's Anatomy
ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT

Ellen Pompeo was 35 when the show began. This November, she’ll turn 50. (And she’s earning $20 million a year!)

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Grey’s Anatomy had little left to prove after becoming ABC’s longest-running primetime scripted series and surpassing ER as the longest-running American primetime medical drama. But it’s such an overachieving show that ABC has renewed it for two more seasons, meaning fans will see a 16th season and 17th season, if not more.

Grey’s creator Shonda Rhimes and star Ellen Pompeo have said they’ll mutually decide when to call it a day, but neither one has made any indication that Season 17 will be the final installment.

While we looking forward to future drama at Grey Sloan Memorial, click through the gallery above for 10 statistics showing just how long these doctors have been operating…

Grey’s Anatomy, Season 15 Finale, Thursday, May 16, 8/7c, ABC