“It sounds so cheesy, but when I was, like, 12 or 13, I wrote my own script of ER,” says Meg Marinis, the new showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy and a longtime writer, producer, and executive producer of the iconic show. “I grew up with a really strong imagination — I had imaginary friends even. I was the youngest of three kids by multiple years and got placed in front of the TV so that the rest of the family could function. I think [everyone] thought [writing scripts] was just some weird hobby that I’d grow out of. But I never did.”
Marinis’ “weird hobby” has certainly paid off. Her last semester at University of Texas, Austin, was spent in Los Angeles through the school’s radio, TV, and film major, and two weeks after graduating, she was hired as a writers’ PA on Grey’s Anatomy. It was 2006, and creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes was just finishing her second season running this new medical drama that had caught on like a wildfire among viewers and critics.
Nearly two decades later — and with the series still ragingly popular among both longtime dedicated fans and newly rapt viewers who’ve discovered the series through streaming — Marinis has been there every step of the way. After one year as a writers’ PA, she moved up the writing ranks over the next decade, then began rising as a producer along with continuing to write. Now, she’s at the top, taking on the role of showrunner as the longest-running prime-time medical drama heads into its 20th season. “It’s been working out pretty well for me; hopefully, it is for them as well,” she laughs.
As Grey’s Anatomy gears up for its March 14 premiere on ABC (it will also be available the next day to stream on Hulu), we sit down with Marinis to discuss what it’s been like to take over such a beloved show, how she’ll be keeping the legacy alive, bringing back old characters, and what we can expect for this season.
VALENTINA VALENTINI: What was it like to get that call to run Grey’s Anatomy? Were you caught off guard at all?
MEG MARINIS: There’s been many times where I’ve kind of thought, “Oh, there’s no way the show will keep going.” You never think it’ll keep going, and then it keeps going and going and going. So, I think I realized, in the last couple of years of Krista Vernoff being showrunner, that if she ever did leave, that maybe it would be me. Because at that point, I was one of the people who’d been there the longest. Then, when it came time for season 19 and Krista started talking about moving on, I started to think, “What does this mean for me?” Was it surprising? Not entirely, because I’ve been here for so long, but also I’m the biggest fan of this show too, so to be able to take the helm … I just hope that I do a good job. I’m grateful she allowed me to shadow her for that second half of last season.
VV: You must have absorbed so much from both Krista and Shonda over the years.
MM: They are both so great at mentoring. When Shonda was here, she would mentor the support staff and call us all into her office to watch how she places a song or a cut and things like that. Krista was great too, letting the writing staff into her process as a showrunner. She would go over things like post and budget and how to talk to cast and how to problem-solve — I soaked all that up. Because I feel like a lot of showrunners today just get thrown into the position, and they’re not given that kind of training. But it’s the oddest thing to go from being a creative person to a CEO position, so there are a lot of things that I think people don’t realize go into it.
VV: What have been things that you’ve done or storylines you’ve put in, et cetera, to help celebrate the legacy of Grey’s?
MM: Something that is huge for me, because a 20th season is historic, is honoring the show that Shonda built. I want to be taking pieces of the show that still celebrate the original characters, even if those characters aren’t on the show anymore, and they’ll be some nostalgic elements from the beginning of the season. Our characters have had 20 years of experience, and it’s important to me to return to some of those quirky medical stories that the beginning years were so well known for — things that made people, made me, go, “Oh, my God! Did you see that on Grey’s Anatomy last night?!” And then with the new interns, we do a lot with them this season. This show has always been about teaching and learning and how people at the very beginning of their careers are so in their heads; it’s about people in their 20s who are taking care of people’s lives, and then they go home and barely have time to do laundry. I think it speaks to every profession when you’re at the beginning of your career and your personal life is in shambles but having to put that aside during the day.
VV: I’ve heard the word “reinvention” tossed around for how this season is going to look. What’s your take on that?
MM: I would say it’s more of a reset rather than a reinvention. A lot of things happened at the end of last year’s finale, which our characters have a long way to come back from. This season really builds off what happened at the end of last season, and we deal with those repercussions. There will be consequences not only to relationships but to people’s careers.
VV: There are very few shows out there that have the longevity that Grey’s has. How has it been to continue such a legacy? Because keeping propulsion on a show that’s been on for 20 seasons is no easy task.
MM: No, it’s not. But we’ve kind of gotten a new resurgence and new propulsion with the streaming era. There’s nothing more that young people like to do than to binge television. So, that’s been nice! We’ve gotten a whole new generation of fans. And I think for a lot of TV shows from 2005, they don’t hold up in today’s world. But this one really does.
I feel like the relationships that Shonda formed between those interns and those characters still speak volumes to what people go through today — it’s still relevant. Introducing new characters from time to time is also important. It creates something new in your existing characters — new dynamics, new relationships. And bringing back an old character or two occasionally, putting them back in the hospital where they’ve been gone [from] for 10 years, is also really interesting. It’s a great way to honor the show, right? Bringing back legacy characters. We also stay on top of medicine, which has changed a lot in 20 years. So has the experience of a doctor. Every year before we start writing the season, we talk to first-year surgical interns to get a pulse on what’s going on — are they still working crazy hours? Are people concentrating more on wellness? Are attendings still mean? The intern experience looks different than it did in season one.
“[Shonda] always tells me to make decisions based on the story — where it’s going, what it needs — and then worry about the other stuff.”
VV: Do you have a favorite moment as showrunner thus far?
MM: I think the table read of the premiere episode was a wonderful moment because we had been apart for so long due to the strikes and our hiatus. Being able to welcome everyone home and to start shooting was so great. I think we started shooting well before a lot of other shows did, and being able to put paychecks in people’s hands again was probably my favorite moment.
VV: Do you have a favorite character?
MM: They’re all my favorite! But there are things that I enjoy writing for specific characters. I love finding little nuggets of backstory for the new interns that people don’t know. I haven’t known those actors as long as I’ve known the others, so there are performance things that really surprise me, and that’s fun. I also love writing funny for any of the characters. And it’s always a delight when you write a speech, and then Chandra Wilson just nails it in one take, and it makes you cry immediately. And there are some things that Jim Pickens will say as Richard that remind me from moments of the pilot; when you hear that tone of voice, your heart leaps. It’s like we’re back 20 years ago. So, to answer your question: No, I don’t have just one favorite!
VV: Lastly, what have you learned from Shonda over the years?
MM: I have learned so much that it’s hard to just pick one thing. [Pauses.] I’ve learned that story comes first. And that’s hard when it’s this big of a show, and there are always budgetary things happening, and it’s a big cast, a lot of series regulars, but still, story comes first. She always tells me to make decisions based on the story — where it’s going, what it needs — and then worry about the other stuff. Also, collaboration is huge in this job; I’ve had to learn that notes are coming from a good place, not from a critical place. We’re all trying to make the best show possible, and the best show takes a lot of collaborative work.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Valentina Valentini is a London-based entertainment, travel, and food writer and is also a senior contributor to Shondaland. Elsewhere, she has written for Vanity Fair, Vulture, Variety, Thrillist, Heated, and The Washington Post. Her personal essays can be read in the Los Angeles Times and Longreads, and her tangents and general complaints can be seen on Twitter at @ByValentinaV.
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