“Grey’s Anatomy” executive producer and executive producer revealed that the medical drama will focus on the new coronavirus during its upcoming season.
“We will surely address this pandemic,” Krista Vernoff said during a recent virtual panel presented by the Television Academy, according to Entertainment Weekly. “There is no way to be a long-running medical program and not tell the medical history of our lives.”
Vernoff, who appeared on the panel alongside actors Chandra Wilson and Kevin McKidd in “Grey’s Anatomy,” said the show’s writers are conducting research interviewing real doctors who are on the front lines of the pandemic.
“Every year, doctors come in and tell us their stories and usually tell their funniest or craziest stories,” said Vernoff. “This year, it has felt more like therapy.”
He added that the writers of the show are “often the first people” doctors talk to about what they are experiencing.
“They are literally shaking and trying not to cry, they are pale and they talk about it as a war, a war they were not trained for,” Vernoff said. “” I feel like our program has the opportunity and the responsibility to tell some of those stories. “
After 16 seasons, “Grey’s Anatomy” remains the longest-running medical drama on television. While the shooting was postponed due to the pandemic, Vernoff said he hopes to strike a balance between the severity of the new coronavirus and the personal relationships that are frequently exchanged between the staff of the fictional Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital for its 17th season.
“Our conversations have been constantly about how we keep humor and romance alive as we tell these really painful stories,” he said.
The full version of the panel, titled “Quaranstreaming: Comfort TV That Keeps Us Going,” will air Tuesday on Emmys.com. The event also features David Chase, creator of “The Sopranos”, and Thomas Schlamme, the director of “The West Wing”.
