'Grey's Anatomy' to address coronavirus pandemic in coming season

Krista Vernoff, the executive producer behind “Grey's Anatomy,” said the show will be addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in its coming season. During a virtual panel discussion held by the Television Academy that is set to air on YouTube later Tuesday, Vernoff confirmed the series is “going to address this pandemic for sure” in its 17th season, according to an exclusive report by Entertainment Weekly.

“There’s no way to be a long-running medical show and not do the medical story of our lifetimes,” she continued. She also revealed that creators for the ABC show have also been talking to medical staff who have been working on the coronavirus frontlines in recent months as well as patients to prepare for the coming season.

“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,” she said. “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,” she continued.

Vernoff said during the panel – which also featured Chandra Wilson, who portrays Dr. Miranda Bailey on the show, as well as Kevin McKidd, who plays Dr. Owen Hunt – that she feels the medical drama “has an opportunity and a responsibility to tell some of those stories.” One of the main conversations she said the show’s creators have been having to prepare for next season have been “about how do we keep alive humor and romance while we tell these really painful stories.”

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/508435-greys-anatomy-to-address-coronavirus-pandemic-in-coming-season