Too Many Grey's Anatomy Spoilers Or Not Enough?

Is Shonda Rhimes talking about the upcoming season of Grey's Anatomy more than usual? I think she is. In the lead up to the Season 8 finale; in my opinion Shonda was very vocal than she has been in the past. When you compare it to the lead up to the Season 7 finale; Shonda and her team were pretty quiet. And to make it worse, word leaked about the contract negotiations of the original stars, which more or less spoiled a lot of the suspense for many fans, including myself. The contract negotiations of the original stars dictated the story arcs; this should never have happened, however that's different story altogether.

Grey's Anatomy Season 8 Cast photo

I didn't start reading spoilers and watching previews until a friend directed me on how to to watch Season 7 online (or download it), instead of having to wait more than six months to see it in Australia. During the six seasons that I waited patiently until February for my favourite show to premiere in Australia, I do not remember much being said about what was coming next on Grey's Anatomy. In-fact I remember reading something to the effect that Shonda Rhimes had all her staff, cast and crew sign agreements which effectively banned anyone from her camp talking about the show. In-fact at the time, I was working with someone who did have access to the show from the US and she was careful never to give away spoilers.

 

Ever since the lead up to the Season finale in May 2012, there have been more leaks to the press about what's to come on Grey's than ever before.
However, having said that; this is only my opinion as I did not pay attention to the gossip sites and Facebook, Twitter and the like. Shortly after I learnt how to get access to my favourite show via the magic of the internet, I began to read some spoilers.


Talk about Grey's Anatomy is a good thing in the sense that it generates interest amongst the current fans, the new fans and the viewers who lost interest in the show. Ratings will tell us that this has happened steadily over the last four to five years. The pilot episode drew over 16 million viewers, and given that it aired in the 10pm timeslot, these numbers were record breaking. By the ninth episode; Grey's had attracted over 22 million viewers. Season's 2 and 3 were in terms of ratings the most successful, and after Season 4; ratings started to decline.  The ratings table at Wikipedia tell the story. Despite this lull in the ratings; Grey's Anatomy is still up there as one of the most popular shows in the US; winning it's timeslot time and time again.

Grey's Anatomy Season 8 DVD Cover

Are the declining a result of too many spoilers and Shonda Rhimes running her mouth? Probably not. Many fans quit this show because they were fed up with certain story arcs that seemingly did not work. The dead Denny sex with Izzie Stevens in Season 5 was one story that was very unpopular amongst fans. And how can we forget the George/Izzie pairing. This idea went down like a lead balloon. Why Shonda and her writers did not stick with the Alex/Izzie pairing is a big mystery, as Alex and Izzie were very popular with the fans of both Justin Chambers and Katherine Heigl. 

                       

Izzie and Alex; Popular Grey's couple

What would help ratings and bring back the long, lost fans who gave up on the show a few years ago would be to go back to the basic formula the writers used in Season's 1,2 & 3. If you visit any of the Grey's Anatomy message boards; such as, TWOP or Grey'sABC, that seems to be the general opinion amongst contributors to these forums.

     

George and Izzie, Best friends who should have never been lovers

The pairing of George and Izzie and the end of George's marriage to Callie was a story that should have never happened. But the past is the past and George and Izzie are now not part of Grey's Anatomy. That being said, these two actors were very popular and many fans miss them. This does not mean that Shonda and her writers cannot interest some of the fans who lost interest a few years ago. Great drama can be created on TV without jumping the shark, as the Grey's writers have done on so many occasions. Many fans were upset about the plane crash finale in the eighth season; especially when it culminated in the death of a favourite character; Lexie. News has recently come to light that Eric Dane; who plays Mark Sloan; the love of Lexie's life is leaving too. And it pretty clear from the chatter from Shonda, her actors and crew members leaking spoilers and pics that Mark will succumb to his injuries from the plane crash. This scenario is very likely going to upset many Mark and Lexie fans. If the writers don't try to capture the basic formula this show was built on and re-ignite past fan interest, I really don't see Grey's continuing past Season 9 or 10.

Happier times for Mark and Lexie

Personally for mine; I would prefer less chatter about what's to come as a lot of it is speculation and not based in fact. The so-called video links that have been released are not what I would consider Season 9 previews, only scenes from previous seasons. I rarely watch previews as I don't really want to know what's coming until I see the episodes. However, that's a difficult task given when I write for my blog here, I need to research the latest Grey's Anatomy news.


So readers; what do you think? Would you like more spoilers and what do you think of the recent spoilers about Grey's Anatomy?  Sound off in the comments, like us on Facebook or connect via Twitter.

Season 8 Is Available on DVD

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