TV Scope / Grey's Anatomy Living TV, Monday, August 29th, 10pm: The opening scene sees Dr Meredith Grey hustle a semi-naked man out of her apartment so she can get to her new job on time. A dishevelled mix of designer stubble and come-to-bed eyes, you just know that we're going to see more of this guy before the end of the show.
Set in Washington State, the first episode follows Dr Meredith Grey as she undertakes her first 48 hours on call as a surgical intern. "You are about to spend the next seven years of your lives as surgical residents. Take a look around you and say hello to your competition. By the end of your time here, eight of you will have switched to an easier speciality, five will have cracked under the pressure and two of you will have been asked to leave."
This was the welcome speech of the chief consultant, who had both the looks and bedside manner of an army boot camp instructor.
Meredith is seen by her peers as being somewhat privileged. The daughter of the pioneering surgeon, Alice Grey, she had enough family money behind her to comfortably put herself through college. Smart and just on the right side of attractive as to not be a threat to other women, her female colleagues envy her while her male counterparts classify her as being "hot". Her medical "friends" include Dr George O'Malley, a hapless, well-meaning dork. He has such poor doctoring skills that his nickname is 007 - meaning he's been licensed to kill! Even at this early stage he has been marked out as the "runt of the litter", as the newbies scramble to compete for the title of top dog.
Dr Christina Yang is a no-nonsense, ruthlessly competitive type, who looks like she'd happily knife you if it means she'd get what she wants.
Isabelle Stevens, meanwhile, is both a doctor and a model. Unfortunately, her "supermodel" attitude is not appreciated by her superiors and she is put in her place by being put in charge of all rectal examinations on the ward. One tube of KY jelly and 17 pairs of rubber gloves later, the model/doctor is ready to swap her theatre greens for something a little more fashionable.
The starring patient in this week's episode is a young girl suffering from seizures. When Meredith is assigned to care for the young patient she finds the surgeon in charge of the case is Dr Sheppard. We've met Derek Sheppard before - albeit with his clothes off. Yes, you've guessed it: Meredith's anonymous one-night-stand and Dr Derek Sheppard are one and the same. A nice bit of tension develops here as, despite the overt sexual chemistry, it's obviously inappropriate for the good Dr Sheppard to be sleeping with a junior member of his staff.
The cause of the girl's seizures is pinpointed by the scalpel sharp Dr Grey, who diagnoses a subarachnoid aneurysm. As a result of her diagnostic prowess she is honoured by being selected to assist in the operation on the aneurysm. Her fellow interns view this as favouritism, an award for sleeping with the boss.
Despite her apparent privileged status, we see another side of Meredith as she describes her first day to her mother. The eminent surgeon Alice Grey now resides in a local nursing home. In the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, she does not recognise her own daughter and only vaguely remembers that she was once a doctor herself.
The title of this series not only reflects the name of the main character but also refers to the premier surgical textbook used by medical students the world over.
Even after just one episode I can predict Grey's Anatomy will prove popular with all those with a soft spot for hospital soaps.