Grey’s Anatomy is the longest-running primetime medical drama in U.S. television history, and with Season 22 on the way this fall, the series shows no signs of stopping yet. At Wednesday’s (May 13) Disney Upfronts presentation, James Pickens Jr., one of the show’s few remaining originals, hit the red carpet to celebrate the continued success and renewal of Grey’s Anatomy, so TV Insider caught up with him to discuss the groundbreaking ABC favorite.
Pickens reflected on the show’s recent 20-year anniversary of the pilot’s debut, revealing exactly why he had good reason to believe the show was going to be a major success.
“Before the pilot aired, we at the time had another exec producer, Jim Parriott, who was a wonderful guy, and they had had a dinner for us, and he said… ‘Jim, you watch.’ He said, ‘I just got a feeling. After this pilot airs, this thing is going to take off.’ I said, ‘How do you know?’ He said, ‘I just have a feeling.’ And he was very prophetic. I remember that like it was yesterday,” Pickens remembered.
As one of the last few Season 1 stars still on the cast (alongside Ellen Pompeo and Chandra Wilson), the actor has a unique take on what the legacy of the series will be, and it’s not just the record-breaking number of years it’s been on air. “I think even more so that it redefined how we look at TV, how TV is cast,” he said. “A lot of that [inclusion] is because of the incredible Shonda Rhimes.”
On Season 21, his character, Richard Webber, decided to step back as chief of surgery and gave that job to Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) instead. But does he have regrets? “No,” Pickens said, adding, “I’ll always be chief. I’ll always be chief.”
As for what he looks forward to when the show returns for Season 22, Pickens said, “Just more of this great storytelling. I love the fact that [we] showcase these interns now. I’m just really a big fan of all of theirs. They just bring a great energy. They’re amazing, talented young actors. And I’m looking forward to taking this journey with them, see how it goes.”
Grey’s Anatomy, Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC
– Reporting by Meredith Jacobs and Meaghan Darwish