"ANATOMY" OF A MERGER

Actually this is a missed opportunity at a merger between shows, but I just couldn't resist the pun....

'Grey's Anatomy' premiered last night on ABC. Although set in Seattle, I wasn't expecting an in-joke link to 'Frasier' in any way, at least not right out of the starting gate. After all, the first episode was going to deal with the first forty-eight hour shift for the interns and they weren't going to find any time to be listening to KACL talk radio during that period.

But perhaps in some future episode they might make mention of the radio station's call letters. It's such a little thing to ask for.....

However, they did have a chance to make an in-joke connection to another TV series and they let it slide. The other residents were talking about Dr. Meredith Grey and that her mother was the living legend of heart surgeons, Ellis Grey. Among her accomplishments, Dr. Ellis Grey won the Harper Avery Award. Twice.

Fine. But why couldn't she have won it once, and the Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award as well?

The Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award is a prominent national award and we know of two surgeons who've received it.

Dr. Mark Craig of St. Eligius won the award during the 1980s run of 'St. Elsewhere'. And at 'Chicago Hope' Hospital, Dr. Kathryn Austin also was a recipient of the honor during the 1990s.

So it would have been an easy matter for the writer of 'Grey's Anatomy' to have slipped in a reference to the award at this point. It's not like the fact that it was on a competing network should have been a barrier. After all, 'St. Eligius' was on NBC and 'Chicago Hope' was on CBS.

Unlike the attendants and residents on this show, I'll cut the interns some slack. This time. 'Grey's Anatomy' is just starting out and I think it holds lots of promise. I like each of the core members of the cast.

And the finale was a kicker that brought a lump to my throat. (Which was not hard to do as I'm a fan of Kate Burton.)

So, there's hope that in the future we might yet get mention of the Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award on this show. And even better yet, why not mentions of St. Eligius and Chicago Hope as well?

And All Soul's, Manhattan General, Kingdom Hospital, etc etc etc.....

BCnU!
Tele-Toby