Surgical intern Meredith is passionate, talented and destined for the top. As the daughter of Ellis Grey – one of Seattle’s most respected surgeons – she has great expectation to live up to. But her focus and dedication is tested when her mother is stricken with Alzheimer’s, a burden that she struggles to keep separate from her work. And when she “accidentally” falls into bed with Sheppard, a senior surgeon, she worries that she’s crossed a dangerous line. With a tendency towards the melodramatic, she is also a little too forthcoming with advice for patients when it’s unwarranted.
Derek Shepherd - Patrick Dempsey
A New York escapee, Shepherd is a first class neurosurgeon looking for a new challenge and a new, less hectic pace of life in Seattle. He’s a firm favourite of chief surgeon Richard Webber, who has him earmarked for chief resident. Skilled, dedicated and a great practitioner of patient focused care, he appears faultless. But could his attraction to Meredith and his unflinching determination to woo her be his downfall? With fellow senior surgeon Preston Burke hot on his heals, there’s no room for mess ups.
George O'Malley - T.R. Knight
The softy in the pack, loveable intern George is dependable, has a great bedside manner and makes relating to difficult patients look easy. But his sweet nature and lack of masculine assertiveness also makes him the joker of the pack. And when he’s picked as the first intern to perform in surgery, he chokes in the worst possible way. A lack of confidence and unsteady hands lead to disaster, earning him the nickname: “007 – License to kill.” If he wants to survive his training he must earn respect and prove that he has got what it takes.
Dr. Richard Webber - James Pickens Jr.
As chief of surgery, Webber is top dog. After working in New York for several years pioneering cutting edge surgery he’s back at Grace Hospital, the place where he himself was an intern over three decades ago. He’s passionate, caring and expects the highest standard of commitment from his interns – not least from Meredith, whose mother he trained alongside. He sets the bar high and expects people to jump. He’s also aware that to have a well functioning and dedicated team, you need to introduce a bit of healthy rivalry.
Miranda Bailey - Chandra Wilson
As resident surgeon, Bailey’s job is to make life hell for the interns, a duty she carries out to perfection. “You are bottom of the surgical food chain and better get used to it,” she tells them on their first day. Sharp tongued and quick witted, she takes no messing and no excuses for poor performance. She’s dedicated to her work and although she’s a firm believer in respecting authority, she’s not afraid to speak her mind when she believes her seniors have made a mistake.
Alex Karev - Justin Chambers
Alex is the smart ass. He’s confident, competitive, arrogant and loves to take the credit. He’s disliked by his fellow interns who dismiss him as shallow and crass. And when it comes to patient care, he couldn’t give a damn. But his undeniable technical skill and ability to find solutions to complicated problems is plain for all to see. His dream is to become a plastic surgeon and make lots of money – a likely prospect. The question is whether he can drop the ego and focus his talents.
Cristina Yang - Sandra Oh
A force to be reckoned with, Cristina has an academically brilliant background and is determined to climb the ladder to success, whatever the cost. She doesn’t care what the other interns think of her she makes sure they know it. She’s aggressive, cut throat and arrogant. Unsurprisingly, she has no bedside manner and no concept of how to relate to her patients. But when a former Grace Hospital nurse ends up being one of her patients we see a glimmer of emotion, suggesting that her tough exterior might have a softer side.
Isobel Stevens - Katherine Heigl
Fellow intern Izzy will go out of her way to accommodate a patient’s needs, even if it means risking her own career. She works hard and is determined to prove herself and her capabilities. But when a series of photos of her in sexy underwear – taken to fund her through college – are printed in a magazine for all her colleagues and patients to see, she fears she will be judged for all the wrong reasons. Willowy and beautiful, Izzy has a debilitating effect on men and is used to having to overcompensate. But a lack of self-confidence begins to emerge, something she will need to control if she’s going to make it to surgical resident.
Preston Burke - Isaiah Washington
Burke has always wanted to be chief resident and until the arrival of Sheppard, always presumed he would be. But after a firm warning from chief surgeon Richard Webber that he needs to step up a gear in order to be any match for Sheppard, he is forced to reassess his work ethic and go that extra mile. He takes the challenge to heart and will do whatever it takes to impress his boss. Here marks the start of a rivalry with Sheppard that he’s determined to win.