 Before the series debuted on March 27 , 2005 , there were a few early releases to close friends and family of the producers and actors . The show was scheduled to run in the Boston Legal time slot for four weeks . However , high ratings and viewership led to it holding onto the slot for the remainder of the season . ABC Entertainment President , Steve McPherson , commented on the scheduling change : " Ultimately we decided that , without having adequate lead time or marketing dollars to devote to moving either show so late in the season , we 'd continue to let [ Grey 's Anatomy ] build on its tremendous momentum through May . " The show 's title , Grey 's Anatomy , was devised as a play on words : a reference to both Henry Gray 's medical textbook , Gray 's Anatomy , and the title character Dr. Meredith Grey ( Ellen Pompeo ) . Prior to broadcast , it was announced that the show 's title would change from Grey 's Anatomy to Complications , although ultimately this did not come to pass . 
