By Rakesh Satyal VULTURE | May 18, 2016
The 2016 Emmy race has begun, and Vulture will take a close look at the contenders until voting closes on June 27.
Perhaps more than any other show on TV today, Grey’s Anatomy is the one that, when you mention it, practically forces conversationalists to reply, “That show is still on?” I’ve seen it happen countless times, to myself and to the dedicated troop of people I know who still watch the show without fail every week. The question is always asked with its condescension not just intact but proudly on display; there is steel in the detractors’ voices, a surety that something so populist, so long-running must have long ago caved to an inevitable decline in quality or relevance.
But nothing could be more wrong. In fact, Grey’s Anatomy’s quality has strengthened and deepened over time — as a result, it has seen a ratings surge in its current season, which ends this Thursday — and its supposed frivolity is one of the great myths of our current viewing era.