Grey's Anatomy: The Official Magazine Review

The Case

About three years ago, a new television show aired on ABC. It was called Grey's Anatomy. Since then, that television show has taken the nation by storm, becoming one of the most popular hour-long network dramas ever, with millions and millions of viewers each week, me being one of them. And now, as an added bonus, all of us fans of Grey's Anatomy get our very own magazine to boot!

The Good

The new Grey's Anatomy: The Official Magazine runs at 65 pages long, with a new issue released every two months. It comes loaded with photos, feature stories, interviews with cast and crew, behind-the-scenes processes, tales, and anecdotes, scene and episode analyses, a questions section, and more. Phew. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Well, if you're a Grey's fan, it is! There have been two issues so far, and I've gotta say, they were really well-done for a fledgling publication.

One of my favorite things so far was an interview with the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes. Features like this allow the fans to get a glimpse of the many steps in the process of making the show. I've always enjoyed television-centric magazines, mostly because I think they allow some of the limelight to get past the actors and rest on the behind-the-scenes people who so often don't receive the accolades they should. A magazine like this also highlights how much work is put into each and every aspect of a production like Grey's Anatomy, how each detail is someone's responsibility. A realization like that just makes one of my favorite shows even sweeter!

The Bad

Since it's still in the stages of infancy, I don't think it's unfair of me to comment that the overall feel of the new Grey's magazine is very undecided. The writers aren't quite settled in, the stories and articles are very straightforward and lacking in an original take or viewpoint, and the whole thing ends up coming off as a little flat (no pun intended). Also, I'm hoping the design and layout of the magazine are revised a little, maybe toned down a bit. I get the impression that they're trying to draw attention with the flashiness, but the over-use of stylizations, picture clips, and text boxes only succeeded in distracting me from the actual content. Hopefully, as the magazine creates a niche for itself, niggling annoyances like those above will naturally work themselves out.

The Verdict

Four stars! If you're pining for more news and info about the hottest hospital drama on television, drop everything (unless you're in surgery holding a scalpel!) and head out to pick up the latest issue of Grey's Anatomy: The Official Magazine!