A Hard Day's Night

"A Hard Day's Night" is the pilot episode of the American television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, which first aired on March 27, 2005 on ABC. The episode introduces main characters and surgical interns Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev and George O'Malley, who come face to face with what their future holds as they enter the realm of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. Other main characters include Derek Shepherd, Miranda Bailey, Richard Webber and Preston Burke. The episode was watched by an American audience of 16.25 million, and received positive reviews from television critics. Plot This episode chronicles the new surgical interns' first 48-hour shift. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) discovers that Derek Shepard (Patrick Dempsey), with whom she had a one-night stand the night before, works at Seattle Grace and is not only an attending but the chief of neurosurgery. The interns are introduced to their resident in charge, Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), nicknamed "The Nazi" for her serious demeanor and strictness. They are also introduced to the Chief of Surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and the head of cardiothoracic surgery Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), who catches the eye of Cristina (Sandra Oh). Meredith has trouble with her first case, a teenage pageant competitor named Katie Bryce who's having unexplained seizures. Izzie (Katherine Heigl) dislikes Meredith, as she thinks she's trying to "get ahead" by sleeping with an attending surgeon; it is revealed Izzie had a past career as a model, which is how she put herself through medical school, and she is teased by Alex (Justin Chambers). George (T. R. Knight) earns the nickname "007" ("license to kill") after botching his first surgery, an appendectomy, when he pulled too hard on the sutures after inverting the cecum stump, tearing the bowel (the patient was saved by Dr. Burke). It is revealed Meredith is the daughter of acclaimed surgeon Ellis Grey (Kate Burton), who evidently had an affair with Richard years before while married to Meredith's father, Thatcher. Ellis is now battling Alzheimer's disease and Meredith secretly visits her in her assisted care facility.