PREMIERE

A GROUP OF AMBITIOUS, YOUNG DOCTORS JOIN THE FAST-PACED WORLD OF SURGICAL MEDICINE, ON THE PREMIERE OF ABC'S "GREY'S ANATOMY"

"A Hard Day's Night" -- Meet Meredith Grey, a woman trying to lead a real life while doing a job that makes having a real life impossible. Meredith is a first year surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, the toughest surgical residency program west of Harvard. She and her fellow first-year interns were students yesterday; today they're doctors in a world where on the job training can be a matter of life and death. Such is the world of "Grey's Anatomy," ABC's midseason medical drama about young people struggling to become doctors and doctors struggling to remain human. It's a world filled with intensity, humor, sex and pain, in which the interns discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white -- real life only comes in shades of grey. "Grey's Anatomy" premieres SUNDAY, MARCH 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In addition to coping with the stress and competitiveness of the hospital atmosphere, each of the five new interns must also juggle the ups and downs of their personal lives: Meredith's medical ambition is overshadowed by a troubling secret -- her mother, a noted pioneering surgeon, is struggling with a tragic illness. Cristina Yang is a study in contradiction, highly competitive but eschewing any favors in order to make it on her own. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens is a small-town girl who paid for her medical career by modeling, yet still struggles with her self-esteem. George O'Malley is the warm but insecure boy next door who always seems to do or say the wrong thing and, despite his attraction to women, is treated as "just one of the girls." And Alex Karev is the intern the other interns love to hate, masking his working class roots with arrogance and ambition.

The interns are guided by a team of doctors determined to either shape them into skilled surgeons or break them: Miranda Bailey, responsible for training, is so tough she's nicknamed "The Nazi." Derek Shepherd is the flirtatious but capable surgeon who feels an undeniable - but equally forbidden -- attraction to Meredith. Then there's Preston Burke, whose arrogance is second only to his skill with a scalpel. And overseeing them all is Dr. Richard Webber, Seattle Grace's paternal but no-nonsense chief of surgery.

"Grey's Anatomy" stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Isaiah Washington as Preston Burke, Katherine Heigl as Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, T.R. Knight as George O'Malley, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey and James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber.

Guest starring are: Skyler Shaye as Katie Bryce, David Veigh as Tony Savitch, Laura Carson as Gloria Savitch, Randall Arney as Mr. Bryce, and Robbie Troy as Mrs. Bryce.

"A Hard Days Night" was written by Shonda Rhimes and directed by Peter Horton.

Shonda Rhimes ("Introducing Dorothy Dandridge") is creator and executive producer. Mark Gordon ("Saving Private Ryan"), Betsy Beers ("200 Cigarettes") and Jim Parriott ("The American Embassy") are executive producers. Peter Horton is co-executive producer. "Grey's Anatomy" is a Touchstone Television Production.

"Grey's Anatomy" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound.

This program carries a TV-14 parental guideline.