After twelve years of filming, Grey’s Anatomy aired their 300th episode on November 9. Shonda Rhimes, who was inspired by Henry Gray’s medical textbook, started the show in 2005 with the intent to show the world how professional, smart women are making a difference in the medical field. Episodes have been cleverly named with song titles. The latest episode included a song from the hit Broadway show, Hamilton. The show was a recipient of the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Television Series and has been nominated for many Emmys. Rhimes has recently revealed how the show includes pieces  her life, and how the character Meredith Grey was inspired by her own personality.

“My life is in every episode. Who I am is in every episode. For me, the show is sort of a diary — I can watch it and know exactly what was going on in my real life when an episode was written” says Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy.

The show is in its 14th season, and its cult followers hope it never ends. Rhimes admits that there is no show without Meredith Grey, the star of this television series. When asked when Grey’s Anatomy would end, Ellen Pompeo, the actress who plays Meredith Grey, responded that, “Shonda [Rhimes] and I have both said that when I’m ready to stop, we’re going to stop the show. The story is about Meredith Grey’s journey and when I’m done, the show will end.”

During the last 14 seasons, Rhimes has killed off many beloved characters. She’s made us cry over characters like George O’Malley, Denny Duquette, Lexie Grey, Mark Sloan, and Derek Shepherd. She did so with confidence, believing that it was the best thing for the show moving forward. The only character’s death she has admitted to regretting was Dylan Young, who was played by Kyle Chandler. Only appearing in four episodes during seasons 2 and 3 in 2006, many viewers do not remember him. Dylan was a member of the Seattle Police Department Bomb Squad, who arrived at Seattle Grace Hospital when a patient had placed a bomb inside of himself. Once Hannah Davies, a paramedic, had slipped her hand off of the bomb, Meredith Grey had grabbed hold of it, worried that it would explode. Dylan convinced Meredith to remove herself from the situation, and when all seemed fine, the bomb exploded. This explosion killed Dylan. “He (Kyle Chandler) would pitch me ideas on how Dylan, his character, could maybe not explode. I would show him the line in the script that said, ‘Dylan explodes.’ That’s literally all it said. He was written to explode,” Shonda Rhimes explained.

For those who are unfamiliar with the show, Grey’s Anatomy ¨follows Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white,” (ABC.com).

In the 300th episode, fans were nostalgic when they saw George O’Malley, Christina Yang, and Izzie Stevens look-alikes make their way to the Grey-Sloan Memorial ER. Later in the episode, we learned that Meredith Grey won a Harper-Avery award, the highest achievement a person in the medical field can earn. While everyone celebrates around her, Meredith sees her late mother. At the end of the day, Meredith and Alex Karev, the only two characters from the original group of interns of season one, call Christina Yang to let her know of Meredith’s achievement.

There are many more season renewals in the future for fans of the show, leaving these individuals with one question: what is there to look forward to in the show? For one thing, we’ll see one doctor have a career change. Ben Warren, played by Jason George, will trade his stethoscope for a firehose. Currently, Miranda Bailey, his wife (played by Chandra Wilson), is unaware of Ben’s desire to be a firefighter. What could this mean about their marriage? We’ll just have to see in the coming episodes. Shonda Rhimes is currently writing a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off with firefighters, which will feature Jason George.

Recently, viewers of the show can’t help but acknowledge how much Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) has crushed for Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary). In the previous episode, he had questioned Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), Ben Warren, and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) about his sisters. Avery has also grown closer to Maggie, after hosting dinner parties at the house of Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen) and Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.).

Fans have speculated about rumors that a Grey’s Anatomy character from the past is going to be added back to the show. We can only wonder who this is. Could it be Christina Yang (Sandra Oh), visiting Meredith from Switzerland? Or could it be Izzie Stevens coming back after all those years of running away? Many have wondered if Derek Shepherd will come back. We’ll find out in the next season of Grey’s Anatomy.

“It’s not just a show. It’s not only a story well told,” expresses Shonda Rhimes. “It’s our reality.”