When 'Grey's Anatomy' showrunner Krista Vernoff submitted a script this season that included a more than 2-minute-long, uninterrupted scene of a patient undergoing a rape kit exam--ABC’s Broadcast Standards and Practices department wanted some changes. The show’s creator Shonda Rhimes stepped in, and pushed back. Vernoff and Elisabeth Finch, the writer of that episode, recently sat down to talk about what happened with Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter. They discuss how they ultimately got their powerful episode about sexual consent to air as written, and provide a peek at their process for breaking new ground on 'Grey's Anatomy,' which recently overtook ‘ER’ as the longest-running medical drama in prime time TV history.
Krista Vernoff and Elisabeth Finch on addressing consent on 'Grey's Anatomy'
Grey's Anatomy episode 'Silent All These Years.' Writer Elisabeth Finch, on right. Credit: ABC/Mitch Haaseth
From this Episode: