Which Grey's Anatomy episode is listed as the series' most-watched episode?
Answer
It's the End of the World
“It’s the End of the World” is listed as Grey’s Anatomy’s most-watched episode.
The episode is the 16th installment of season 2 and the 25th episode overall. It originally aired on February 5, 2006, immediately after Super Bowl XL on ABC. That unusually large lead-in helped it reach roughly 37.88 million viewers, with some contemporary episode references rounding the figure to 38.1 million.
Its record-setting audience is closely tied to the episode’s high-stakes plot. A patient arrives with unexploded ammunition lodged in his chest, forcing the hospital into a Code Black while Meredith, Cristina, Derek, and others struggle to keep the patient alive. Christina Ricci guest-stars as paramedic Hannah Davies, and Kyle Chandler plays bomb-disposal leader Dylan Young.
A common mix-up is “As We Know It,” the following episode in the two-part bomb storyline. Although both episodes are often discussed together and both were well received, “It’s the End of the World” is the installment credited with the series’ highest viewership.