Grey’s Anatomy is one of the most popular medical drama shows on TV and has gained millions of die-hard fans since it first aired in 2005. It’s about a group of young doctors working at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, who started their careers there as interns and the show follows their lives as they become the doctors they always wanted to be. Although there’s a lot of characters in the drama series, it mostly focuses on Meredith Grey, who the show is named after. She’s the daughter of a famous surgeon and is trying to be successful on her own.
She struggles a lot during the show, but it shows her becoming a better doctor with each episode. Since Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama series, many of its episodes are emotional, but there are some that aren’t too emotional and will leave you feeling happy after you watch them. Here are 10 of the most comforting Grey’s Anatomy episodes.
10 "A Hard Day's Night" (Season 1, Episode 1)
The first episode is still one of the best ones. The pilot episode introduces us to Meredith without tons of drama going on and gives you a calming feeling at the end before you have to move on to the more emotional episodes. According to PopSugar, “You just can't help but feel something when hearing ‘Portions For Foxes’ play while Meredith scuttles to her first day of work as an intern right after an awkward and sexy encounter with Derek post-one-night-stand.”
9 "Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer" (Season 2, Episode 12)
Grey’s Anatomy’s first Christmas episode was bound to be one that brings joy. There’s still some drama in the episode, but it has a happy ending and puts fans in the holiday spirit. According to PopSugar, “We have Izzie, who lives and breathes the holidays, and Cristina, who's a bit of a Grinch when it comes to getting festive… The tension between them builds when their young patient refuses a heart transplant. Meanwhile, the gang helps Alex study for his board exams the second time, making up hilarious scenarios and trying not to hurt Izzie (since he just cheated on her with ‘syph nurse’).”
8 “The Time Warp” (Season 6, Episode 15)
“The Time Warp” is one of the most memorable and inspiring episodes. It shows us what some of the doctors went through to get where they are now. “Derek, who takes over from Dr. Webber as the hospital's chief of surgery, decides to reinstate a lecture series, which allows for the series to flash back to earlier times in the lives of several of the doctors and lets us see where they came from. Webber, Bailey, and Callie—the last of whom is terrified of public speaking—all take the stage to detail some of their most memorable cases, and the results are pretty spectacular,” according to Looper. We also see how Dr. Bailey solved a medical mystery even though her supervisor kept trying to stop her. This episode inspires fans to never give up even if people doubt you.
7 "If/Then" (Season 8, Episode 13)
"If/Then" is an episode you can watch on a night where you just want to relax and have fun. The whole episode is about an alternate universe and shows an ideal life for the characters (or at least what they think their lives should be like). “It imagines a world where Meredith is a preppy It girl engaged to a wildly energetic Alex, her mother alive and happily married to Chief Webber. Derek no longer has his easygoing disposition—he's a sad sack married to Addison… The characters somehow find themselves exactly where they should be—like Meredith and Derek chatting each other up at a bar,” according to PopSugar. The best part about this episode is that the characters end up where they’re supposed to be even if it’s not what they thought they wanted.
6 "All You Need Is Love" (Season 8, Episode 14)
"All You Need Is Love" is the drama show’s Valentine’s Day special. “In this sweet episode, Meredith and Derek try to get sexy alone time together. Between work and Zola, Dr. Bailey struggles to wrap up work for a special date, and Arizona's just dreading her camping trip with Callie,” according to PopSugar. The day doesn’t go as planned for the doctors, but they make the best of it and the couples try their hardest to make time for each other even with their busy schedules. Seeing the characters put love first above everything else will definitely leave you feeling happy after you watch it.
5 "Fear (Of The Unknown)" (Season 10, Episode 24)
Grey’s Anatomy has a lot of episodes that feature female friends, but "Fear (Of The Unknown)" is one that’s all about friendship and how meaningful it is. According to PopSugar, “Derek might be the love of Meredith's life, but Cristina is her soulmate. This is the episode where Cristina Yang last graced our Thursday night screens, right before waltzing away to Switzerland to reign over a top-notch heart facility. Our beloved cardiothoracic genius says goodbye to all of the Grey Sloan surgeons and dances it out with Meredith one last time.”
4 "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" (Season 14, Episode 7)
"Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" is definitely a dramatic episode and even though it will make you feel emotional, it will be in a good way. This episode is about Meredith being nominated for the Harper Avery Awards, which her mother who passed away won several times. As she’s getting ready to go to the awards ceremony, patients come in needing surgery after an accident at a carnival and she decides to stay behind to help the patients. She thought she lost the award since she couldn’t go to the ceremony, but then she discovers she still won anyway and it’s one of the best moments in Grey’s Anatomy. According to Looper, “As Meredith stands in the O.R., watching her friends and loved ones cheer her on from the gallery, she sees the specter of Ellis smiling down at her—bringing a difficult mother-daughter journey to a heartwarming and satisfying conclusion.”
3 "One Day Like This" (Season 14, Episode 17)
In "One Day Like This," the show’s writers tease us and make us believe Meredith might end up with someone else. It seems like she’s falling for transplant surgeon Nick Marsh, who she had to operate on, but it only lasted for this episode. “Nick and Meredith instantly hit it off, having the deepest of talks that we've seen in a while. Teasing Nick as a potential love interest for Meredith was such a cruel red herring on the show's part, but we'd be lying if we said this episode didn't give us the feels,” according to PopSugar. The connection between the two characters will leave you feeling happy and calm after this episode.
2 "All Of Me" (Season 14, Episode 24)
Just like the John Legend song, “All of Me” is about being with the person you love no matter what happens and finding your happily ever after. The episode follows a few of Grey’s Anatomy’s couples. “Jo and Alex become the couple to root for who find love in a hopeless place… Everyone has a happily ever after, including the beloved Arizona and April, who are leaving Grey Sloan for good,” according to PopSugar. Arizona and April leaving the show might make you feel emotional, but the couples finding their happily ever afters at the end will give you so much joy.
1 "Good Shepherd" (Season 15, Episode 21)
“Good Shepherd” is another episode about love, but it’s mostly focused on Amelia and Link. This episode surprised fans in the best way. According to PopSugar, “After being acquaintances with benefits for a while, the two find themselves together once more when they take on a New York case. They awkwardly bump into Amelia's sister at the hospital and get invited to dinner, during which Link hilariously pretends to be Amelia's ex-husband Owen. This episode isn't without family drama, but it's cute in a romantic-comedy kind of way—plus, nobody dies!”