10 top shows that jumped the shark (and when they did it)

Grey’s Anatomy does an entire episode as a musical

Shonda Rhimes does a lot of things really, really well, but musicals might not be at the top of that list. In a long running show like Grey’s Anatomy, it’s hard to keep things fresh. Even now, in it’s fourteenth season, some storylines can feel a little recycled or familiar. When “Song Beneath a Song” aired in the seventh season, it was the 18th episode of the season. That’s a long slog between premiere and finale, and Rhimes has a lot of latitude to introduce new ideas.

Grey’s fans will remember the all-musical episode came on the heels of Callie and Arizona’s disastrous car accident, and the plot centered on the doctors trying to save her life. Just like everything Grey’s does, somethings were unintentionally ridiculous, and other things were really moving and poignant.

Although the episode proved heavy on the auto-tune, it did showcase some of the actors’ major chops. Eric Dane, as Mark Sloane, delivered one of the best bits of his career. He played the hand-wringing, worried, expectant dad with precision and grace. Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey is always a force, but she showed herself to be multi-talented. Perhaps the most remarkable moment of the episode came when the whole cast came together to sing “How to Save a Life” around an operating table. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a nostalgic comeback.

It was definitely a daring move on the show’s part, and it didn’t really prove damning for the show, at all. It’s still going strong with 300+ episodes, but it may have been the pivot point on which many fans said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”