Can you imagine turning on ABC on a Thursday night and not seeing Meredith Grey in Seattle saving lives and breaking hearts? Well that was almost the case. In fact, the widely popular medical drama wasn't even originally supposed to be called Grey's Anatomy. Find out all the secrets you probably never knew about Shonda Rhimes' hit below.

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According to Elle, Shonda Rhimes' online Masterclass in television writing offered lots of insight into the writer-producer's original vision for the show and how those changed into what we see every Thursday now. For one thing, the original name of the show was Surgeons, which sounds more like a boring medical documentary that would definitely not have the viewership that Grey's does.

As if that's not enough, the show almost didn't even take place in Seattle. Rhimes originally envisioned her drama in either Boston, Philadelphia or New York City. "This is not a small town life," she wrote. "Big city, big medical center, big surgical opportunities."

And can you imagine Grey's Anatomy without Dr. Alex Karev? Though he's been a central character for 13 seasons now, the character was only added in after shooting the pilot. He, along with all the other doctors (and especially Meredith), were also first written in with a terrible habit -- smoking.

For all you McDreamy fans, here's some insight into what Derek Shepherd first looked like to Shonda -- a divorced man with a teenage daughter who actually convinced him to take the job at the hospital. That would definitely have thrown all sorts of new wrenches into the already complicated works of his relationship with Meredith, don't you think? Additionally, the iconic voiceovers throughout the show by Meredith were originally meant to be from trips she made to visit her Alzheimer's diseased mother.

Which of these changes made by Shonda Rhimes surprised you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Grey's Anatomy season 13 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC. Want more news? Like our Grey's Anatomy page on Facebook!

(Image courtesy of ABC)

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'Grey's Anatomy' Could Have Been a Totally Different Show - BuddyTV (blog)