The other night my new upstairs neighbors were moving their furniture around very, very late at night and thus I was very, very awake at two thirty. I decided to make the best of things and clean out the TiVo. What did I have? Not much. I went with a “Grey’s Anatomy” rerun and drifted in and out of sleep depending on what was happening upstairs. Also, I tend to look away from the TV whenever there’s blood, so that’s like half the show in the case of “Grey’s Anatomy.” It was during a particularly touching but unwatchable scene where Meredith had to climb into an ambulance to stick a giant needle in a man’s chest that it hit me – the “Grey’s Anatomy” interns are the characters from “Friends.”

No way, you’re thinking. “Grey’s Anatomy” is a serious show about human frailty, race and class issues in our society and the importance of family ties. It is. Plus they save people's lives! Most of the “grown up” characters on the show like Dr. Bailey and Erica Hahn and even Callie Torres won’t fit into my “Friends” rubric. But whatever, right?

Here goes: Meredith is Rachel. Whiny? Check. Self obsessed? Check. Highlighted to within an inch of her life? Oh, yeah. The next one’s easy too: competitive, perfectionistic Cristina is a dead ringer for Monica. Sweet, daffy, animal-loving Izzy (remember the deer?) is Phoebe sans guitar. McDreamy is sad-eyed but oh-so-condescending Ross with better hair. Dorky, formerly lovelorn George is Seattle Grace’s Chandler Bing. And then we come to Alex. Is he a perfect match for Joey Tribbiani? No. But he is a man slut who always, always gets stuck in the B plot line.

So what does this all mean? Maybe nothing. I seriously doubt we’re gonna get a Cristina/George wedding next season…though the idea of Meredith and McDreamy having a little Emma of their own doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Pssst, Shonda, I’d love to see a kooky Thanksgiving episode. Remember when Cristina made Burke reassemble all those chicken carcasses after he got shot? Something like that, and maybe throw in some touch football.

- Posted by Kate