TV Pick of the week: Grey's Anatomy

Sara Ramirez of Grey's Anatomy. Photo / Supplied

As two lives hang in the balance in the blood-splattered operating room, Dr Callie Torres and Dr Owen Hunt belt out Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars, joined by the normally straight-faced Dr Bailey who pipes in with the third verse, right after ordering A-positive blood.

Later, leading stars Derek (Patrick Dempsey) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) merrily join in with a cast sing-along to Jesus Jackson's Running On Sunshine.

Yes, the dream sequence-induced musical episode has come to Grey's Anatomy. When news of the show breaking into song came out last year, viewers weren't alone in their bewilderment. Among them was Kevin McKidd (Dr Hunt).

"A lot of people were nervous. And rightly so because both the network and studio were like, We're not sure about this musical idea - we need to see something."'

McKidd, who also plays guitar, was one of the first people producer Shonda Rhimes turned to to help convince the show's backers hat that the prime-time drama could successfully jump on the Glee bandwagon. Deciding Rhimes' initial idea of having him play acoustic guitar for the big bosses would be "'more like an episode of The Office", McKidd brought in a full band.

Meanwhile, Tony Award-winning Broadway singer Sara Ramirez (Torres) suggested using tracks from the series' history, like Chasing Cars and The Fray's How to Save a Life, which became a top 10 hit worldwide after featuring in season two.

"We did this gig for the execs - gave then lunch and made them feel like they were in some cool cafe - then did a full-on presentation where Shonda explained the story," says Kevin. "At certain points, we all sang. It was nerve-wracking, but it worked."

It wasn't until filming started that everyone realised the logistical challenges involved, like everything taking three times as long to film.

"It was a lot of hard work," says Justin Chambers, who plays Dr Alex Karev. "They really took a chance on that episode and we have to give credit to Shonda and the show for that. To be this far into the series and go, 'let's try something different'.

"And they're inspired by the musical stuff, which is really popular right now. There are lots of talented kids who can sing and dance and that's fun to see - a lot of people didn't know Sara is such a brilliant singer."

LOWDOWN

What: Grey's Anatomy, musical episode
Where and when: Tuesday, 8.30pm.

- TimeOut