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20 years is a long time for a television show to be on the air. In fact, when Grey’s Anatomy first debuted in Boston Law's airing slot as that show went on a four-week hiatus, Batman Begins was still a few months out from debuting in the theaters. If the culture and entertainment shift from Batman Begins to now feels huge, imagine navigating that on a single television show.

Showrunner Meg Marinis has been working on Grey's Anatomy since its third year. Now, she's running the whole thing, which is not easy feat. At D23 Expo's Grey's Anatomy 20th season celebration panel, moderator Malcolm Venable asked Marinis about how the writers room keeps the show fresh after all these years.

“There’s a deep well of history to draw from by knowing the characters so well,” Marinis replied. “It’s almost easier to keep it fresh, you just keep bringing in new situations.”

"We discovered that people continue to do things that get them hurt or injured in very innovative ways," Marinis said to much laughter. "And also medicine has come a long way," both in treatment technology and as a professional field.

“There’s been an evolution of how you teach and wellness and even the hours you can work,” Marinis said, adding that certain things that would have happened in the hospital in early seasons simply wouldn't fly now.

Venable also pointed out the very basic technology changes from paper charts to tablets. Marinis added, "we used to have pagers, now it's done through phones." 

Remember pagers?

Grey's Anatomy Season 21 premieres September 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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