Summary

• Grey's Anatomy is known for its mix of medical drama, romance, and humor.
• The doctors find themselves in compromising positions in the hospital's on-call room, making for some awkward and hilarious moments.
• Arizona refers to her pediatric patients as "tiny humans," which adds a touch of humor to some of the show's more serious episodes.

Grey's Anatomy is a comedy as well as a drama, and has established some now-iconic running jokes over the years. Lead by sarcastic and brilliant personalities such as Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), as well as some hilariously positive characters like Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), there are plenty of jokes to go around on Grey's Anatomy. These beats break up or carefully blend with the show's more dramatic elements.

Most of the fan favorite running Grey's Anatomy gags are more prevalent in the earlier seasons, with few surviving into funniest scenes in Grey's Anatomy and the best instances of its recurring humor will be beloved by fans.

10 The Plastics Posse

Mark & Jackson Form A Funny ing Duo

Mark (Eric Dane) and Jackson (Jesse Williams) strike up something of an unlikely friendship made funny by their complete enthusiasm about having a catchy nickname. At first, Jackson feels like Mark is making things unnecessarily difficult for him when he expresses an interest in going into plastic surgery. However, when Jackson turns to Derek for some more practical surgery opportunities, Mark gets hilariously defensive over "his guy," whom he apparently does think has great potential and wants to mentor further (season 8, episode 4, "What Is It About Men").

Mark and Jackson start referring to themselves with the cheesy title of the "plastics posse" and are both ecstatic about having someone with whom to share this ion. Mark also practically fusses over Jackson leading up to his medical board exam. It is not necessarily the most clever humor from Grey's Anatomy, but entertaining nonetheless, as these two ing characters form an amusing and unexpected dynamic.

9 Grey Sloan Memorial's On-Call Room

Many Of Grey's Anatomy's Romances Lead To The Famous On-Call Room

Romance and sex are two complimentary (but sometimes separate) major themes throughout Grey's Anatomy. The on-call room is available for doctors working long shifts to get some rest, but is regularly used by just about everyone for random hookups. Viewers are amused by the doctors spontaneously taking off in the middle of a work day — or worse, having someone else walk into them or hear them from outside the door. It contributes to the feeling of how Grey Sloan Memorial is always characterized by a whirlwind of romantic drama and professional woes.

The doctors are even aware that this is a recurring incident within the show: Alex (Justin Chambers) tells them all he's not going through the trouble of defining his relationship with Jo (Camilla Luddington) on paper when all the couples who run the hospital have been to the on-call room at least once (season 10, episode 14, "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"). This joke has some points against it, as the Grey's Anatomy cast is apparently incapable of maintaining professional and therefore platonic workplace relationships.

8 The Tiny Humans

Arizona's Term For Her Patients Is Funny & Adorable

Arizona rolls into Grey's Anatomy in season 5 with a chipper attitude that outmatches even the most positive doctors at the hospital. She takes her job of working with children seriously, helping them and their families remain hopeful through difficult treatments. Arizona repeatedly refers to her patients as "tiny humans," characteristic of her typically happy and joking personality. It's a simpler joke as it's only a mere descriptor, but delightful every time she says it.

Arizona uses this phrase in almost any situation, undercutting some very stressful episodes with moments of light humor. For example, when the hospital goes into lockdown due to a shooter being on the premises, she tells her staff to "not alarm the makers of the tiny humans" (season 6, episode 23, "Sanctuary"). The term has become another element intrinsically associated with Grey's Anatomy, demonstrating how Arizona as an individual contributes to the comedy.

7 Grey Sloan Memorial's Elevators

The Doctors Also Find Themselves In Awkward Situations In Grey Sloan's Elevators

While the hookups in the on-call room are sometimes premeditated, what happens in the elevators is usually spontaneous. The elevators at the hospital are so known as the sites of random make-out sessions that Addison bursts out laughing when she finds herself standing silently in one with a new colleague when she takes off to get her spinoff started (season 3, episode 22, "The Other Side of This Life: Part 1"). However, the humorous potential for the elevators has grown beyond even this.

The doctors end up in the most hilariously awkward situations in the elevators.

The doctors end up in the most hilariously awkward situations in the elevators. Some of them are so unlikely it's even impressive. Derek somehow ends up standing in silence with his current girlfriend, his ex-girlfriend, and his ex-wife; Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) bursts in just after Teddy (Kim Raver) tells Owen (Kevin McKidd) she's pregnant and just before the elevator breaks down; and a million other things in between. These random, stressful, and enticing incidents show more of the hospital's craziness.

6 Grey Sloan Memorial's Crazy Medical Cases

The Grey Sloan Doctors Are Entranced Every Time They Find A Remarkable New Case

Grey's Anatomy never fails to remind the audience that most of the main cast went into the medical profession because of a love for science. They are enthralled by massive tumors and seemingly impossible conditions — even though the patients experiencing them aren't too happy. Every character in Grey's Anatomy loves solving the puzzle of how to treat each new condition and discovering new, unimaginable ailments and remedies.

The usual scenario is that one doctor will walk in with the announcement of a new crazy case in "the pit," and all the interns will dash off to see if they can help treat the patient in question. Doctors will stare at x-rays in complete awe or start drawing diagrams on walls. The residents are always fighting to scrub in on the coolest surgeries, not just because it will advance their education, but because they are enamored by it. Grey's Anatomy includes some completely hilarious reactions when the doctors see a new marvel of science.

5 Cristina In Meredith & Derek's Relationship

Cristina Is Always In The Middle Of Meredith & Derek's Marriage

Derek has long accepted that being married to Meredith means Cristina is always around. The best friends' bond intrudes upon the series' main romance over and over again in some laugh-out loud moments. Namely, Cristina will randomly appear at the house and climb into bed next to Meredith while Derek is still asleep, resulting in him being very confused when he wakes up. They also plan for Cristina to have her own room at their new house.

It's funny every time Derek is baffled by Cristina's presence, or just begrudgingly accepts that he should leave while they talk. He would think that Cristina being in her own committed relationship would take up more of her time, but she just ends up coming to the house whenever Owen is working and she is not. However, all jokes aside, Derek and Cristina do form a kind of respectful friendship out of love for Meredith.

4 The Twisted Sisters

Meredith & Christina Are Known For Being "Dark & Twisty"

When they meet upon entering (then) Seattle Grace's internship program, Meredith and Cristina become fast friends, largely due to their similarly dark-minded personalities. They both wave off being overly sentimental and would rather be in the OR than on a Valentine's Day double date with their boyfriends. Yet Meredith and Cristina understand each other in such a way that they both know when the other needs to have a serious conversation with real emotional .

Meanwhile, Meredith and Cristina are in their own world, laughing at a dark joke only they can understand.

Grey's Anatomy gets many of its best jokes from Meredith and Cristina being "dark and twisty" together, in contrast with other characters being mildly put off by them. Derek and Owen just want to take them out for a nice evening; Izzie (Katherine Heigl) or George (T. R. Knight) just want to have a normal conversation. Meanwhile, Meredith and Cristina are in their own world, laughing at a dark joke only they can understand.

3 Everyone Living At Meredith's House

Almost Every Doctor Lives At Meredith's House At Some Point

At one point, the characters actually have a conversation about the fact that most of the evolving cast has lived at Meredith’s house. At the beginning of the series, Meredith is coerced into allowing Izzie and George to move in, starting a series-long tradition. Derek and Alex move in at different points when they are in relationships with Meredith and Izzie. Meredith sells the house to Alex, buys it back, and lets the new interns move in when she moves away.

The house’s ever-changing residents are a point of humor, but not so much as how the building has been stretched to its limits several times. It’s not completely clear how many rooms are in the house, but Meredith initially figures two roommates would be appropriate. However, in the aftermath of the hospital shooting, she, Derek, Alex, Jackson, Lexi (Chyler Leigh), and April (Sarah Drew) all live there. Later on, the “sisters” all live there with Meredith’s three kids. The house becomes a running joke as well as an emotional cornerstone because of these confusing sleeping arrangements.

2 Dr. Bailey Putting Everyone In Their Place

Dr. Bailey's Take Downs Never Get Old

Miranda Bailey’s reputation as a no-nonsense supervisor is established when her new interns meet her in the Pilot. Bailey's best quotes in Grey's Anatomy include telling all her interns she hates them on the first day (which definitely does change). Her intimidating nature is one of the best facets of her character, illustrating her drive to succeed, but also serves the show’s comedic undertones well. Namely, Bailey has called out just about everyone on the show for mes at work or making questionable personal decisions at some point.

Bailey’s interactions with Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Cristina — showcasing how terrified they are of her — are highlights of the early seasons. However, the best part is that Bailey can pull off saying these things to her superiors as well as the interns. Bailey becomes chief of surgery later, but at the beginning, she technically ranks below Derek and some of the other doctors. This doesn’t stop her from brutally taking them down, leaving them only baffled when they know she’s probably right.

1 The "Mc-" Nicknames

McDreamy, McSteamy, & So On Are Staples Of Grey's Anatomy

The iconic nickname of “Dr. McDreamy” is established by Cristina in a throwaway line in the Pilot. It quickly became the most iconic joke from Grey’s Anatomy. The interns make a habit of picking a new name for every attractive attending who arrives at the hospital. It’s mostly Meredith, Cristina, and Izzie’s inside joke, but some of the funniest moments of the series come from Alex, George, and other characters either completely intentionally or accidentally using the nicknames too.

Derek and Mark are even aware of their respective titles. When Cormac Hayes (Richard) comes to Grey Sloan, Cristina texts Meredith “McWidow” as a callback to a joke that hadn’t been used in a long time since Derek and Mark had both exited the show. However, the recurring beat is one of the most well-known from Grey’s Anatomy and the funny way the characters hint at more steamy romances on the horizon.