'Grey' slipping?

Has "Grey's Anatomy" started to slip?

This show has been one of my favorites since it debuted. Critical reaction was mixed, but my original review (almost exactly two years ago) called it "an extremely well-done hour full of great characters, fine performances, excellent writing and top-notch direction."

I've seen every episode since that debut and been continually impressed with the show's quality.

But then came the three-parter centering on a ferry fire. Creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes and her team built it around the question of whether Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) would live or die.

And that meant no tension whatsoever. The show is called "Grey's Anatomy." What were the odds that they were going to kill off Grey?

Zero.

The show has built a huge following on being overwrought, but this three-parter was over-the-top to the point of being ridiculous. And not just because of Meredith's trip to purgatory (or whatever it was), where she met several characters who died.

For a show that guards its secrets better than the government, Rhimes and her team have suddenly started telegraphing what are supposed to be shocking plot twists. If you couldn't see the death of Meredith's mother coming a mile away, you weren't paying attention.

And then there was last week's episode, when you could see about 10 miles away that George (T.R. Knight) and Izzie (Katherine Heigl) would end up in bed together.

What's really frightening is that Rhimes is readying a spinoff series centered on Addison Shepherd (Kate Walsh). This at a time when she seems to be losing focus with the show she has.

Maybe this is a temporary dip in the normally high quality of "Grey's Anatomy." Maybe it will be quickly corrected. I certainly hope so.

And I'm certainly not suggesting that this huge hit will suddenly disappear. TV shows tend to run on momentum — many times a big hit will decline in quality but still continue to draw a lot of viewers for several years.

But it would be a shame if viewers were only watching "Grey's Anatomy" out of habit, not because it's good.

IT HAS BEEN TOUGH for Rhimes and the other folks in charge of "Grey's Anatomy," what with all the controversy over Isaiah Washington using a gay slur against Knight, apologizing, then denying it, then apologizing again.