After seeing how many people responded with their love of George and Izzie in my last post, I was surprised and dismayed to see this.
Michael Ausiello writes in a response to a comment wanting George and Izzy relationship to be dead.
Well, they’re not officially dead, but it’s not looking good for the embattled lovebirds after they got eviscerated in a recent focus group. A source close to ABC tells me that George and Izzie polled 95 percent negative, leading one of the 200 or so participants to conclude that, “Gizzie will be dropped.”
I find this incredibly hard to be believe that 95 percent didn’t like them that much. Where are these people? I’m also curious as to why Grey’s Anatomy is conducting focus groups. Are they trying to reach more fans and keep them happy? I hope that is true but I really want George and Izzie to work out. What about you?
This post was Authored by Angela Riley, Our Resident Authority on all things Grey’s Anatomy
July 19th, 2007 at 5:28 am
George and Izzie’s conflicting personalties is a perfect combination IMO. If they want to see the viewers responds on the pairing then they should use the internet instead (broader) than focusing on Focus groups.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:04 am
George and Izzie are the best couple of Grey’s Anatomy and shouldn’t be dropped at all. I won’t watch the show if they don’t get together and I know of people that will do the same thing.
Those panels are not accurate and representative of the people who watch the show. There are lot of people who love Gizzie and definitely there’s not %95 hate.
Gizzie needs to happen in season 4.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:09 am
A small panel does not represent the majority of the show, especially when most people did not even know of its existence. I don’t believe for one minute that 95% of people do not love George and Izzie, as most people I do know are totally in love with this couple.
It would be a shame to drop such a beautiful couple because of one panel.
As for Aussiello, he is an Alex and Izzie fan and has always been incredibly baised against George and Izzie.
I am totally rooting for George and Izzie to be together, as are many other people.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:10 am
There are widespread rumours that fans of the show from Television Without Pity had advanced knowledge of the panel session, helped their likeminded friends get in, and pushed an aggressive anti-George/Izzy, anti-Lexie agenda.
I’m in the advisory group and I think that does indeed appear to be the case. The panel results were out there on the internet before Ausiello posted about them so it appears he doesn’t really have a “source” other that which was available to any of us. And then he choose to perpetuate the results via his column and the idea that ABC “may” be reconsidering, which, if you read closely, is entirely speculation and yet taken as fact by many.
So the panel was heavily biased in one direction and Ausiello either didn’t know that or didn’t care before he posted about it. Not a whole lot of journalistic integrity there. He himself has not been a fan of Lexie or George/Izzie since their storylines began so I doubt he was motivated to report the group’s results objectively.
I do like George and Izzie, so there you have my bias, but from what I’ve seen, there are a lot of fans of them out there who haven’t really voiced their positive opinions until only recently.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Finally someone mentions the gizzie fans. I know a lot of Gizzie shippers and got really disappointed that people really believe they have this huge backlash. At this point, i feel like we are not being heard. If they really drop Gizzie, this will be a huge disrespect.
If they drop Gizzie, i’ll drop the show. They built that amazing love and i believe it’s late to pretend it never happened. And doing that is reason enough for me to lose respect for Grey’s Anatomy. So, i hope they don’t drop Gizzie and if they do, bye bye Grey’s.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Oh, and by the way, there’s also a Gizzie petition if anyone wants to sign it. It only takes a few seconds.
www.petitiononline.com/gizzie/petition.html
July 19th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
George and Izzie is probably the most complex relationship on the entire show, so I see no reason to drop the story-line. After all the emotional growth they went through during season three, it would seem completely pointless to say that George forgot all about Izzie and went back to Callie. And, anyway, since when has Grey’s Anatomy catered specifically to the fans? Shonda has always written how she wanted the show to turn out, and she’s wanted George/Izzie since the pilot.
Just because some people don’t agree with a certain story-line, there’s no reason to drop it. George/Izzie FTW!
July 19th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I’ll be disappointed in the writers if they drop a storyline because some people dislike it. At any given point, SOMEONE doesn’t like something that is happening on a show. You can’t please everyone and as writers, you shouldn’t try. It’s a disrespect of your creativity and vision for the show if you write to please people. The George/Izzie relationship deserves a chance to win people over and I think it will. I’ve seen it coming from the beginning and I’m in full support of it.
July 19th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
I have to agree with Gail. I feel so unheard! All I ever see are articles online about how everyone hates Gizzie and yet there are tons of fan videos, fictions, and sites dedicated how great they are. Who ARE they polling? I feel discouraged and sad. I don’t know how I could go back to watching them just as friends. I feel let down and angry.
July 19th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
George and Izzie are absolutely wonderful together. Unconventional, yes. Surprising, sure. But they’re adorable together, and seem to have a real connection. Always have, always will. I love that it’s so unexpected, and yet there are some people who have been rooting for an O’Stevens hook up from the beginning. I think a small group of haters can scream louder than a loud group of lovers, and that’s the case here. Because there are plenty of people, people who may not necessarily go on line and participate in focus groups, that love the idea of George and Izzie together.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
George and Izzy have a huge following of people who love them too. People always mention haters but I never see them. Almost everyone I know who watches Grey’s likes Gizzie. Gizzie is the best part of the show I doubt I’ll tune in without Gizzie.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I personally am a huge fan of Gizzie and would be rather peeved if the relationship was dropped. They both bring out the best in each other and sometimes to worst, but that’s what a real couple is like and that’s why I adore them. I really hope they have a chance in the next season, it would be terrible to see the love they have be wasted.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
I’m with most of you in thinking that it wouldn’t make any sense for Shonda to drop the George/Izzie storyline when it’s clear she loves them together, and has clearly slowly built up to this point with them pretty much since the show began, as even she herself has said. It just wouldn’t be believable for them to try to back them out of their storyline before it even got the chance to really be told, and like some of you are saying, if the haters get their way and this storyline is dropped, they’re almost certain to move on to attacking the next storyline they decide they don’t like for whatever reason, figuring that if the writers caved this time, that they probably would do so again, starting a vicious cycle that’d probably never end until the show became a parody of its former self. Just bad news all the way around. Then again, I’ve been a G/I fan since at least midway through season two, so in that context, it only makes sense that I’d love to see this storyline be given the chance it deserves…and given a little time and some decent writing, I’m sure even some of the haters will turn around in favour of the O’Stevens love…;)
July 19th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
i am among those that will no longer be watching the show if the gizzie storyline is dropped. honestly, i barely watched any of s3. but as soon as i heard that george and izzie might actually be happening, i started tuning in. i understand that shonda has a responsibility to the network to keep the ratings up, but there must be SOME sort of compromise that can be reached without having to drop the storyline completely. because honestly, i would lose alot of my respect for her if she did so, and i would most definitely stop watching.
July 20th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Gail said it best in my opinion.
I love George and Izzie together. No one is going to change my opinion of it.
I’ll be pissed if Shonda just drops the storyline because I was led to believe that she would follow her original plan for the show no matter how people react.
There are a lot of people who like George and Izzie together, but they’re scared to voice their opinion because of the few vocal haters.
July 23rd, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Gonna be the dissenting voice here. I used to be a shipper for these two, I swear. From season one, all the way up to around mid-S2. But the character assassination that has gone on here pains me, and the fact is that this ship, at this point in time, makes no sense for the characters involved. It also destroyed any enthusiasm I had for the last third of the season.
One main thing is, I love Geroge and Izzie’s friendship. It was a strong, true friendship, almost one of its kind on TV. And then, as is the cliche, they have sex and fall in love (out of NOWHERE). I believe they are soulmates, but not sexual or romantic ones. They belong to each other as friends. And anything more than that seems untrue to the characters.
And the circumstances. The two get drunk and have sex, and suddenly they are in love? Not to mention this makes George yet another adulterer/cheater (After Addison, Derek, Ellis, Webber, and Alex) and Izzie another ‘dirty mistress’ (after Olivia, Meredith and Mark). There are some serious fidelity issues on this show, and it’s troubling me. And after the hissy fit Izzie had back in S2 over Alex sleeping with another girl while they were dating (after what, one date?), now she’s completely okay with sexing up her married best friend and ruining his marriage? I just can’t believe that.
(Of course, I’m still reeling from Izzie’s ridiculous re-entry into the intern program, and her ridiculously over the top relationship with Denny. I like the girl, but seriously, her plots always make me cringe. Maybe the writers just don’t know how to properly write for Izzie. Maybe she can have an over the top storyline where she has cancer and dies.)
No offense meant to the George/Izzie shippers. If it had been better handled, I probably would be one of you. But after the insulting way this ship was thrown together and shoved into a show I’m supposed to love instead of growing organically like it could’ve, I’m still deciding how many episodes I’m giving S4 to regain my interest. Especially when my favourite character (Addison) is departing the show for a spinoff.
Anyways, you can continue your George/Izzy party now. I’ll just let myself out.
July 30th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
George & Izzy’s relationship is the BEST thing to come out of Grey’s Anatomy….if their relationship is dropped, I will drop the show. I watch it JUST for their relationship…they are best friends and understand each other, it’s just PERFECT!