No question, Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) reappearing on Grey's Anatomy when everyone knows he's been dead for a couple of seasons has riled up a lot of fans, including or especially those who were very fond of him when he wasn't dead.  I was thinking perhaps the writers already had a definite plan to give Izzie (Katherine Heigl) a medical condition, and when they started thinking about the ways this can manifest, Denny – darling of the fans – came to mind.  Brilliant at most, logical at the very least.

This thought process has got me wondering whether Denny appearing on the show has made any significant dent on its ratings.  It's clearly for this reason why the writers are forcing a borderline insane storyline (ghost sex, the works) despite the general distaste the fans have shown over the course of Denny's lingering on Seattle Grace.  Let's see.

As you all know, Denny Duquette first appeared on Seattle Grace during the middle of season 2, as a patient who was waiting for a heart transplant whom Izzie grew very close with.  Episodes in this season averaged around 21.3 million viewers, around 15 percent higher than in the maiden season.  Of course, Denny died, and we witnessed one of what would be one of Grey's Anatomy's trademark scenes – Izzie in a dress being carried away from Denny's deathbed by Alex (Justin Chambers).  Remember that it was also during this time when Grey's started overtaking its original lead-in Desperate Housewives.

Season 3 went on to reap the rewards of a stellar second season, with its premiere beating perennial top-ranked CSI on its timeslot.  Its average?  22.3 million viewers.  Denny-less Season 4 came and saw a major slump in the ratings, with a sharp decline worth 6.4 million viewers.

And then there was season 5.

When Denny first showed his dead self to Izzie around November of last year, the episode saw a slight jump in the ratings, up nearly 1 million from the previous week with 15.7 million.  Not so surprisingly, that episode of Grey's was the most watched among women and adults 18 to 49 years old.  Denny's first appearance did well for Grey's as they reeled its biggest audience since the season premiere.

Several episodes later, however, a cursory look at all the Grey's online forums would tell you that the Denny storyline got old quite fast.  It didn't help that whenever Izzie would be on screen, almost always, Denny would be there, too.  When Grey's went back on air in January 8, the episode (still with dead Denny) drew 13.7 million.  The subsequent January 15 episode showed even further dwindling, dipping 6 percent to fall shy of 13 mil (then again, this was Grissom's farewell episode on CSI).  I can't find any data for last week's episode.

Of course, there are other factors that could've influenced the ratings (that is, if you believe in them in the first place).  Denny is but a minor character in the Grey's universe, yet one that have successfully revived interest in the show up until the audience decided they have had it, and, apparently, started to tune out.  The showrunners swear that there's a very good reason why they resurrected Denny other than the ratings.  I can only say: all this hullabaloo better be worth it.


- Glenn Paul Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of ABC)