BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — After two seasons of smooth sailing, "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes hit rough waters this year. Many fans did not like how the season ended, or how the spinoff "Private Practice" started. Not to mention the entire Isaiah Washington disaster.

"Yeah, it was a difficult season for us behind the scenes, but creatively, we moved in the direction we planned to move," Rhimes says. "People love you, but there has to be a moment where people can't love you all the time. You can't be perfect all the time."

Fine, but did she have to "move" George and Izzie together, an affair that really drew fan ire?

"I'm not necessarily saying that George and Izzie are the love story of the century," she says. "People make mistakes."

Just wait, Rhimes says, until their friends find out.