10 Things That Could End Grey’s Anatomy Forever (But Still Didn’t)

If there's one thing you should know about ABC's Grey's Anatomy, it's that you're likely to see it live for another year, no matter how little sense the previous season made. The show has been on the air for more than 20 years, has survived the departure of most of its original cast, and is now bordering on soap opera realism.

Nevertheless, ABC recently renewed Grey's Anatomy for season 21, which will air in the 2024/25 broadcast season. To honor this decision, fans are remembering all the moments in the show's history they thought would kill it.

The COVID-19 Season

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world hard, and people in every corner of the globe were left to deal with the terrible consequences. Grey's Anatomy couldn't stay away from the topic and exclude it from the narrative, so the show aired its take on COVID-19 in season 17. The season ended up being surprisingly good and true to the medical community 's struggles.

Owen Hunt’s Love Life

Season after season, viewers try to ignore Owen Hunt's antics in order to keep watching the show without the urge to tune out. His PTSD storyline was important and valid, but instead of getting him into therapy and showing the realistic progress of dealing with trauma, the show has thrown him into a series of relationships with women he never treated properly.

Meredith Grey as the Main Character

Even though the show is called Grey's Anatomy, Meredith's personality isn't entertaining enough to make it work. The show started out as a fun journey of 5 interns stepping into the hospital and trying to become the doctors they wanted to be. Today, Grey's is trying to recapture those days, but after years of being Meredith-centric, it may not be possible.

Catherine Fox

Even though Debbie Allen's talent is unmatched, Catherin Fox's character brought nothing to the show but constant annoyance. Viewers struggled to find a single nice thing about her, and they still do. Many believe that the only thing keeping Catherine on the show is Allen's status as a producer.

Cristina Yang Leaving for Switzerland

Cristina Yang leaving Seattle was one of the show's biggest downfalls. Sandra Oh's character was a fan favorite from the beginning and was a perfect balance to Meredith, who was sometimes too soft and gullible. Unfortunately, the actress has no plans to return to the show, even with a small cameo, and Grey's Anatomy will never be the same without her.

The Plane Crash

This one episode changed the lives of many characters and ended in several extremely painful storylines. The deaths of Mark and Lexie are at the top of the list, as they remain the show's most tragic storyline. Arizona's loss of her leg was the second, making another fun favorite couple struggle with a badly written conflict.

Alex and Izzie’s Reunion

By season 16, Alex Karev had gone through some major character development and ended up being a great pediatric surgeon, Jo's support system and loving husband, and Meredith's best friend. It all seems perfect until one day he just leaves to reunite with his past love interest Izzie Stevens, cutting ties with everyone through a letter.

Callie and Arizona’s Custody Battle

It's never easy to break up a marriage, especially when there's a young child involved. And just like in real life, things got pretty ugly pretty quickly when Callie wanted to move and take Sofia with her. This storyline was horrible from beginning to end and completely ruined Callie's character, as well as murdered all hopes for Calzona to come back.

Derek Shepherd’s Death

Since Grey's Anatomy has always been about Meredith, and half of Meredith's struggles have always been tied to her McDreamy of a man, Derek Shepherd, it was obvious that fans would not take his exit well. But when Patrick Dempsey asked for a way out, the writers had to do the worst thing they could to avoid breaking up Merder, and killed off Derek instead.

Shonda Rhimes Leaving

After creating the show and running it as showrunner, head writer, and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes has become synonymous with Grey's Anatomy. But in 2015, Rhimes made the decision to step away from the show, and it hasn't been the same since. However, as long as Grey's is going, there is still a chance for her to come back.

Source: Reddit