Has Grey's Anatomy Flatlined? Even Loyal Fans Think It's Time to End the Show
Now that Meredith Grey has officially left Grey Sloan Memorial, even the most die-hard Grey's Anatomy fans are starting to see the cracks in the show's facade and agree with a Reddit thread asking the question:
"Anyone else think that Grey's Anatomy should have ended at least 7 or 8 seasons ago?"
Fans who previously would have passionately argued against that statement are beginning to agree that it may be time for Grey's Anatomy to end sooner rather than later.
Meredith's departure may have served as the final, fatal blow to the medical drama, but the trouble started a few seasons ago with what felt like a mass exodus of favorite main characters, including Arizona Robbins, Jackson Avery, Andrew DeLuca and Alex Karev, as well as a slow, downward spiral in the quality of writing.
With so many original characters leaving Redditor Vibrantlifesaver feels that, "Even people that act in the show are done."
Alex Karev's Season 16 exit was especially upsetting because of the ridiculous storyline involving him abandoning Jo, his friends, and his career to be with ex-wife Izzie and their secret babies, with DiamondBurInTheRough commenting that they "Gave up after Alex's departure episode," and many others agreeing.
Grey's Anatomy has been on the air for 19 seasons, a number that few other shows have managed to reach, but it seems inevitable that Grey's Anatomy will run out of ideas for romantic pairings between existing characters, and extreme and shocking medical cases and storylines, having already had a plane crash, a hospital shooter, a bomb in a body, and more.
One of the more recent dramatic plots involving Meredith's coma had fans comparing Grey's Anatomy to a soap opera with the cliched "main character in a coma" scenario.
Season 19 introduced a new set of ambitious, competitive interns, one of whom is the nephew of beloved Derek Shepherd, but even this unexpected connection isn't enough to resuscitate the emotional investment fans once had in the show.
Fans who are still watching are most likely doing so in hopes that Meredith Grey will make a surprise guest appearance in a future episode to address the new interns or maybe step in to help a complex story, as has been teased by other cast members, but may just be a way to keep viewership up.
For those who have followed the journey of the doctors and residents on Grey's Anatomy since the first episode in 2005, it is hard to let go.
Grey's Anatomy started with Meredith Grey and should have ended when she left, if not a few seasons before, the show has been clinging to life, but it has come time to consider taking it off life support once and for all.