Like most long-lasting drama procedurals, there have been a lot of main characters to come and go on Grey’s Anatomy. In fact, it’s become one of the major hallmarks of the show that few characters are truly safe from an untimely exit — only Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who’s just part-time at this point, along with Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) remain of the series’ originals.
Throughout its 22 seasons on ABC, there have been epic disasters, character clashes, and sudden goodbyes of long-lasting characters that have taken major players out of the surgical game. Most recently, it was Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) who walked away from the hospital for a bold new adventure together after years of owning the show’s romantic drama, for better and for worse.
Some of the goodbyes were more unexpected than others, though. For instance, some fans didn’t see the deaths of characters coming, like: Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) dying after saving the day in a car accident, being hit by a truck, and then neglected at a rural hospital; Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) coming out of the plane crash coma alive and well … but only for a few minutes before he went brain dead; or George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) being hit by a bus and rendered unrecognizable, only to reveal his identity to Mer by scrawling “007” on her hand. Meanwhile, the fact that other docs took off so suddenly, like Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) heading off to Switzerland or Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) signing off with a series of letters, after so long might’ve been rattling as well.
Here, we’re wondering which of the many Grey’s Anatomy exits of long-lasting characters and actors truly caught you by surprise the most. Weigh in with our poll below!
Grey’s Anatomy, Season 23, Premiere Date TBA, ABC