Does ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Really Need To Keep Bringing Back Old Characters?

If you listen closely, you can hear the world collectively sigh every time Grey’s Anatomy gets renewed for another season. Even diehard fans of the series can admit that the series isn’t the same as it once was. The quality has drastically diminished, there are like two original characters left, and the storylines are dull and lifeless in comparison to past seasons. It’s not unwatchable by any means, but it’s definitely not as enjoyable as it used to be, which is almost as bad. The show has burnt itself out over the years, yet keeps trudging along. The dedication is admirable, but is it really worth it?

In recent seasons, the show has discovered that a surefire way to boost viewership is to bring back familiar faces. It’s why we saw the return of April Kepner (Sarah Drew), why Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) had a mini-arc in Season 19, and why Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) came back for a special appearance in a recent episode. The simple fact is that fans love and miss the old characters, and the showrunners know it, so what better way to excite an audience than to bring those characters back? But the issue is that those characters don’t stick around, they’re simply guest stars, and once that special episode ends we’re back to the regular show, which just isn’t as exciting. So, is it really a good idea to bring back the old characters? Or should Grey’s Anatomy opt for a fresh start?

Grey’s Anatomy

A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.

Release Date

March 27, 2005

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

20

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Isn’t What It Used To Be

As sad as it is to admit, Grey’s Anatomy’s recent seasons just aren’t on par with previous ones. It’s understandable that a show as long-running as Grey’s Anatomy would have some ups and downs, but it’s become more and more noticeable that the show is sort of spinning its wheels. Especially with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) taking a step back – AKA, the “Grey” in Grey’s Anatomy – the show feels off-kilter and hasn’t quite found its footing again. There are still good episodes, even moments that are quite riveting, but those moments have become increasingly more scarce.

Grey’s seemingly has lots of content to work with. After all, there’s always some crazy medical case that can be invented for the sake of an episode. But it almost feels as though the show has toned down the absurdity of its storylines. No more are the storylines featuring patients with a pole stuck through them, or teenagers who jumped into a vat of cement on a dare. Things are rather benign at Grey Sloan Memorial lately, and though Grey’s Anatomy would still catch some flack for these types of ridiculous storylines, it never failed to bring in curious audiences who just had to see it to believe it. Now the craziest thing we see on Grey’s are old characters coming back for a surprise visit. But that may be doing the show more harm than good.

Bringing Back Old Characters Isn’t Helping ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Grey’s Anatomy has lost its fair share of characters over the seasons. Whether it be that the character dies or the actor portraying them simply decides to leave the show. One of the first major losses the show saw was when George (T.R. Knight) died at the end of Season 5. Izzie (Katherine Heigl) left the show soon after. Lexie (Chyler Leigh) and Mark (Eric Dane) died in the Season 8 plane crash. Cristina (Sandra Oh) left in Season 10, Derek (Patrick Dempsey) died in Season 11, and so on. It feels as if the show has seen more character exits than arrivals, which can shake up any TV show, no matter how stable. But when Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) left in Season 16, that’s when the show really went downhill. At that point, he and Meredith were the only original interns left, so his departure left Meredith as the sole member of M.A.G.I.C left at Grey Sloan Memorial. Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Bailey (Chandra Wilson) are now the only characters from Season 1 that are still around. (Oh, and BokHee (Kathy C. An)! Who can forget BokHee?)

Over the seasons we’ve seen certain characters return. Such as the aforementioned Addison Montgomery (who has her own spin-off called Private Practice), who has come back sporadically throughout the series to bestow her talents as a neonatal surgeon. Sarah Drew returned briefly and gave us the Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April endgame we had been craving. And who can forget when Meredith was in a COVID-19-induced coma and was visited by the ghosts of Derek, Lexie, Mark, and George? Obviously, as fans, it’s exciting to see these characters again and see what they’ve been up to since their last stint on the show, but is it really worth it in the end? On the surface it may seem like bringing back fan-favorite characters would be the perfect recipe for success for Grey’s Anatomy. But that success only lasts as long as the time leading up to the episode and the time it airs. Afterward, things go back to normal and all the excitement and huge moments to look forward to are gone. It feels more like a tease than anything, because we know that once the credits roll we won’t be seeing that character again for a while – if ever. So yeah, bringing back the old characters helps for an episode, but it isn’t enough to revive the series as a whole.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Needs a Fresh Start

It’s never disappointing when Grey’s Anatomy brings back old characters, but if the show wants to continue moving forward – and doing well for itself – it needs to opt for a clean slate. It’s in a weird sort of limbo state at the moment. So many of the OG characters that made the show what it is, are gone now, and yes, there are still some fan favorites who arrived later, such as Teddy (Kim Raver) and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone). But it’s about time Grey’s Anatomy makes a decision about where it wants to go. And at this point, there are really only two options that seem plausible: call it quits or enter a new era of Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s Anatomy 2.0, if you will.

Rather than bringing back old characters in an attempt to capitalize off of its most successful seasons, Grey’s should start fresh with new interns and fully commit to them. The show did introduce us to a new group of interns, and for a while it seemed like maybe this would be the turning point the show needed, but that quickly proved not to be the case. Characters such as Bailey, Richard, and Amelia can still stick around, the show doesn’t need to completely rid itself of its OG characters, but it needs to better commit to the new ones as well. Audiences will never be able to resonate with the new characters if they’re not given the proper screentime and character development. It’s probably the show’s biggest flaw, in how it introduces what could be really interesting characters but doesn’t do much of anything with them and instead focuses on the characters we already know because that’s what the show thinks we want. In reality, moving away from those characters wouldn’t be a bad thing so long as those we were focusing on instead were just as fleshed out and interesting.

Grey’s Anatomy used to be so good at introducing new characters with fleshed-out backstories and colorful personalities. Now? Everyone seems dull and there isn’t much to latch onto. There’s the occasional character, sure, but none are super memorable and that’s rather unfortunate. The show not only needs a revamp with characters though, it also needs to go back to its roots and find that nostalgic balance of drama and comedy that early Grey’s Anatomy had. That’s what made the show unique. It could take your heart and stomp on it with some of the most gut-wrenching storylines. But it could also make you laugh a scene later. The storylines in general need to be juicier too. Bring back the disaster episodes, bring back the medical cases so ridiculous you can’t help but chuckle despite your better judgment, bring back the cheesy love confessions in the scrub room. It’s what fans really want.

Grey’s Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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