'Grey's Anatomy' Fans Are Demanding on Twitter to End the Show After Season 16

From Good Housekeeping

  • Grey's Anatomy season 16 returns to ABC Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET.

  • The medical drama will come back without Justin Chambers (who plays Alex Karev), following a recent announcement that he has left the series.

  • In light of Justin's news, many are saying that they want the show to end after season 16 finishes in the spring of 2020.


While many Grey's Anatomy viewers are psyched to welcome back the ABC medical drama after its winter hiatus, others say they're ready for the series to wrap up forever.

Ahead of Grey's first season 16 episode of 2020 — which has been teased as an "epic" crossover with Station 19 — several fans expressed that they're still reeling over the recent announcement that Justin Chambers (a.k.a. Alex Karev) has walked away from the series after 15 years. In a statement to fans, Justin said he is hoping to "diversify his acting roles and career choices."

In the show, Alex has been Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)'s eternal rock through all the crazy ups and downs, which makes saying goodbye to him even harder. Now that his character is off the series, many fans are saying that they're throwing in the cards for good, while others are declaring that the show should also call it quits.

Photo credit: Gale Adler
Photo credit: Gale Adler

"I've been watching this show since season 1 episode 1...I hung on when others left. But I don't think I can continue without Alex! Stick around for Teddy and Owen...no thanks! There are several characters that need to go!!! But ALEX was not it!!!" one fan tweeted. "I can't watch this series without Alex Karev. Because of him, I didn't stop watching the series. But now I will. Goodbye #GreysAnatomy," another declared. "Honestly at this point they should end the show after season 16. This show has aired long enough. I got emotionally attach to the OG characters and now there’s 3 left (Richard, Bailey, and Meredith) just stop with season 16," a different fan wrote online.

As pointed out above, Justin is hardly the first beloved cast member to leave the show. Since the series premiered in 2005, fans have bid farewell to many doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, including Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), George O'Malley (T.R. Knight), and perhaps most devastatingly of all Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey).

Ellen is used to cast changes and had to endure a major shift when Patrick decided to leave the series during season 11. Likewise, back then, Ellen received pressure to hang up her TV scrubs.

"The studio and network believed the show could not go on without the male lead," she explained to Variety. "So I had a mission to prove that it could."

And it has for five years. But now with Justin out of the picture, only three of the original cast members remain — Ellen, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, and James Pickens Jr. as Richard Webber.

Despite another huge character exit, show creator Shonda Rhimes will have to figure out a way to make it work, considering that the series has been renewed through season 17. In the meantime, Grey's fans will have to decide for themselves if, like Justin, they really are ready to move on.



For can't-miss news, expert beauty advice, genius home solutions, delicious recipes, and lots more, sign up for the Good Housekeeping newsletter.

SUBSCRIBE NOW


You Might Also Like