Searching for a new show to watch is a never ending struggle that almost everyone can relate to. But this endless struggle ended for me when I discovered “Grey’s Anatomy.” Every 13-year-old goes through a “Grey’s Anatomy” phase, but for me, that phase never ended. I have spent hundreds, probably thousands of hours watching the show. Whether I am doing my homework or cleaning my room, “Grey’s Anatomy” plays in the background. All of that being said, as a fan, I was heartbroken to hear that Meredith Grey will be scrubbing off of the show for the final time this month.

In an appearance on the “Drew Barrymore Show,” actress Ellen Pompeo announced that after 19 seasons, she will be leaving the show. She also shared this news in an Instagram post. On April 23, 2023, her final episode, titled “I’ll Follow the Sun,” aired. Pompeo has said she hopes to return as a guest in future episodes, despite no longer being a series regular. 

After seeing this news I find myself questioning if there will be a show for her to return to. The series’ creator, Shonda Rhimes, said she has no plan to end the show. However, many people question, what is the point of continuing a show without its namesake: It pains me to say the show no longer amounts to its former glory. The first several seasons featured a stellar cast, but slowly stars such as Patrick Dempsey and Kate Walsh have disappeared. In fact, only three actors from the original season will remain once Pompeo leaves. When I find myself viewing the show’s most recent seasons, I am both confused and disappointed. It feels like every episode features a new character that I will never know as well as the characters from the original season. I am comforted by the appearances of Miranda Bailey, Richard Weber, and BokHee. What will the show even be without the classic Meredith Grey.

Perhaps this will be the end of my “Grey’s Anatomy” phase. Perhaps now I will join the rest of the world again in the endless search to find a new show. I am reluctant to watch the final episode when it is released because I know it will be the end of an era. I worry that “Grey’s Anatomy” will never be the same again.

On this blog, members of the Carmel High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists (and the occasional guest writer) produce curations of all facets of popular culture, from TV shows to music to novels to technology. We hope our readers always leave with something new to muse over. Click here to read more from MUSE.