Honestly, I’m still going to watch Grey’s Anatomy post-Meredith Grey. 

I’m speaking my truth. Not to be dramatic, I’ve read on Twitter that a lot of people are going to stop watching Grey’s Anatomy post-Meredith, but I’m here to say that I’m here to stay. 

If I’m going to be honest in this blog post, I can’t say with complete confidence that Meredith Grey is the best character on the show. Yes, her name is on the show. Yes, she is very iconic and is probably queen of the show. However, you can’t say that line with complete confidence when there are characters like Derek Shepherd, Mark Sloan, Callie Torres, Arizona Robbins, Jackson Avery, Christina Yang (even though she’s not on the show anymore), Lexie Grey, and let’s be honest, the entire M.A.G.I.C crew. (Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, Cristina). The current characters, including Jo Wilson, Maggie Pierce (and her amazing husband, Winston), Richard Webber, need I go on? Do I really need to stop watching the show now that Meredith has left Seattle? 

TLDR: no. 

But here’s why. I didn’t start watching the show because a nepo baby returned to her hometown and her mother’s hospital to begin her residency. I started watching the show because it was a medical drama that would eventually consume my life. (I mean, tbh, that’s why I start shows, because they slowly consume my life—I’ve seen this with Gilmore Girls, New Girl, Bridgerton, etc.) As the show continued, and added new characters, I fell in love with those characters and their storylines while simultaneously rooting for Mer. 

I’m not watching the show for just Meredith Grey. I’m watching the show because it’s a good, addicting drama/soap opera. 

What I love about Grey’s Anatomy is the medical drama. I love the different stories in every episode. I love that each episode (or nearly every episode) is a different story, a different patient. When I think about my favorite things about the show, I think about Mark and Lexie’s weird love story (cue “Snow On The Beach” by Taylor Swift), I think about Cristina’s journey of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon, I think about the M.A.G.I.C crew. I think about Miranda Bailey’s journey to becoming an attending, becoming a mother, falling out of love and finding a second chance romance with Ben. I think about the crazy episode where Izzie went crazy and cut the IV of the patient she fell in love with (only on this show, oh my gosh). I think about the shooting episode and the flight episode that emotionally destroyed me. I think about how the show covered the pandemic and the emotional turmoil doctors went through in peak 2020 (and continue to struggle with). I think about so many other things that didn’t involve Meredith.

Yes, I think Meredith somehow was the center of almost every one of these storylines, and if not the center, she was involved in each of these storylines in some way. And I’m not saying she should be written out, but there were so many episodes that didn’t include Meredith as the star, and those were just as good as the ones where Meredith was the focal point.  

I think about the stories that are still ever-present that I am looking forward to watching post-Meredith exit.

What I’m Looking Forward To:

Maggie and Winston’s marriage troubles and Winston moving specialties // Is anyone else obsessing over Maggie and Winston’s relationship? I feel like their relationship is the most NORMAL out of all the relationships that I’ve seen on the show, and that’s not saying a lot because there have been some WEIRD relationships on this show (ahem, George and Izzie). Maggie and Winston provide this supportive, genuine, love for each other that I can’t get enough of. I am praying for their relationship to stick through these troubles the writers are throwing their way; even if that means Winston moves specialties or even moves hospitals. Maggie and Winston are one of my favorite couples on the show.

The interns. // This may be a controversial take (although why would it be because these interns are literally all incredible). Although I was on my knees begging the Grey’s writers for a flashback montage of Meredith through the years as the interns were going around the house, I love the transition where the new group of interns move into the house. This is a storyline that I’ve been secretly anticipating as the big Meredith exit takes place, and I’m SO glad that the writers took it to heart. I had a hunch that the writers were going to focus on the new group of interns once Meredith made her exit, especially since they’re considered the “bottom of the barrel” interns who got rejected from other hospitals, and the transition of them taking the place of the original M.A.G.I.C crew is refreshing. (Although no one can truly replace that crew.) This group of interns, like them or not, is truly something special. Let’s just talk about the cast alone—we have Harry Shum Jr., who I may or may not be obsessing over (his Glee days, Step Up franchise, Crazy Rich Asians … need I say more?? If he doesn’t do a dance sometime throughout his time on the show, we rise at dawn.), Adelaide Kane who played Queen Mary of Scots on Reign (the range!), Simone Griffith who most people know from Inventing Anna, but I know her from The Bold Type, so who’s the real winner here (she also was handed the house keys by Meredith Grey so I think she’s the real winner intern in this new group), and Mika Yusuda, who we know from The Sex Lives of College Girls. If you’ve worked with Mindy Kaling, you automatically get 10 points in my book. The only intern that I have questions with is Lucas Adams, who is played by Niko Terho, and is the nephew of Amelia Shepherd (and the late Dr. Derek Shepherd). I am not the biggest fan of Amelia—okay, fine, I do not like her whatsoever, so I struggle with liking Lucas, but I think if he separates himself from his aunt and joins the interns in more scenes, then I will come to like him. I think he’s going to be most like George, but I feel like he could be Alex. But I think Harry Shum Jr.’s character is most like Alex—he’s got the douchey frat bro thing down but I have a feeling we could see his sensitive side.

Helm?? // I need Helm back in the hospital. But in all honesty … do I? I love this new era for her, of her finally getting a breath of fresh air and doing what she wants to do. Still, what’s going on with Helm?? But this is definitely something I want to look out for in season 19 (and later seasons). I like how the writers portrayed how doctors are getting burnt out, especially with the pandemic, and I think Helm is an excellent portrayal of that care provider burnout.

Link and Jo. // OH MY GOSH IF THIS STORYLINE DOESN’T GET RESOLVED AND THEY’RE NOT TOGETHER, WE RISE. I was okay with Jo and Alex. I liked that Alex was finally settling down and getting the love he deserves, but then the Grey’s writers do what they do best and they ripped that rug right out from underneath us—but maybe for the better? When Alex left, Jo went through a transformation. She underwent rehab, went to therapy, moved specialties from surgery to OB, and adopted a baby. Now we see her kicking butt in her OB specialty and as a mother, but can we get more of the storyline of Link and Jo? I want to see ROMANCE between these two. There’s already enough chemistry between them, and if they stay friends, then I don’t know what I’m going to do. I need to see this friends-to-lover romance play out on my screen every Thursday. They are the cutest and honestly, dare I say it, can be the next Mer-Der relationship. 

Miranda Bailey’s new era. // I am a Miranda Bailey fan from the very beginning. From the second she started that speech, “I have five rules, memorize them…” and then in her toast to Meredith in that final episode of Mer’s, I will always love Dr. Miranda Bailey. That’s why I’m EXCITED to see this new era for her, this era where she prioritizes herself, rest, self-care, but also tearing down the patriarchy. Honestly, HONESTLY, Miranda Bailey 2024? Just kidding, only in the Grey’s universe. I need more stories that include Miranda Bailey and Addison Montgomery. Which leads me to…

Where is Addison Montgomery? // In this one TikTok posted by Link (or whoever he is in real life), someone spotted Kate Walsh (who plays Addison in the show) in the background on set. We have the smallest confirmation that we are getting more Addison Montgomery content—which was proven in the most recent episode. I won’t give away any spoilers, but she does help Miranda Bailey out with the clinic. When this blog post goes live, we’ll see the second episode in the two-part episode with Addison Montgomery (I hope there’s more) and find out what happened after they left us on that cliffhanger.

Now for the storylines that I could care less about. I’m not going into detail about these, so here’s a list: 

• Teddy and Owen; I don’t like either of them, and I do not wish to know any more about these two. Since writing this blog post, Teddy has become Chief of Surgery, which I guess isn’t bad, but I hope this means she doesn’t get a lot of screen time. I’m not opposed to Teddy-only scenes, but when Teddy and Owen are together on my screen, I just hate it.

• Richard trying to revive the residency program. Don’t get me wrong, I think that this storyline is essential if we get the interns, but I don’t want it to dominate the interns stories; I think that Grey’s writers can focus on the interns’ surgical careers without focusing too much on the residency program as a whole. I think the writers can focus on how the interns themselves are doing, and if the interns are doing well, then the program is doing well.

What are you most excited for in the new season of Grey’s Anatomy? Will you be watching the new season, even after Meredith made her exit?