Grey's Anatomy Universe

[stopthestatic]

Okay well I actually am sad about that and it surprises me because Levi has been (somewhat) of a fan-favourite in the last couple of years? I personally wouldn't have picked him to leave over other characters especially Winston, Owen/Teddy and Richard.

I've said this before but I think the characters that aren't quite OG's/early season characters but have been there a while are the sweet spot for storytelling. Fans are attached to them and there's still plot opportunities because they haven't burned through everything yet (I'm looking at you Owen Hunt and Richard Webber). That's why I was so disappointed when they killed Deluca. But they really should've been positioning those 'mid-run' characters like Jo, Deluca, Levi, etc etc as the new veteran characters while phasing the older ones out slowly.

I am sad about losing the one gay male on the show especially because there's two WLW relationships on the show currently - slightly disappointing but they've been backburnering that storyline forever too. He never even got a proper love interest that was a series regular.

The other part of the news story is interesting to me because it seems like the older characters are going to weave in and out with the full focus being on the interns. The show is definitely changing/evolving - I don't really mind at this point, but they need to focus on better stories and a faster pace. It is interesting to me that they'd reduce episodic fees before just opening up a bunch of budget by getting rid of JPJ or Kevin McKidd, etc.

 

[VicePresidentJocasta]

Okay well I actually am sad about that and it surprises me because Levi has been (somewhat) of a fan-favourite in the last couple of years? I personally wouldn't have picked him to leave over other characters especially Winston, Owen/Teddy and Richard.

I've said this before but I think the characters that aren't quite OG's/early season characters but have been there a while are the sweet spot for storytelling. Fans are attached to them and there's still plot opportunities because they haven't burned through everything yet (I'm looking at you Owen Hunt and Richard Webber). That's why I was so disappointed when they killed Deluca. But they really should've been positioning those 'mid-run' characters like Jo, Deluca, Levi, etc etc as the new veteran characters while phasing the older ones out slowly.

I am sad about losing the one gay male on the show especially because there's two WLW relationships on the show currently - slightly disappointing but they've been backburnering that storyline forever too. He never even got a proper love interest that was a series regular.

The other part of the news story is interesting to me because it seems like the older characters are going to weave in and out with the full focus being on the interns. The show is definitely changing/evolving - I don't really mind at this point, but they need to focus on better stories and a faster pace. It is interesting to me that they'd reduce episodic fees before just opening up a bunch of budget by getting rid of JPJ or Kevin McKidd, etc.

I feel like they've just written themselves into a corner with Levi. He doesn't have any really interesting relationships with the other regular characters, and I don't think they've even had him interact with Helm this year? He had a nice arc in season 18, but this season and last he's felt shoehorned in and pretty expendable. I'm not mad at the idea of him getting a nice little goodbye arc in the first few episodes of next season.

I think it's clear they want to hang on to the "old guard" as long as they can, especially because the show is likely in the final stretch now. The veteran actors still get paid a ton, so they're probably actually happy to have a slightly reduced workload.

Next season was reported to be 18 episodes, so I'm guessing we'll have the interns in all 18, and then probably have the veteran cast have 14-15 episodes guaranteed, so they're all absent for around 3 or 4 episodes each. That alone would save a massive amount of budget - it'd basically be equivalent to letting another full-time veteran regular go.

I'm interested to see how many they get Ellen back for next year.

 

[stopthestatic]

especially because the show is likely in the final stretch now.

Is it?

 

[VicePresidentJocasta]

Is it?

Well, I mean I can't see it going for more than 2 to 5 more seasons, which in the grand scheme of things, for a 20-year-old show, is the "final stretch". Given that they were gearing up to end it in season 17 and seemingly again in 18, I think the end is always in sight. So I think, even if it goes on for 5 more years, they'd like to keep as many of the characters from the series' early run around as they can. This is a way to do that (and something many other shows with larger casts have done over the past few years).

I agree, though, that it would have been a huge asset to keep someone like DeLuca around. He'd been there long enough to develop some interesting dynamics and build up a lot of fans - it would have been a particularly big asset given how popular Carina has gotten on Station 19. And I'd have loved if they did more with Levi, but at this point I get why he feels expendable.

It's wild to think that Jo is really the only intern past Mer's class who we've actually gotten to see mature into an attending.

 

[Lander]

It’s frustrating that DeLuca, Koracick and Schmitt have all been written out with a lot more to give. Owen and Teddy being written off into the sunset to make more room for the other characters is right there.

 

[OceanBlue]

I‘m really sad about it. Budget cuts? Episodic guarantees? new inters haven’t clicked on me, especially Lucas and Simone, they simply do whatever they want, but they are not Mer, Izzie, Alex, George and Christina, no way. It will be interesting to see how they explain the episodic presence of the (ex) main cast… different shifts? New characters? More focus on medical cases? All the guesses about S19 characters coming to Grey are quite nonsense now, or they are budget cutting cos there are more characters on screen?

 

[Trinu 3.0]

I'm still halfway through S19 but gosh, I'm getting Glee vibes with this re-focus on new characters. I understand the need to keep squeezing the live out of the show (and the ratings support this, I guess), but I don't see it working long-term.

It's weird, because the show is no stranger to introducing new characters and make us love them (Lexie, Sloan, Callie, Arizona...), but I feel like they've lost their footing (or I'm just old and jaded?). I honestly don't care for Owen/Teddy, nor Maggie/Winston... nor these new interns. Yasuda is funny, I guess. And Millin is giving me Izzie vibes so I gotta stan. But that's it!

I never liked Levi so bye!

 

[Deleted member 26845]

I love Greys but I really kind of feel like none of the characters have much personality between them any more and that as already mentioned, nothing is happening. It used to feel unmissable but it's become background TV for me sadly.

 

[VicePresidentJocasta]

I‘m really sad about it. Budget cuts? Episodic guarantees? new inters haven’t clicked on me, especially Lucas and Simone, they simply do whatever they want, but they are not Mer, Izzie, Alex, George and Christina, no way. It will be interesting to see how they explain the episodic presence of the (ex) main cast… different shifts? New characters? More focus on medical cases? All the guesses about S19 characters coming to Grey are quite nonsense now, or they are budget cutting cos there are more characters on screen?

Characters are missing from episodes without explanation all that time, it really won't feel all that different. There are a bunch of shows on broadcast that have been doing this for a while, it isn't new to Grey's. Unless they decide to leave certain characters out for a few episodes in a row, they don't really need to mention it. It happens more than we realize because there are so many characters. It was seemingly already happening at Grey's when they did extra long seasons (season 13), in fact.

The veteran cast that will be affected are already rarely ever in every episode of a season:

Teddy was missing from 7 episodes in season 15, 6 in season 16, 2 in season 17, 2 in season 18, and 1 last year.

Amelia was missing from 5 episodes in season 13, 2 in season 14, 1 in season 15, 4 in season 16, and 2 in season 17.

Jo wasn't in 3 episodes in season 14, 3 in season 15, 3 in season 16, 2 in season 17, 1 in season 18, and 1 in season 19.

Even Alex wasn't in 5 episodes in season 13, and with no mention of why. They can easily make it work with casts this size.

 

[VicePresidentJocasta]

ABC just announced that Grey's is getting bumped to 10pm next year, with Ryan Murphy's new doctor drama at 9 o'clock after 9-1-1.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ellen is currently in conversation about her involvement for next year.

 

[stopthestatic]

One of my co-workers got to go to the Disney upfront today and I was so jealous of her getting to be in the same room as Ellen ddd, but also Dan Bucatinsky did a lunch and learn at my office today and he was lovely and talked a lot about his relationship with Shonda!

 

[VicePresidentJocasta]

Oh wow. This makes me sad.

According to sources, Francis is in negotiations to return next season to wrap up the story of her character.

I hear this was an amicable decision. Francis had been looking to branch out for the next step of her career and signed with WME earlier this year

I like Yasuda and feel like there's a ton to explore with her, but it sounds like the actress was ready to go? I do think having a smaller cast will do a lot good for the show, though. I'm glad she'll get a proper send-off next year.

 

[OceanBlue]

Gay male: out
Gay/bisex female: out.

Btw, I think this is a way to put some pressure to other(more expensive) cast members.

 

[VicePresidentJocasta]

Btw, I think this is a way to put some pressure to other(more expensive) cast members.

Pressure how? They've cut plenty of cast due to budget cuts before - as far back as Eric Dane. It's a normal part of long-running shows. If they wanted to cut more expensive cast members, they'd be doing it. As far as we know, these may not even be the only two cuts being made.

Right now, this leaves us with a season 21 series regular cast of:

Meredith (she's still credited as the lead)
Bailey
Richard
Owen
Teddy
Jo
Amelia
Link
Winston
Simone
Blue
Lucas
Jules

And I'm betting they up Monica to a regular.

 

[Deleted member 26845]

I'm really hoping Arizona will return on a permanent basis next season.

 

[OceanBlue]

Pressure how? They've cut plenty of cast due to budget cuts before - as far back as Eric Dane. It's a normal part of long-running shows. If they wanted to cut more expensive cast members, they'd be doing it. As far as we know, these may not even be the only two cuts being made.

"See ? we're not scared of cutting cast members ! If you wanna stay, accept 75 and 13 episodes, instead of 100 and 18 episodes. If you keep asking for 100 and 18 episodes, you're out."

Some expensive cast members (no Owen or Teddy) are the ones people want to see... it doesn't seem viewers felt so much in love with new interns that they don't care about Bailey, Amelia, Meredith... Can they really get rid of all the cast members except Lukas and Simone ? Would people really watch a Lukas and Simone centered show ?

 

[Lander]

I need to start the most recent season but I think they used to do a better job with castings bringing characters in as recurring then upgrading them when they connected with the audience. It sounds like this is potentially the situation with Monica?

 

[VicePresidentJocasta]

I'm really hoping Arizona will return on a permanent basis next season.

I'm pretty sure Jessica lives in New York now, so that's sadly unlikely. But it does seem like she's very open to more guest spots. I'd love to see both her and Addison back next year (and Callie, finally, please!).

"See ? we're not scared of cutting cast members ! If you wanna stay, accept 75 and 13 episodes, instead of 100 and 18 episodes. If you keep asking for 100 and 18 episodes, you're out."

I don't think it's that deep. Everyone knows they're expendable. No one on this cast is bigger than Mer, Derek, Cristina, etc. and the show has survived without all of them. They don't need to scare anyone into accepting anything.

Jake and Midori leaving is as simple as has been stated - the budget got cut, and producers had to pick who to let go.

I need to start the most recent season but I think they used to do a better job with castings bringing characters in as recurring then upgrading them when they connected with the audience. It sounds like this is potentially the situation with Monica?

This is still the standard. Levi, Koracick, Hayes, and Link all recurred before they were upgraded. This new set of interns were really the only exception to the rule.

 

[stopthestatic]

The TV landscape is so butchered after the strikes (in addition to the show being expensive due to its age) — I’m actually sad one of the interns is leaving because it was nice to have the five of them together as a unit. Bummer.

I know there’s been budget cuts before but I really do wonder about the future of the show. I’m sure it’ll continue to at least season 25 but the bigger question is: at what cost? The storytelling is already suffering somewhat and I think will continue to.

 

[stopthestatic]

I can't believe we get Winston over Levi or Mika. Ugh.

Anyways -- finally made to Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King? and man, so heartbreaking and horrible but also such genuinely excellent television, undoubtedly one of the best episodes ever across all three Grey's-verse shows. The acting performances...wow. It also opened up so much incredible story for the rest of the cast - Sheldon having interviewed the rapist, Addison doing the rape kit without telling Charlotte, Violet revealing her own rape story, and then the beautiful friendship between Charlotte and Amelia blossoming. PP really stands on its own as something more than a spinoff. I am such a huge fan of this show. And gee, it's nice how consistency and quality can be part of a show's legacy when they're allowed to end, huh?