Grey’s Anatomy has been a pop-culture icon since 2005, with lots of drama occurring on and off the screen. In all that time, however, even the most die-hard fans cannot possibly know everything about the show.
Some characters, for example, were only supposed to appear in a guest capacity before being promoted to series regulars. Additionally, some storylines were written to factor in events in the personal lives of the actors. However enthusiastic the fans, there is always more to learn about this incredible show.
Miranda Bailey Was Originally Envisioned As A Petite Blonde Woman
Chandra Wilson’s portrayal of Miranda Bailey has impressed fans and critics for nearly two decades. It is nigh impossible to imagine anyone else inhabiting the role. However, when the show was first conceived, Bailey was going to look very different.
According to Shonda Rhimes during an interview with Oprah, Bailey was initially meant to be “a tiny blonde with curls”. While that seems strange now, Bailey’s personality and deep empathy would not have changed, which is a relief to all fans.
Miranda Bailey Has Appeared In The Most Episodes In The Grey’s Anatomy Universe
Given that the show is called Grey’s Anatomy, one would expect Meredith Grey to appear most in the series. Indeed she does, if one counts Grey’s episodes only. However, there have been two spinoff shows.
Bailey has appeared in all seasons of Grey’s in addition to a couple of appearances on Private Practice. However, it is her relationship with Ben Warren that has helped increase her episode count, as she has had a recurring role on Station 19 for five seasons.
Chyler Leigh Was Not Present During Filming For Season 17
Chyler Leigh portrayed Lexie Grey for just more than five season in the medical drama’s earlier run, before the character met an unfortunate end in the Season 8 finale. Due to Meredith’s COVID coma in Season 17, though, many deceased characters were able to return.
Unfortunately, during the filming of Season 17, Leigh was busy with her latest project, Supergirl, and was unable to make it to set, according to Entertainment Tonight. Happily however, the production team were still able to include Lexie in one episode thanks to some technical trickery.
Denny Duquette Is The Only Character Who Has Appeared In More Episodes Dead Than Alive
In Season 2, Izzy Stevens fell in love with her patient and created one of Grey’s Anatomy’s most iconic love stories. Denny Duquette only appeared in nine episodes of Season 2 but he made such an impact on fans before he tragically died in the season finale.
Strangely, Denny reappeared in multiple episodes in both the following season and Season 5. In fact, after his death, Denny appeared in 13 additional episodes. While his later storylines divided fans and critics, it just goes to show that you cannot keep a good man down.
Cristina Yang Was Supposed To Fall In Love With A Patient
Cristina Yang was one of the most iconic surgeons in Grey’s Anatomy. She had a superb work ethic and always put surgery above everything. However, according to an article in Elle, in early drafts, Cristina was going to fall in love with a patient instead of Izzie in Season 2.
While that would have put an interesting spin on the whole arc, it does seem a bit unbelievable given what fans learned about Cristina more than 10 seasons. It just doesn’t match her work ethic and drive and ultimately, Cristina fell in love with Preston Burke instead.
Season 13 Is The First Season Where Meredith Is Absent From An Episode
As the main character of the show, Meredith Grey has dazzled fans for 18 seasons. What is particularly impressive is that she appeared in every single episode for 12 years. By the time Season 13 came around though, the format changed slightly.
Due to Ellen Pompeo’s pregnancy, Meredith was written out of a few episodes. The first ever episode that didn’t include a physical appearance from Meredith was ‘You Can Look (But You’d Better Not Touch)’. Meredith was completely absent from a later episode too, which focused on Japril.
Season 13 Was The First Season Where No Single Main Character Appeared In All Episodes
Due to production issues, Season 13 slightly altered its format to produce four character-based, standalone episodes throughout the season. Each special episode generally focused on a different, smaller group of main characters.
These standalone episodes resulted in every main character being absent from at least three episodes out of the 24 shown, including the titular character. These standalone episodes returned sporadically in later seasons but seem to be being gradually phased out.
Teddy Altman Is The Only Main Character To Return As A Series Regular
Teddy Altman first appeared in Season 6 as Seattle Grace’s newest cardio surgeon, and best friend of Owen Hunt. Although she left a couple of seasons later, Teddy made a lasting impact and her interactions with Cristina produced some of series’s best moments.
Teddy returned in Season 14 in a guest capacity, before being made a series regular again the following season. So far, Teddy is the only main character to receive 2 separate stints on the show. Other main characters have returned for guest appearances however.
Amelia, Richard And Bailey Are The Only Characters Who Have Appeared On Grey’s Anatomy And Both Its Spinoffs
Since, Grey’s is so popular, it has spawned multiple spinoffs. The first spinoff, Private Practice, focused on Addison Montgomery, and Richard and Bailey both appeared in a guest capacity. Amelia also appeared on the show as a series regular for more than three seasons.
The next spinoff is Station 19 which features frequent crossovers with Grey’s Anatomy. Richard, Bailey and Amelia have all starred as guests. Meredith has also appeared in Station 19 but she never starred in Private Practice.
Erica Hahn Has The Shortest Tenure As A Series Regular
Since Grey’s Anatomy has been on air for 17 years now, its understandable that a lot of the cast have moved on from their roles. Generally though, they tend to stick around for more than a year. This was not the case with Erica Hahn.
Hahn was a polarizing character as she was unpleasant and treated Cristina Yang horribly. However, her lack of character development might have had something to do with the fact that she only appeared in 18 episodes in total after becoming a series regular.
