Grey's Anatomy season 20: Why Ellen Pompeo’s return to the series does not make sense
Ellen Pompeo played Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy from seasons 1 to 19. She was adored by viewers of the show and was often considered one of the best characters of all time. She made a graceful exit in the 19th season of the show, which ran from October 6, 2022, to May 18, 2023. Even though fans would love to see her in the upcoming season 20, many believe her return would not make sense for the plot.
Meredith Grey underwent massive character development throughout the series. It's best for both her and the show to move past her and shift the focus on other characters. Bringing her back for another season would feel extremely forced. Her character literally needs no more development, and anything else related to her at this point would certainly be milking a dead cow.
Grey's Anatomy on ABC: Ellen Pompeo reveals reason to leave the medical drama on The Drew Barrymore Show
On November 17, 2022, Ellen Pompeo posted an update on Instagram revealing that she was going to exit the show after 19 seasons. In the caption, she revealed that she was thankful to fans for their continuous support throughout the years.
Her caption read,
"I am eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support you have all shown me, Meredith GREY and the show for 19 seasons! Through it all….none of it …would have been possible without the best fans in the world. You all are RIDERS and you all have made the ride so fun and ICONIC!!"
It further read,
"I love you madly and appreciate you right back. This isn’t your first time on the rollercoaster… you know the show must go on and I’ll definitely be back to visit. With a lot of love and immense gratitude XoE."
Ellen Pompeo even appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show and revealed that she was leaving Grey's Anatomy because she just wanted a change in her life. Playing one character for 19 years could certainly get monotonous after a while.
She said,
"I feel super happy, but listen, the show has been incredible to me and I’ve loved a lot of the experience. Listen, it’s just, I gotta mix it up a little bit."
She further stated,
"I’m 53. My brain is like scrambled eggs. I gotta do something new or I’m literally gonna turn into like, you can’t do the New York Times crossword puzzle every single day. I mean, 19 years, that’s more than people keep their kids in their house, like people keep their kids in their house until they’re 18 and then they send them off to college. So this is like me like going away to college."
While Pompeo did appear in season 19, her screen time was far less as she was seen in only eight episodes.
Grey's Anatomy Synopsis
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the synopsis of Grey's Anatomy reads,
"This high-intensity medical drama follows a team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital who are faced with life-or death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white."
The executive producers of Grey's Anatomy are Shonda Rhimes, Ellen Pompeo, Allan Heinberg, Andy Reaser, Betsy Beers, and Debbie Allen.
Season 20 of Grey's Anatomy will most probably arrive by Fall 2023.
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