Not every titular character was equally as fun to watch.
Throughout the 19 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, there has been no shortage of dubious decisions from the writers’ room. Viewers who laughed, grieved, and worried with their favorite characters were often forced to cringe and question their own willingness to continue watching the series.
In particular, the main character, Meredith Grey, brilliantly portrayed by Ellen Pompeo, has experienced more ups and downs than any other character on the show.
It’s safe to say that everyone was shocked by the introduction of Lexie Grey, Meredith’s secret sister, whose identity was revealed in the best soap-opera manner. At that point, viewers weren’t as tired of the number of crazy twists Shondaland threw into otherwise realistic medical drama, so Lexie was welcomed by the fans.
It was incredibly interesting to see her develop relationships with Meredith as well as other characters in the hospital. Later in the series, Lexie became part of one of the show’s most beloved and tragic couples when she teamed up with Mark Sloan.
Both characters died as a result of complications from the plane crash, and to this day, many viewers believe that Mark and Lexie were the most unfairly treated couple during the entire run of the show.
You’d think the writers wouldn’t be able to double the insanity of the situation after introducing (and then killing off) Lexie, but then they did. Just one season later, the hospital welcomed another doctor, Maggie Pierce, who was later revealed to be… Meredith’s secret sister, once again.
When viewers found out that she was the biological child of Ellis Grey and Richard Webber, they had already dreamt up a perfect version of a character, and the personality Maggie was given didn’t help. At the time of her introduction, it felt like she was brought in to add shock value to the show, but no one knew what to do with her after that.
To this day, many believe that Season 10 and the introduction of Maggie Pierce marked the point where Grey’s Anatomy started to go downhill.
However, judging by the fact that the show was recently renewed for its 20th season, it’s safe to say that no character was able to do any serious damage to the drama.