McDreamy turned out to be not that dreamy to work with at all.
If there was one couple that the majority of Grey’s Anatomy viewers rooted for from the beginning to the end of their run, it had to be Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd. Of course, they weren’t perfect for each other, just like you can’t find a perfect couple in real life. But their feelings were real and strong, and people wanted to see true love prevail, as it did.
However, Meredith was separated from her McDreamy far too quickly, as some fans believe. With Patrick Dempsey’s departure from the show, the writers had to make the awkward decision to make the show’s main character a widow by killing Derek in a car accident. Needless to say, the fandom was completely heartbroken.
The cast and crew, on the other hand, were probably relieved to see Dempsey finish his last shift.
Filming Grey’s Anatomy is a lot of work. It’s no secret, considering how many actors have come forward over the years to say that the conditions on the set were sometimes too intense and too hard to handle.
Doing this very demanding job for 15 years is extremely hard, but that doesn’t mean you have to make it harder for the people around you.
Reportedly, Dempsey was not the most pleasant person to work with at the end of his run.
According to Lynette Rice’s book How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy, and the confession of former executive producer James D. Parriott, Dempsey was so hard to work with that people had “all sorts of PTSD with him.”
Finally, it turns out that the decision to write off Patrick Dempsey was made when the situation became so bad that it was a choice between him or Shonda Rhimes herself.
And judging by the fact that Grey’s Anatomy was successfully renewed for its 20th anniversary season without Dr. McDreamy, the decision was absolutely right.
If you’re feeling nostalgic and want to see Derek Shepherd on our screens again, you can always rewatch past seasons of Grey’s Anatomy by streaming the show on Netflix, Hulu, or Disney Plus.