If Grey's Anatomy is to end soon, there's one original character that has to come back for proper closure after getting an unfair ending.
If Grey’s Anatomy is to end soon, the series has to bring back one of its original characters for proper closure. Medical drama is one of the most popular genres on TV, and one of its most successful TV shows is Shonda Rhimes’ Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s Anatomy has been around for 19 seasons, becoming ABC’s longest-running scripted primetime show, but over the years, it has infamously seen the departure of some of its most popular and beloved characters, including its lead character, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).
Grey’s Anatomy followed Meredith’s medical career from her first day as an intern at Seattle Grace Hospital and through many tragedies both at the hospital and in her personal life. Only two characters from Grey’s Anatomy season 1 are still part of the show’s cast, as Pompeo left in season 19, but the series will continue without Meredith as its lead character with a 20th season. It’s unclear if Grey’s Anatomy will continue after season 20, but if the series is nearing its end, it has to bring back one of its original characters, who didn’t get the closure she deserved.
Grey's Anatomy Has Never Brought Back 1 Original Character (& She's Overdue For A Return)
Grey’s Anatomy has brought back some original characters, except for one.
When Meredith started her internship at Seattle Grace Hospital in Grey’s Anatomy season 1, she and the audience met her fellow interns and soon-to-be friends. Among them was Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), who, along with George O’Malley, became Meredith’s roommate. Izzie went through a lot before the events of Grey’s Anatomy, growing up in a trailer park with her mother, who later spent most of Izzie’s savings on psychics, got pregnant at 15 and gave her baby up for adoption, and became a model to finally pay for medical school.
During her time in Grey’s Anatomy, Izzie also went through many obstacles, particularly in her personal life. Izzie got involved with George and Alex Karev, but one of her most notable moments in Grey’s Anatomy was when she fell in love with Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a cardio patient in need of a new heart. Izzie deliberately worsened his condition so he could move up in the donor register, which triggered a series of problems in her career. Following a battle with cancer, Izzie left Grey’s Anatomy in season 6, and though she was given some level of closure when Alex left, she hasn't been properly brought back.
Izzie was played by a body double in season 16’s episode “Leave a Light On”, where Alex explained through a letter that he had reconnected with Izzie.
Why Katherine Heigl's Izzie Hasn't Returned To The Show
Katherine Heigl’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy was controversial.
Grey’s Anatomy has become infamous for how it handles the departure of its main characters, usually opting for killing them – but the series is also infamous for the behind-the-scenes drama around the exit of its cast. Katherine Heigl’s departure was quite controversial, and it all started the year after winning an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In 2008, Heigl withdrew herself from the Emmy race stating she hadn’t been given enough material to warrant a nomination (via HuffPost), and though she later tried to better explain herself, the damage was already done.
Although Heigl apologized to Rhimes for what she said, this marked the beginning of a feud between Heighl and the Grey’s Anatomy creator. In 2009, Heigl requested to be released from her contract 18 months earlier, explaining she wanted to spend more time with her family and that it would be disrespectful to fans of the series to see Izzie come and go. In addition to all this, there were countless rumors about Heigl’s behavior on set, labeling her as a problematic and unpleasant actress to work with, so much so that Rhimes said that, on her show Scandal, there were “no Heigls” (via THR).
However, Heigl has shown openness to playing Izzie again for a while now. In an interview with EW in 2012, Heigl revealed she had told the producers of Grey’s Anatomy that she wanted to return, and in 2021, she said “never said never” about a possible return. Heigl reunited with some of her Grey’s Anatomy co-stars at the 2024 Emmy Awards, and talking to ET on the red carpet, she suggested she still has good relationships with some of her former cast members.
Grey's Anatomy Can't End Without Giving Izzie (& Katherine Heigl) More Closure
Izzie didn’t get the ending she deserved.
Izzie recovered from cancer enough to return to work at the hospital, but after making a mistake in a patient’s treatment that put their life in danger, she was cut from the surgical program. Izzie believed Alex was to blame for her firing, so she wrote him a letter and left, but she returned to make amends. Alex broke up with her and urged her to leave, and so Izzie left Seattle to start over somewhere else and sent divorce papers to Alex sometime later.
However, in Grey’s Anatomy season 16, Alex left after reconciling with Izzie and learning that she moved forward with IVF and had twins, who were Alex’s children. Izzie was revealed to now be a surgical oncologist in Kansas, and so her story was closed. Both endings for Izzie were terrible and even disrespectful to the character (and to Alex), but if Grey’s Anatomy is to end soon, it should properly bring Izzie back and give her a better ending and proper closure.
Sources: HuffPost, THR, EW, ET.