Should they have ended Grey's Anatomy?

I have been a long-term fan of the show. Recently commiting to re-watching it for the third time and left wondering, what happened? Why do I find that the earlier seasons are the best, what's changed and why does it feel different when I watch the more recent episodes?

Like any running show, the first and last season will obviously look very different. The show evolves, there's character development, the writers' learn what works and what doesn't. Unfortunately, I'm just finding myself not having the same connection to the characters as I did in the first few seasons. Then I realise. It's because they're not interns anymore.



When we watch stories, it usually starts off with a blank slate character. They're thrown into a situation or a world, which is unknown to them and the viewer. The best part of watching is seeing them grow and experiencing this with them. But now, Meredith has reached the pinnacle of her story. She's grown into a talented surgeon. Our favourite characters from the first seasons have been killed off or removed, with only a handful remaining. With new characters, new interns, and new patients being introduced constantly, why has this show lost it's connection with it's audience?

Should the show have ended as soon as our main cast finished their residentship?



As much as I absolutely adore this show, a part of me doesn't want it to end. But another part wondered what if they did end it. Is it losing it's magic by running for longer than it's capable of? Killing off characters has become repetitive. Along with the situations that have an extremely low rate of happening in the first place and happening regularly. Hell, even Meredith knows that she's gone through too much in such a small amount of time. Is it time to let the characters be happy and let them rest? Do we need to know what happens now that the main adventure is over?

I know that as a writer that there's a time to end things. You may not run out of new plots, but they do lose their quality over time. Especially when it's the same repetitiveness. No relationship is safe. No wedding is safe. No birth is safe. No character is safe. It seems the later seasons are always creating problems that we've seen, over and over again. At this point, I do wish it ended when the show was still the show. Maybe before Derek died because I'm still a little bit salty about that. Meredith deserves to be happy for once, okay? Also, why do all the new interns have time to put on makeup? Do you remember how rundown Meredith and the gang looked when they started? I miss that.



The show has evolved in a direction that I don't agree with. But I would love to here your opinion. Should it have ended earlier? When do you think would have been a good time to end it? I would have pictured that when they bought the hospital would have been a nice opportunity to wrap everything up.

What do you think could save the show? I personally would love the return of Cristina, Callie, and maybe even Izzie. Or just a whole new show altogether. Either one dedicated to the time of Ellis Grey, which would be a fantastic opportunity to see how medicine has evolved in the time of her internship. Or, Merediths children, if they become doctors.



Now that the show is on its 14th season, I can't see it carrying on for much longer anyway. Definitely a 15th, but will there be a 16th? I am excited to see how Shonda Rhimes will wrap it up as I have high expectations with her writing it. But I know I will be incredibly sad to see one of my favourite shows become history. Either way, I'll be crying my eyes out after being emotional traumisted by this show for so long.

Let me know your thoughts on this discussion!