Warning: spoilers ahead!
If you haven’t caught up on Grey’s Anatomy yet and want to avoid spoilers, you might want to save this article for later.
For those of you who are caught up, I commend you. Thirteen seasons and too many deaths later, we’re all somehow still here. We’ve been with these characters from the start and in a way, we feel obligated to finish out this journey with them.
We feel a strong sense of loss for those who have been killed off by Shonda Rhimes and an even stronger connection to those who have survived her wrath so far.
But not all Grey’s Anatomy characters are created equal. There are some that we wish we could bring back from the dead, some we wish we could summon back to the show, some we would be okay with losing, and some we would volunteer as tributes to leave next.
So without further ado, here’s a definitive ranking of Grey’s Anatomy characters:
34. Jo Wilson
Jo started off as one of the more likeable new interns despite being kind of whiny, and her relationship with Alex was goals at first. I don’t know about you guys, but as of season 13, I’m getting tired of her playing the victim and keeping secrets. Her secrets are what led to the mess Alex is now in, and Alex doesn’t deserve to go to jail over her. Jo has to go.
33. Lauren Boswell
Most of you probably know her as Peyton on One Tree Hill, but on Grey’s Anatomy, Lauren was a home-wrecking guest surgeon and the woman Arizona cheated on Callie with. Enough said.
32. Penny Blake
While Penny somewhat redeemed herself through the course of season 12, the fact remains that she was one of the doctors that screwed up Derek’s case and I can’t look at her without thinking of Derek’s untimely death. Plus, she was part of that huge custody battle between Callie and Arizona and that was just ugly.
31. Leah Murphy
First off, bringing back Leah was not what fans had in mind when we said we wanted old characters to return. Leah will always just be that intern who slept with two attendings and then filed a sexual harassment suit, creating a huge scandal because she had a broken heart.
30. Izzie Stevens
Izzie’s character started going downhill the minute she cut Denny’s LVAD wire and it never stopped after that. Although she had her moments in the first two seasons – and her love story with Denny still breaks my heart – I can’t forget about the weird ghost sex plot when she started seeing hallucinations of Denny or how she broke Alex’s heart.
29. Shane Ross
Shane was probably the most annoying new intern, which is saying something because they were all pretty bad. Plus, he’s kind of the reason Heather Brooks died. He also had a meltdown and almost killed Alex’s father trying to do a surgery he wasn’t ready for, so I can’t say I want his character to come back.
28. Preston Burke
Preston Burke is a gifted surgeon, no doubt, but he left Cristina at the altar and broke her heart, so he gets to be on the bottom of the list for that reason alone.
27. Andrew DeLuca
Thanks to his lawsuit against Alex, DeLuca is arguably one of the least popular doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial at the moment. Don’t get me wrong – I feel bad for him. He didn’t deserve to get beaten. But if it comes down to taking sides, I take Alex’s, and DeLuca is about to ruin Alex’s career with this lawsuit. Sorry, DeLuca.
26. Ellis Grey
Ellis Grey does deserve some slack for the horrible things she said to Meredith because yes, she was sick, but even when she wasn’t sick, she was mean. She was a great surgeon, but she was not so great at being a mother. Props to her for bringing Meredith into the world, though.
25. Erica Hahn
I vaguely remember the romance between Callie and Erica, and that romance being what made Callie realize she was bisexual. Besides that, Erica’s character was pretty unmemorable.
24. Stephanie Edwards
While I do feel bad for her because Jackson broke her heart in pretty much the worst way possible, I don’t feel bad enough to look past her annoying, whiny personality. Please. Stop. Talking. Stephanie and Jo could probably share the crown for most whiny intern.
23. Heather Brooks
People tend to write Heather off as just being weird, but she was actually clever and so awkward it was funny. Her weirdness was entertaining, and her death was disappointing. Mousy would have made a great neurosurgeon one day.
22. Maggie Pierce
Maggie is too new to the show to be ranked highly, but she came at a time when Meredith needed someone most. Her love triangle with Riggs and Meredith (that she isn’t even aware of) is painfully awkward, though, and the way things are going, that love triangle could ruin her relationship with Meredith.
21. Amelia Shephard
Amelia is both annoying and endearing. While she will probably always be seen as one of Derek’s annoying, overbearing sisters on some level, she has her redeeming qualities. After the life she has had, she deserves to be happy and she and Hunt make a cute couple to boot.
20. April Kepner
April’s character has been a roller coaster. She was kind of weird at first and no one really liked the new doctors intruding on Seattle Grace’s territory, but her romantic storyline with Jackson was too cute to ignore. After destroying her marriage with Jackson by leaving him to go overseas, she has a long ways to go before she has fully redeemed herself, but her and Jackson’s adorable new baby is a good start.
19. Teddy Altman
Teddy was kind of blah at first, but once she became Christina’s cardiac mentor and met her husband, Henry, she quickly became a favorite. When Henry died in surgery, I cried along with her.
18. Henry Burton
This leads us to Teddy’s handsome and sweet late husband. Henry broke Grey’s fans’ hearts with his death, but watching him fall in love with Teddy was worth the heartache.
17. Owen Hunt
Owen had a really strong start on the show with the icicle incident, his rugged charm, and his relationship with Cristina. Their relationship was one of the best parts of the show until he cheated on her and they realized they had different goals in life. Still, he’s a pretty strong character and his new relationship with Amelia is different but sweet.
16. Arizona Robbins
Arizona is another character who had a strong start on the show and went downhill from there. She went from being the perky peds surgeon that fell in love with Callie to the angry woman who lost a leg in the plane crash and later became a cheating jerk.
15. Addison Montgomery
Addison was probably the first character we all hated right from the start. She stood between Meredith and Derek for an entire season, but once Addison let go of Derek, she was able to stand on her own as a character and prove that she was more than Derek’s ex-wife. Plus, her bout with poison ivy was pretty great.
14. Ben Warren
Despite the huge mistake Warren made that almost cost him his entire career, he is Bailey’s other half, a great father, and a promising surgeon. He’s the only new intern – and now resident – that I don’t hate or find annoying.
13. Richard Webber
Richard is one of the few characters left who has been there from the start and has won a spot in our hearts throughout the years. His alcoholism put him in a bad situation, but he is still the best chief the hospital ever had and a better father figure to Meredith than her real father.
12. Nathan Riggs
Although he’s a pretty new character and has a questionable past with Owen, Nathan Riggs is Meredith’s new love interest and his charm and persistence are endearing. Riggs will never be McDreamy, but he’ll do.
11. Callie Torres
Callie is an incredible orthopedic surgeon and her friendship with Mark was one of the best on the show. Some of her relationship choices haven’t been the best – I’m looking at you, Penny – but she is a strong female character and has some of the best one-liners on the show.
10. Miranda Bailey
Who doesn’t love the Nazi? Bailey may not be as tough as she once was, but she managed to turn 3 interns into 3 amazing attendings/surgeons. The story of how she became a strong female surgeon is also super inspiring.
9. Denny Duquette
Okay, so Denny’s only purpose in the show was to fall in love with Izzie and then tragically die, but it was those two things that made millions of viewers fall in love with him right along with Izzie. Plus, he’s not bad on the eyes.
8. George O’Malley
George was one of the best characters in the early seasons of Grey’s and his death is easily one of the most heartbreaking. Some of us – a.k.a. me – still aren’t over it. George was a sweet and kind soul who died a hero. I don’t know anyone who still doesn’t miss him.
7. Jackson Avery
Okay, but first, those eyes – Jackson could probably get a top 10 spot just for his eyes and face alone. But Jackson is so much more than a pretty face. With Mark Sloan as his mentor, Jackson became the go-to Plastics guy and definitely lives up to his last name. Also, who could forget how he stopped April’s wedding and ran away with her? Their relationship is one a lot of us are still rooting for.
6. Lexie Grey
Lexie a.k.a. Lexipedia was Meredith’s baby sister, the love of Mark Sloan’s life, and a brilliant surgeon. Her adorable awkwardness made us fall in love with her, and the love she and Mark had for each other up until the very end still makes me tear up. Her death in the plane crash episode was the most devastating death for me.
5. Derek Shephard
Derek would have been ranked higher on the list had it not been for how long it took him to pick Meredith and his lack of support for Meredith and her career. Still, his nickname is McDreamy for a reason and he and Meredith had the cutest relationship for a large chunk of the show. I don’t think any of us will ever forgive Shonda for killing him off. No one else’s hair game will ever be as strong as his.
4. Alex Karev
Alex was a huge jerk when the show first started, but he is easily the character that has shown the most growth. He went from being a jerky intern to a soft and squishy peds surgeon. He has had the worst luck with relationships on the show and is in some hot water now, but at least he will always have Meredith – his person – to lean on.
3. Mark Sloan
His nickname isn’t McSteamy for nothing. Derek’s best friend gives him a run for his money on dreamiest surgeon, and Mark had some of the best relationships on the show. His friendship with Callie, his mentorship of Jackson, and of course his relationship with Lexie made him one of the most loved Grey’s characters ever. I’m still not over his death and probably never will be.
2. Meredith Grey
The star of the show didn’t quite make it to #1, but that doesn’t mean we don’t all still love her. Meredith has been through so much in thirteen seasons and has survived it all with her head held high. She’s funny in a dark and twisty way, she’s beautiful, she’s strong, and she has become an amazing surgeon and mother. She’s got it all.
1. Cristina Yang
Cristina’s competitive personality, sass and sarcasm, surgical abilities, love for Meredith, and inspiring quotes make her #1 on the list. She is Meredith’s person, and although she left the show, I think all of us are waiting for her to return for at least an episode. Cristina has some of the best lines on the show and Cristina moments are the best moments. Who can forget the hot dog eating competition she slayed in, her witty comebacks, or her inventive naming system when she had her own interns?
Now that you’ve read my definitive ranking, which character would you rank #1?