Grey’s Anatomy has become known for not handling its characters’ departures well, usually opting for killing them, but even those who were killed have returned somehow, and here’s every Grey’s Anatomy character who left the show and then returned. One of the most successful and beloved medical dramas in recent years is Grey’s Anatomy, created by Shonda Rhimes. The series began as a mid-season replacement in 2005, but its success was such that the series has lived on for over 15 seasons, and even though the quality has decreased as years pass by, it still has a solid fanbase.
Like any other medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they do their best to juggle their professional and personal lives, which often overlap and make way for a lot of drama inside and outside the hospital. The series is led by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who viewers have seen go through a lot of personal problems that have threatened her career at some point, but she still managed to go from an intern to Head of General Surgery and now Director of the Residency Program at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Through her, the audience has met a variety of characters, both coworkers and patients, but not all have gotten as far as Meredith has, and they have either left the hospital to pursue other opportunities or they have been killed.
A big problem in Grey’s Anatomy that many viewers have pointed out is how the writers choose the “easy” way out when it’s time for a character to leave the show, choosing to kill them instead of giving them an ending that fits their story. Others simply left Grey Sloan for better professional opportunities or for personal reasons, though most of these have also been criticized. However, when a character leaves Grey’s Anatomy for whatever reason, their absence is not always permanent, and many of them have returned at some point. Here’s every Grey’s Anatomy character who left the show and then returned.
Derek Shepherd
One of the most heartbreaking deaths in Grey’s Anatomy was that of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), Meredith’s husband and father of her children. Derek died in Grey’s Anatomy season 11 after a lot of complications following a car accident, and his departure was even sadder as he and Meredith had just made up after a couple of problems and Meredith was pregnant with their third child. After that, Derek showed up briefly in seasons 13 and 15, first when Meredith imagined him being with her after completing a long surgery as she was exhausted and used the thought of him as something good to get through the surgery, and in season 15 Derek was among the spirits who visited Meredith on the Day of the Dead. Derek’s most notable return was in Grey’s Anatomy’s season 17, where he and Meredith reunited in one of her COVID-induced dreams set at the beach, where they talked about their family, his death, and more, with Derek telling her that she had to go back as it wasn’t her time yet.
George O’Malley
George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) is one of the most beloved characters from Grey’s Anatomy and one of Meredith’s closest friends. George struggled a bit during his first years at Seattle Grace Hospital, but he eventually found his path as a trauma surgeon. However, on Grey’s Anatomy season 6, George suddenly decided to join the U.S. Army in Iraq. Richard Webber gave him the last day off so he could spend it with his family, but on his way back home, George jumped in front of a bus to save a woman’s life. This left him severely disfigured, so no one recognized him when he arrived at the hospital, and it wasn’t until he traced “007” on Meredith’s hand that they knew who he was, as that was one of his many nicknames. Despite the team’s efforts, George couldn’t be saved and was declared brain dead. George briefly returned in season 15 as one of the spirits who visited Meredith on the Day of the Dead and in season 17, where he also joined Meredith at the beach.
Lexie Grey
Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) was Meredith’s younger parental half-sister and made her debut in Grey’s Anatomy season 3 when she took up a surgical internship at Seattle Grace. It took a while for Meredith to welcome Lexie into the team at the hospital and her life as well given their problematic family background, and yet, the main focus on Lexie’s arc was her on-again-off-again relationship with Mark Sloan (Eric Dane). Lexie was on the plane that crashed in season 8 when she, Meredith, Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Mark, Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), and Derek were traveling to another hospital to perform surgery, and she was crushed by a piece of the plane. Lexie was severely injured and couldn’t move, so Mark stayed by her side until she died. Very much like Derek and George, Lexie was one of the spirits who visited Meredith in season 15 and reunited with her at the beach in season 17.
Mark Sloan
Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) was the Head of Plastic Surgery at Seattle Grace, Derek’s best friend, and Lexie’s on-and-off partner. As mentioned above, Mark was on the plane that crashed in Grey’s Anatomy season 8, and though he seemed fine at first, Cristina realized he had a cardiac tamponade (fluid around the heart), and with Meredith’s help, she drained the fluid. His health continued to deteriorate, and on season 9’s premiere episode, he was on life support, but as determined by his will, the machines were turned off, and so Mark Sloan died with Derek and Callie Torries (Sandra Ramirez) by his side. Just like the characters mentioned above, he returned to visit Meredith on the Day of the Dead and met her at the beach in season 17.
Ellis Grey
Ellis Grey (Kate Burton) was Meredith's mother and a world-famous surgeon. Her relationship with her daughter was complicated, as Ellis’ affair with Richard Webber and her work kept her away from Meredith and even made her forget about her. Ellis was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and as time passed, she rarely recognized Meredith, and she passed away in season 3. However, Ellis has returned to Grey’s Anatomy a couple of times ever since: on the Day of the Dead, in a dream to Meredith, and in the alternate universe episode, in which she never developed Alzheimer’s, Richard and her stayed together, and they raised Meredith together. Ellis Grey is confirmed to return in Grey’s Anatomy season 18.
Preston Burke
Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) was the Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Seattle Grace and Cristina’s fiancée, who left her on their wedding day and quit immediately after in season 3. Burke went on to found the Klausman Institute for Medical Research in Zurich, Switzerland, with a focus on cardiac arrest, where he also served as chief medical officer until he gave this spot to Cristina so he could move to Milan, Italy, with his wife. Burke actually returned to Grey’s Anatomy to make the offer to Cristina, which she eventually took. Burke was then able to move to Italy with his wife and move on with his life, while Cristina took over at the Institute in Switzerland.
Olivia Jankovic
Olivia Harper (Sarah Utterback) was a nurse at Seattle Grace who got together with Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), contracting syphilis in the process, which she then passed on to George, making way for an outbreak at the hospital. Olivia had an on-again-off-again relationship with Alex, and she left Grey’s Anatomy in season 6 after she was fired as a result of the hospital merger. Olivia married a man simply referred to as Mr. Jankovic and returned briefly in season 14 when her son swallowed a chew toy, and while at the hospital, she warned Jo about Alex’s history, but later changed her mind realizing Alex had changed for the better.
Teddy Altman
Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) is part of the cardiothoracic surgery team at Grey Sloan and Owen Hunt’s (Kevin McKidd) partner. Teddy was introduced in Grey’s Anatomy season 6 and left Seattle to take a military job in Germany, returned briefly in season 14 when Owen’s sister, Megan, was rescued from a basement in Germany and taken to Grey Sloan, and made a proper return in season 15, where she briefly got back together with Owen in Germany, and once she returned to Seattle, she found out she was pregnant. During season 15, Teddy got involved with Tom Koracick (Greg Germann), but they broke up after she gave birth and she got back together with Owen. Teddy’s love triangle and problems with Owen continued through seasons 16 and 17, and after going through a major breakdown in Grey’s Anatomy season 17 following the death of Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), Owen proposed to her again.
April Kepner
April Kepner (Sarah Drew) was an attending trauma surgeon and made her debut on Grey’s Anatomy season 6. April had a relationship with Jackson Avery, with whom she got married in secret, but their marriage wasn’t an easy one. Their first baby passed away, they almost got divorced, had another baby, and she went through a crisis of faith, believing that good people get punished and bad people get good things. In season 14, April got in a car accident with Matt Taylor (Justin Bruening) and almost died of hypothermia. In the season finale, she and Matt got married, and she resigned from the hospital to help homeless communities in Seattle. April returned in season 17, where Jackson told her about his plans to move to Boston to run the Harper Avery Foundation, and after some hesitation, she agreed to move to Boston with him and their daughter.
Addison Montgomery
Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) is a world-class neonatal surgeon and Derek’s ex-wife, who had an affair with Mark. Addison was introduced in Grey’s Anatomy season 1, making way for a love triangle with Meredith and Derek, a failed relationship with Mark, and an affair with Alex. Addison left Seattle in season 7 to move to Los Angeles, but viewers continued following her career and personal life in the spinoff series Private Practice, which came to an end in 2013. Addison is confirmed to return in Grey’s Anatomy season 18.
Megan Hunt
Megan Hunt (Abigail Spencer) is Owen’s younger sister and a trauma surgeon, who made her debut in Grey’s Anatomy season 13. Megan served in the U.S. Army as a trauma surgeon at the same time as Owen, Teddy, and Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson), and she disappeared for ten years after the helicopter she was flying in with Sana, an Iraqi woman, was hijacked by her. Megan was found in the basement of a house in a rebel-held neighborhood and taken to Grey Sloan, where the team treated a massive abdominal wound she had as a result of a bombing. After being released from the hospital, she moved to Los Angeles with her adopted son, Farouk, and Nathan. Megan Hunt is one of the confirmed characters to return in Grey’s Anatomy season 18.