The Big Picture

• The downfall of Grey's Anatomy started with the dramatic plane crash in the Season 8 finale and hit its peak in Season 10.
• Cristina Yang's departure in the Season 10 finale marked a shift in the series' quality.
• After Season 10, Grey's Anatomy lacked the substance it once had, and it hasn't been the same since.

When a show has as many seasons as Grey's Anatomy does, interest is bound to dip as time goes on. Whether it be because storylines have grown stale, characters have exited, or new showrunners. There are endless reasons as to why some viewers lose interest. Since Grey's Anatomy is a medical drama, it has the benefit of being able to make up whatever bizarre case they want for a patient, which can certainly keep things interesting. But as a whole, the storylines are pretty much endless, as there's no shortage of wild cases that can be made up for patients. But in terms of quality, the series is not as good as it once was, and there's a significant point when the series peaked and then dropped off.

When Did ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Go Downhill?

There are a few moments that one could theorize played into Grey’s Anatomy’s downfall. Some say it was after George (T.R. Knight) died, others claim it was when Derek (Patrick Dempsey) died. And while both moments certainly put the show in new territory, the moment that really started to show the series' cracks was somewhere in between. At the end of Season 8, Grey’s Anatomy hit fans with one of its biggest plot twists: the plane carrying the doctors crashed somewhere in the wilderness. On the plane were Arizona (Jessica Capshaw), Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Derek, Cristina (Sandra Oh), Mark (Eric Dane), and Lexie (Chyler Leigh). No one could have seen it coming, it just seemed like the characters were off to do a spectacular surgery, and with how far into the series we were at this point, it didn’t seem far-fetched for them to do so.

Lexie dies in the Season 8 finale after being pinned underneath part of the plane. Despite everyone’s best efforts to move the plane and save her, her injuries are too severe, and she dies as Mark holds her hand and tells her they’re meant to be. And as if that wasn’t tragic enough, Mark himself suffered major injuries and though he makes it out of the woods alive, he dies in the Season 9 premiere, shattering the hearts of fans everywhere. There’s no denying that Mark and Lexie were fan-favorite characters, so killing them off was a bold move for the show.

Their deaths had a major impact on the series, most notably with the hospital opting to change its name to Grey Sloan Memorial in their honor. But they also left behind so many loved ones and left a major hole in the show. But despite their absence, Season 9 did manage to make things work, due in part to the huge legal battle that follows the aftermath of the plane crash, as well as Arizona and Derek’s own injuries. But by Season 10, the show began to spin its wheels, and the problem only got worse when it was announced that Cristina would be leaving the show.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Went Downhill After Cristina Yang Left

As if Mark and Lexie leaving wasn’t already devastating, losing Cristina a season later felt like an especially devastating blow. There is a bright side though. She didn’t die, and she went out on good terms, so the door is still open for Sandra Oh to return if she ever chooses, but even still, her absence changed the show the most. Cristina has been around since Season 1, so saying goodbye to her was never going to be easy, no matter how it happened. Cristina leaves at the end of Season 10 after Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) invites her to Zurich, and offers her an entire hospital. He makes it clear he doesn’t want her to work for him, he wants her to take over for him. And after showing her all the incredible technology the hospital has, it’s really a no-brainer: Cristina will be moving to Switzerland. And though it was a great opportunity for her, and one she so rightfully deserved, it was instantly clear that her departure would change literally everything.

Following Cristina’s departure, we are introduced to Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) in Season 11. She’s revealed to be the daughter of Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Ellis Grey (Kate Burton), making her Meredith’s half-sister. While there was nothing wrong with Maggie’s character, it was hard for fans to warm up to her as she felt sort of like a replacement for not only Lexie, but Cristina as well. Audiences, and Meredith herself, warmed to her eventually, but it was never going to be easy to fill Cristina’s shoes, and every attempt fell flat. Going forward, Season 11 felt tonally different. It was as if the show didn’t know what to do following Cristina’s exit, which makes sense given she was such a pivotal part of the series, and it begs the question: should the show have just ended when Cristina left?

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Should’ve Ended Years Ago

It wouldn’t have been that far-fetched if Grey's Anatomy had ended after Season 10. Season 10 had such finality to it, as the show was quite literally closing a major chapter in saying goodbye to Cristina Yang. So maybe we should’ve said goodbye altogether, because every season after just became less and less substantial. No longer were the quality medical drama storylines and bingeworthy episodes. The show became bland and lifeless, like it was running on empty, and barely puttering along. It’s had its moments, of course, it hasn’t all been bad, but when rewatching the series it’s easy to see when the cracks begin to show.

Little by little, splinters began to grow, cracking open further with moments like Lexie and Mark’s deaths, and becoming a full crater when Cristina walked away. Grey’s Anatomy will always have a special place in television history, as well as the hearts of fans everywhere, but there’s no denying that the show just isn’t what it once was, and it’s a damn shame. Many have said it, and it’s become a running joke at this point, but it really is true: Grey’s Anatomy should’ve said goodbye years ago. It would’ve saved audiences a whole lot of heartache.

Grey's Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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