Will Grey's Anatomy be worth watching without Meredith?

[sjorsman]

A lot of rumors tell that season 8 might be Ellen Pompeo's (Meredith) final season.

So if Meredith is gone, will Grey's still be worth watching?
And is the rest of the cast strong enough to cope with Pompeo's and Dempsey's departure?

Let me know...

[Joshua]

I will really miss Pompeo if she leaves. She really is the rock and the foundation of the show.

However, would I watch without her? Absolutely. I'll still give it a try, in the hopes that Lexi/Christina/Bailey/Callie/Arizona/Alex/Richard/Sloane can keep it alive.

However, I really hope it doesn't flop like Scrubs Season 9 (aka the one that doesn't exist in my mind).

[Ayliere]

But why would Lexie/Cristina/Bailey/etc... have to pick up the show as a collective entity? Lexie or Cristina, I think, are strong enough to carry the show forward as focal characters if that were to be the case.

At this point in the series' run, we need to get used to the idea of cancellation; most shows today don't last long enough to even see a season eight, never mind with original cast members. Shonda plans to write season eight as the last for original cast members, which means that, if she does plan to continue the series after they leave, she may set her sights on those who came later.

Whether it will work has yet to be seen, if it gets to that point at all, but it will definitely still be worth watching.

[Joshua]

I'm not saying they have to do it as a collective entity, but I think the show is more an ensemble cast than Meredith as the lead. Therefore, I think it could definitely work with Lexie doing the voiceovers because the ensemble cast IS so strong.

[md_em]

PD is leaving, and I don't see the point of EP staying in that case. I have to say that I've lost interest in GA. Sad. I really loved this show but it seems like I don't appreciate is doing with it lately.

[brouhaha]

The show is totally worth watching without Meredith. Most of the best moments of both series 6 and 7 have been without Meredith and Derek. I actually think that to lose Sandra Oh and Justin Chambers would be a worse loss. Cristina is the comedy genius character that SO executes so brilliantly. Alex has so much potential in terms of story lines. Lexie, Bailey, Callie, Arizona and April are also strong characters or have strong potential to carry the show. If it loses MerDer fans then so be it. The show has been more about the ensemble since season 2 anyway.