All 19 Grey’s Anatomy Seasons Ranked
Over its nearly two decades on the air, Grey’s Anatomy has had its highs and lows but which of the epic medical drama’s seasons is the best?
With nearly two decades’ worth of Grey’s Anatomy seasons in the books, the show has seen its ups and downs in terms of overall quality, with some seasons soaring while others fell. Grey’s Anatomy is the mothership of Shondaland Productions, and though other Shondaland shows have indeed been successful, such as How To Get Away With Murder, Scandal, and Private Practice, none lasted as long as Grey’s Anatomy. The series helped to reinvent and revitalize the medical drama genre and still has a massive following all these years later.
Grey’s Anatomy was a hit from the start, and even as it continues into its second decade on the air, it more or less delivers the same gripping drama that made it popular in the first place. Though Grey’s Anatomy has changed since season 1, its consistency is one of the biggest reasons that viewers continue to tune in year after year. Characters come and go, but the heart of the medical drama has remained intact. Despite this, not all Grey’s Anatomy seasons are created equal and some are worth remembering while others are best forgotten.
Season 17
The seventeenth season of Grey’s Anatomy was one of the show’s most polarizing with some criticizing it for bringing the reality of 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak into the show, while others showing season 17 with praise for adding more realism to the drama. Despite Grey’s Anatomy season 17 having memorable scenes, much of the season’s focus was on how the hospital deals with the safety measures in place as a result of the pandemic and was somewhat dull as a result. Meredith, the main character since the pilot episode, even contracted the virus, and her dreams while unconscious brought back a handful of fan-favorite characters that had long departed the show.
Season 18
Though the seventeenth and eighteenth Grey’s Anatomy seasons were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the latter represented a swing in the right direction. While still largely focused on how Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital deals with the virus, it also dedicated more time to character development, which was an improvement. Meredith Grey was especially strong, and she was forced to reconsider her life after her brush with death during season 17. Overall, the season was saved by its crossovers, and the use of Station 19 characters was a refreshing change.
Season 19
Coming out of the pandemic and nearing the 20-season mark, Grey’s Anatomy season 19 took big risks that didn’t all pay off, but it was an improvement for the attempt alone. Ellen Pompeo’s Dr. Meredith Grey was no longer the series regular protagonist that she had always been, and the season floundered somewhat while establishing new characters to focus on. Nevertheless, the ending of Grey’s Anatomy season 19 offered fun and shocking twists that echoed the earlier days of the show. It was truly the end of an era with Meredith’s departure from the show.
Season 16
With a lot of changes for the main characters, the entire product of Grey’s Anatomy season 16 was somewhat hit or miss and left many polarized. Meredith, after admitting to insurance fraud, has to defend her medical license for much of the season. She also has to deal with losing one of her best friends (again) as Alex abruptly leaves Seattle and doesn’t explain himself for months. In addition to their storylines, mental health takes a spotlight as Jo and DeLuca deal with their respective issues. Amelia also becomes a mom, expanding the show’s large family.
Season 15
Alex gets a big promotion as Bailey picks him to be interim Chief in her absence. The promotion places some stress on his and Jo’s relationship as interpersonal drama dominated season 15 for better or worse. Amelia and Owen adjust to having foster children in their house while Meredith has to figure out how to talk to her kids about the possibility of dating again, which she discovered she is ready to do. Grey’s Anatomy season 15 also features the sad episode 19, “Silent All These Years,” which focuses on sexual assault survivors and gives the audience a lot more backstory for Jo.
Season 13
Like many Grey’s Anatomy seasons, season 13 focused on change with most of the upheaval centering on the professional lives of the doctors and medical students instead of their personal lives. The teaching program at the hospital undergoes a major revamp. That includes the introduction of consultant Eliza Minnick, but it also creates a lot of tense situations for the characters. Plenty of the veteran characters are resistant to change. Alex also has to deal with the repercussions of his attack on Andrew, Owen gets news about his long-missing sister, and Meredith has to revisit the feelings brought up by the plane crash that killed her sister.
Season 14
Though Shonda Rhimes had stepped down as showrunner before Grey’s Anatomy season 14, the season marked the first time she truly had no influence over the show. This major leadership change gave season 14 a transitional tone, and the focus was on the future not the present. The season sees a few cast shakeups as three series regulars say goodbye to the show, as Arizona, Nathan, and April all have their last story arcs in this season. Several characters also get large dramatic storylines as Meredith finds herself in the middle of another love triangle, multiple characters deal with sister drama, and Amelia discovers she has a brain tumor.
Season 8
Much like her fight for her medical license in later Grey’s Anatomy seasons, Meredith again had to deal with the fallout of a decision made at work in season 8. In this case, it’s her tampering with a medical trial in season 7. The drama is amped up even higher because Alex was the one to turn her in. It leads to not only a divide between them but also between Alex and several other coworkers. This season also features the stand-out episode 24, “Flight” which centers on the aftermath of the plane crash, which majorly shakes up the dynamic of the show moving forward.
Season 4
With all the original Grey’s Anatomy interns other than George passing their exam, the characters have moved up to Residents while George remains a second-year intern. George staying back a level connects him to the new batch of interns at Seattle Grace Memorial Hospital, one of which is Lexie Grey, Meredith’s half-sister. Lexie starts as an intern wishing to create a bond with Meredith, yet her wishes do not have the desired effect. It takes time for Meredith to warm up to Lexie, and beforehand they do not have the most cordial relationship. Season 4 marked the show’s shift towards character-centric storytelling.
Season 7
After season 6, all the characters experience the trauma after a shooting at the hospital. That leads to some characters jumping into new relationships and others taking a little longer to adjust to their new normal. When Meredith discovers that Richard’s wife might have Alzheimer’s, she tampers with a trial to help Adele, leading her into serious trouble when Alex turns her in. Meredith kicks Alex out of her house, and Derek even leaves her for a while as everyone faces the repercussions of her actions. The drama of season 7 was more realistic than many later seasons, and it showed that characters could change in less-than-positive ways.
Season 12
In season 12, Alex stepped up to be Meredith’s primary source of comfort, most notably during episode 9 “The Sound of Silence”. In the episode, a patient wakes up and attacks Meredith, causing her to need several doctors surrounding her. Throughout it all, Alex stays by Meredith’s side as she gets better. The episode showed season 12’s ability to balance episodic and long-form storytelling, something Grey’s Anatomy is known for. The season finale includes Amelia and Owen’s wedding and the birth of April and Jackson’s child.
Season 10
Although most Grey’s Anatomy seasons are filled with emotional episodes, season 10 is most remembered for Cristina Yang’s departure. Luckily, Cristina got one of the best Grey’s Anatomy character exits, unlike several other characters that were dumped unceremoniously. Cristina’s conclusion saw her taking over Burke’s hospital in Switzerland. Although she has not made an appearance since leaving, fans have gotten to see her and Meredith have text conversations later on which has left the door open for a return. Though the change was sad, it also proved that Grey’s Anatomy could move on beyond a major character.
Season 1
Few shows in TV history began on as stable footing as Grey’s Anatomy, and season 1’s strong characters were what helped the show live on for years to come. The first season set the beginning Grey Anatomy‘s most prominent romance between Meredith and Derek, giving one last plot twist in the season finale when Meredith and the audience discovered that Derek was married. It was also a point in the series when Miranda Bailey was the tough resident, and Alex Karev still had a lot of growing up to do.
Season 11
Though season 11 was one of the best, it also featured several unnecessary Grey’s Anatomy storylines including the convoluted death of Derek in episode 21, “How to Save a Life”. After Derek’s death, Meredith ran away with Zola and Bailey, leaving her friends concerned and worried in her wake. Only nearly a year after leaving do the audience discover what Meredith had been hiding. When Alex reaches Meredith at a hospital as her emergency contact, Meredith reveals she had a third baby, her and Derek’s daughter, Ellis.
Season 3
The third season is the last Team Magic spends together as interns and it is also the last season to feature Addison Montgomery as a central character, as she departs the show to lead Private Practice. Among the events of the third season, one that affected Meredith the most was the death of her mother, Ellis. Season 3 is also the last that Preston Burke appears as a central character, as he abruptly leaves Seattle minutes before he and Cristina are meant to get married. Grey’s Anatomy season 3 ostensibly closed out the first chapter of the show, but proved there was much more to see.
Season 6
A season after losing George O’Malley, Izzie Stevens abandoned Alex Karev and her friends in Seattle to settle down elsewhere. However, that was not the only conflict throughout the sixth season. Jackson Avery and April Kepner join the hospital when Seattle Grace merges with Mercy West, creating competition among the doctors to keep their jobs through the merger. The doctors of Seattle Grace are still grieving from George’s death and trying to move forward. The season 6 finale, which featured the infamous hospital shooting, is the highest-rated episode of Grey’s Anatomy and showed that the series wasn’t afraid to go to dark places
Season 5
Season 5 features the first primary loss of the show. Just after deciding to join the military, George O’Malley saves a woman’s life by pushing her out of the way of an oncoming bus. It is not until late in the season finale that Meredith discovers that the John Doe they have been treating was George. As George is dying, Izzie is fighting for her life as well, as she has cancer. Season 5 also features the beginning of the romantic relationship between Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins, and the introduction of Owen Hunt.
Season 9
In the aftermath of the plane crash in season 8, everyone struggles to return to normal. Cristina leaves Seattle to get away from the hospital, while everyone else stays behind. Lexie and Mark’s deaths leave everyone grieving, and Meredith has been named “Medusa” by the new batch of interns, including Jo Wilson. Though season 9 essentially served to clean up the mess from season 8’s ending, it actually proved the strength of the show as a whole. Characters were allowed to grow in a dynamic and realistic way, and season 9 was the first time that Grey’s Anatomy became aware of itself.
Season 2
Though only the second of the Grey’s Anatomy seasons, the show’s sophomore outing upped the ante in the best way possible. Not only does the season feature a bomb on the cusp of exploding, but it also features a host of other tense scenarios that put the characters in peril. Romances are not the only thing afoot in Seattle Grace as patients come in with more and more bizarre circumstances. While the weirdest operations on Grey’s Anatomy have become a staple of the show, season 2 was where the trend began including the infamous LVAD wire operation in episode 27, “Losing My Religion”.