Grey’s Anatomy has seen a lot of cast turnover over its 22-season run. It’s amazing that just a few characters from the original pilot are still around. Adding new characters is good, as fans can enjoy the drama they bring, and several become long-lasting characters. Yet there is sadness with some favorites departing, like Owen and Teddy.
As season 23 approaches, there are several characters Grey’s Anatomy fans would love to see come back. They include many of the show's best characters, along with others who needed more time and closure for their arcs. Here’s hoping these ten characters can come back in some form next year.
1. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh)
This has been a long-time dream for over a decade, but fans still hold out hope that Cristina Yang can return to Grey’s. Sandra Oh has carved out a good career since her departure, but her role as Christina is still a highlight of the early Grey’s seasons. It helped that she got a perfect ending, heading off to Switzerland and leading her own special research center.
While she’s been name-dropped a couple of times, we’ve yet to see Christina in person. It’s long past time she could come by to help with research or just a visit with Meredith. Seeing her react to the changes at the hospital and the new wave of doctors would be wonderful as well as hearing her snide humor on display. It may not happen, but every season, a Yang return is high on every Grey’s fan’s wish list.
2. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers)
The departure of Alex Karev still sticks in the craw of Grey’s fans. Justin Chambers’ decision to leave the show with little warning was jarring for the writers. But they certainly could have done better than Alex sending letters to the staff telling them he’d discovered Izzie had given birth to their twins. So he left his job and his then-wife, Jo, to be with her.
That made Alex look like a total jerk abandoning everyone for a lost love. A return by him could smooth it over, especially with an apology to Jo for dumping her like that. It could be short yet also salve those hurt feelings and leave Alex with a much better farewell.
3. Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli)
One of the better send-offs for a Grey’s character was Levi Schmitt. He had his trials from difficulties with his family, dealing with his sexuality, and almost losing his job a couple of times. Thankfully, it turned out great for Levi as he became chief resident, only to decide to head to San Antonio to seek a research position with his boyfriend, James, accompanying him.
Jake Borelli made the role lovable with the nerdy and nervous Levi coming into his own as a doctor. It’d be fun if he came back to help on a research project, and he would probably be far more confident. The other doctors would love to see him growing so well, and fans would enjoy Levi getting a happy ending.
4. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez)
Originally intended as a minor character, Callie Torres became a key part of the cast. That was thanks to Sara Ramirez’s beautiful performance, showing Callie as a strong woman with no problem playing both sides of the dating field. She truly blossomed with her marriage to Arizona, which may have ended badly, yet both were wonderful in it.
Callie has been gone for a few seasons, heading to New York. Arizona popped back on the show, and a dream of fans is that somehow the two reconciled. We don’t know if that’s true, but having Callie return would be more than welcome to learn more about her and maybe toss in a song as well.
5. Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton)
Joining in season 9, Stephanie Edwards quickly became a fun face on Grey’s Anatomy. After overcoming a childhood illness, Stephanie always strove to be the best, which complicated her relationships. She was hit hard by the death of a patient she cared for. After nearly dying in a hospital fire, Edwards decided to leave Seattle and travel the world.
That would pave the way for Edwards to return at last and show how her trip has changed her. She’s likely matured and hopefully found her calling back to being a top doctor. She’d have a new attitude and maybe even a new love. While her sendoff was nice, Stephanie can also make for a fun return for Grey’s.
6. Carina DeLuca (Stefania Spampinato)
The final episodes of season 22 had Maya Bishop (Danielle Savre) brought in after being injured in a fire. That makes it obvious her wife, Carina, would stop in to see to her love. Stefania Spampinato had a nice breakout on Grey’s as DeLuca’s sister, who got her own romances before moving to Station 19 and being with Maya.
Having her back would spice things up with her energy. She would naturally take a larger part in Maya’s treatment, and while wanting the best, there’s comedy in her driving Maya nuts by pushing her recovery on. At very least, a cameo supporting her wife would suit Carina.
7. Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis)
The shame of Mika’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy is that it came just as she was finally getting some character development. The intense intern had a few clashes with her co-workers, yet she was starting to blossom in a relationship with Jules. She had to endure the tragedy of losing her sister in a car accident, which drove her to leave when there was so much potential for her.
Having Mika return would be a delight for various reasons. First, it’d be nice to see her getting her life back together and hopefully in a better place. It’d also be classic Grey’s for Jules to be met by an old flame just as she’s moving into a new relationship. Mika wasn’t given the chance to really bloom on Grey’s, so a return can offer a better closure for her.
8. Leah Murphy (Tessa Ferrer)
Grey’s is usually good at explaining a character departing, but they sometimes fumble the ball. Such a case is with Leah Murphy. Granted, the new intern rubbed some of her colleagues the wrong way with her cold attitude and was even fired at one point over not having what it took to be a doctor. She did return in season 13 only to vanish without warning.
Bringing back Leah would fix that sudden departure by finally explaining just where she’s been for the last decade. It’s logical that she became a successful doctor elsewhere and perhaps softened the attitude. Or she comes in bitter about her exit and thrown no one there even remembers her. Either way, giving the character some sort of closure is long overdue.
9 & 10. Kat and Liz Shepherd (Amy Acker and Neve Campbell)
Amelia is the most prominent Shepherd on the show, but we’ve also gotten appearances from her siblings. TV veterans Amy Acker and Neve Campbell were both terrific as Kat and Liz, respectively, each with their own medical careers and shedding more light on the complex family relations. It’s been too long since either returned.
It’d be good if either returned, even just for one episode. Their medical knowledge could be needed for a case and perhaps some tensions with Meredith or Amelia to add drama. It seems a shame to ignore more of the Shepherd clan, who can provide some spark.
Grey’s Anatomy season 23 premieres this fall on ABC.
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