Grey’s Anatomy has seen plenty of cast members come and go over its 22-season run. Yet it was still a surprise when it was announced that both Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver would depart the series together after long runs. McKidd joined as Owen Hunt in season 5, while Raver debuted as Teddy Altman in season 6, left after season 8, and returned in season 14.
The season 22 finale teased Owen being killed in a bridge collapse, only to show he’d survived to help others in danger. That had the pair realize what was truly important, and they left together to move the family to Paris for Teddy’s new job.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Meg Marinis discussed the finale, the plans for season 23, and pretty much admitted the real reason to write out Owen and Teddy was due to budget concerns.
“It’s always initiated by story, but it’s no secret what this industry is experiencing right now.”
Marinis added more when THR asked whether this was a mandate to cut two long-standing cast members over said budget concerns.
“Well, with those particular two characters, they share children. So it’s very hard to split them, even if they’re divorced. I don’t know if I want to talk too much about behind the scenes details, but all options were considered and when it was clear what I needed to do, this made the most sense creatively.”
As Marinis says, the entire television industry is enduring some travails these days. The wounds of the 2023 WGA and SAG strikes are still being felt, with numerous studios feeling the crunch on budgets. That’s exacerbated by the rise of streaming services, the decline of traditional ratings systems, and the broader economy.
For a show like Grey’s, which has such a huge regular cast, the budget for salaries is much bigger. The longer someone is on a show, the bigger their contract, so cutting loose some of the longer-lasting and thus more expensive actors sadly makes logistical sense. Note how Ellen Pompeo is more a recurring face on the show rather than a regular.
Any show that’s run 22 seasons is going to find ways to keep going, and that unfortunately means often cutting down the cast. Raver and McKidd were simply the ones targeted this time around.
How did Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver react to their Grey's departures?
It sounds like McKidd and Raver took the news of being written out well, with Marinis sharing the reaction.
“Um, those are always very difficult and very painful conversations. I’ve known them both for years. Kevin has directed in the double digits of episodes that I’ve written from the very beginning of me being on staff. Writing the episode was painful, and watching the cut multiple times is painful. But I feel like we wrote a really beautiful ending for them. They performed the heck out of it, and I could not be more grateful. There were a lot of hugs and a lot of tears between the three of us. And a lot of Kevin and I sitting on a bridge, reminiscing.”
McKidd had actually suggested having Owen die, but Marinis wisely decided it was better for him and Teddy to get a happy ending. She also wanted to keep the door open for either character to return in the future, which is a Grey’s tradition.
It’s unclear yet if season 23 will bring in a new character or two or simply keep the regular cast as is, with the possibility of upgrading a recurring actor to a regular to fill the slots. There's also a question of whether any other cast members will be departing.
It’s too bad that it was pretty much money that pushed McKidd and Raver out of Grey’s Anatomy, but at least fans got to see them go out in a nice way.
Grey’s Anatomy is streaming on Hulu, Disney+, and Netflix.
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