Grey’s Anatomy has been one of the most successful medical dramas of all time, and while creator Shonda Rhimes revolutionized the genre for the 2000s, the show’s cast has had some changes as the series has grown, leaving only a few original actors left. Grey’s Anatomy, which premiered in 2005, began with a group of surgical interns starting their rotation at Seattle Grace hospital.

In the subsequent years, the interns have all grown up and have, mostly, moved out of their comfort zones. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) was consistently the main character and narrator of the series, but the length of the series has changed things. While Dr. Grey is still a big piece of the series, others have come into play over the years to take the spotlight.

Dr. Meredith Grey

Ellen Pompeo

Although Meredith isn’t a full-time member of Grey Sloan Memorial’s team anymore, she’s still someone who is heavily featured on the series. While Pompeo chose to leave her full-time role on the show during Grey’s Anatomy season 19, she’s still a massive part of the show’s history. She continues to narrate most episodes and appears sporadically in subsequent Grey’s seasons.

As the moral center of the Grey’s Anatomy universe, Meredith continues to be one of the people who tie the characters together, especially as the show continues to bring new cast members into the fold. Meredith is typically around for the big episodes of each season, and was present throughout Grey’s Anatomy season 22’s massive premiere, lending a hand to the new interns.

Dr. Miranda Bailey

Chandra Wilson

As one of the original members of the Grey’s Anatomy cast, Chandra Wilson is still part of the cast as Miranda Bailey, who’s currently working as the Director of the residency program at Grey Sloan Memorial. Dr. Bailey, who began the series as a resident in general surgery, is one of the first people Grey’s fans meet during the pilot episode of the series.

Having gone from someone who the surgical interns were fearful of to a caring, devoted part of their lives, Dr. Bailey is one of the most interesting characters Grey’s has ever explored. While it took some time to get into Bailey’s point of view, when she finally became less of a figurehead and gained a point of view, the series knew it found magic.

Dr. Richard Webber

James Pickens Jr.

While he moves up on the ladder to become a prominent part of the hospital staff throughout the series, Grey’s Anatomy season 22 has Webber working at a different capacity as an attending. Webber, who becomes a massive part of Meredith’s story because of his long-term affair with her mother Ellis Grey, is consistently a fatherly figure to most Grey’s Anatomy characters.

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