Grey's Anatomy in the Media: Incident Reporting

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, MrWhyt said:

not really. Their contracts were up and the producers decided not to pick up the option.

Fired is a harsh word and implies that they were not doing their jobs.  "Let go" is a more apt term.  The fact remains that it was NOT their idea to leave.  And. yes, the show has the right to keep certain characters and let certain characters go.  And, yes, they have a large cast and, frankly, are carrying a lot of dead weight.  I can even see an argument for Arizona being dead weight (I don't buy it...I think they COULD have easily given her better story lines, but chose not to).  But April was not, in any way, dead weight.

I guess what bothers me the most about this is not that (the only)  two characters that I found interesting are going, but that characters who seem absolutely pointless to me are staying.

[Shellie]

13 hours ago, upperco said:

Seems budgetary. The original cast is untouchable and McKidd -- one of Shondaland's most prolific directors -- now serves a double purpose. I guess it must be coincidence that they're cutting the next two longest running (and therefore most expensive) cast members: Capshaw and Drew (the latter of whom was probably started at a higher rate than the equally long-lasting Williams).

I think with this bloated cast that they could have kept Capshaw and Drew and instead jettisoned all the interns, DeLuca (who I used to find interesting until ex-girlfriend arrived) and Italian doc.  Get back to the basics. These women have been an integral part of the cast for such a long time that it seems crazy to let them go and probably bring in additional uninteresting people. 

As others have said, April in particular has been really interesting this season, and it's a shame to drop her character all of a sudden. 

[OrigamiNightmare]

I don't think April will kill herself as some have suggested. Even without her faith, I'd think she'd still view suicide as a sin. I could see maybe alcohol poisoning. I think Sarah Drew is great. She played a demon in the Supernatural episode "Swap Meat". I think she'll be ok. That being said I think it was a really thoughtless move to tell both actresses in the way that they did.

Edited March 9, 2018 by OrigamiNightmare

[Anela]

6 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

I follow most of the cast on IG (all of the actresses and most of the actors).  Not everyone who regularly posts was voicing support.  Just sayin'. 

Luddington, Scorsone, and McCreary were very supportive of their co-stars.

Who hasn't been?

I saw a post from what's his name who plays Jackson, and he sounded pissed, but I might be projecting. 

https://twitter.com/iJesseWilliams/status/971847809069604865

[OtterMommy]

1 minute ago, Anela said:

Who hasn't been?

I saw a post from what's his name who plays Jackson, and he sounded pissed, but I might be projecting. 

Um, Ellen Pompeo.

She has been on Twitter, but complaining about a Deadline article that she thinks makes her look bad.

[Anela]

3 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

Um, Ellen Pompeo.

She has been on Twitter, but complaining about a Deadline article that she thinks makes her look bad.

Oh, LOL. I haven't been online much today. I was just asking. 

[OtterMommy]

2 minutes ago, Anela said:

Oh, LOL. I haven't been online much today. I was just asking. 

I think EP's complaint is that she feels that she's being blamed for Drew and Capshaw being let go because she got a raise.  Honestly, I don't think the money has anything to do with it--but, well, she's now a producer on this show so I think it is at least feasible to consider that she might have had a part in the decision.

[Chas411]

I don't think it has much to do with Ellen Pompeos pay rise and agree it's above her paygrade. I do however think that it's really poor taste that she chose to comment on that rather then pay tribute to her two long running costars like nearly every other cast member did.

[Anela]

It is. The writers are above her pay grade? I don't think her raise was the issue, either, and it is a shame that people were slamming her on International Woman's Day, for getting a cheque that Mel Gibson was earning almost thirty years ago. 

[Pallas]

Quote

She has been on Twitter, but complaining about a Deadline article that she thinks makes her look bad.

It does! From the article: "The decision not to bring back Capshaw and Drew comes on the heels of the blockbuster new Pompeo pact that gave her a significant salary increase, paying her as much as $20 million a year."  That's a pretty direct insinuation, and I'd push back too.

[OtterMommy]

2 minutes ago, Anela said:

It is. The writers are above her pay grade? I don't think her raise was the issue, either, and it is a shame that people were slamming her on International Woman's Day, for getting a cheque that Mel Gibson was earning almost thirty years ago. 

The International Women's day aspect, in general, is a headscratcher.  I cannot believe that there was not a single person at Shondaland who thought that maybe, just maybe, they should delay the announcement of Drew and Capshaw's departure by a day or two so that it wouldn't fall on IWD.  If they had done that, the EP reaction would also have avoided that date.

2 minutes ago, Pallas said:

It does! From the article: "The decision not to bring back Capshaw and Drew comes on the heels of the blockbuster new Pompeo pact that gave her a significant salary increase, paying her as much as $20 million a year."  That's a pretty direct insinuation, and I'd push back too.

There were a couple of Deadline articles and I must have either not read this one OR (more likely) glossed over it.  Honestly, though, I don't think that statement is that bad.  I'm not saying that Pompeo was not within her rights to fight back (although, as was said, her timing and the fact she said nothing about her co-stars was in poor taste), but there isn't anything factually incorrect about that statement and, honestly, it isn't like no one else was going to make that connection.  To make things more generic, a company makes a move that appears to signify that it is on good standing, and then lays people off.  It's going to raise eyebrows.  

That being said, I do think that Pompeo was caught a bit in the crosshairs on this, when the aim really should be on Rhimes and Vernoff.

[Shellie]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

I saw a post from what's his name who plays Jackson, and he sounded pissed, but I might be projecting. 

https://twitter.com/iJesseWilliams/status/971847809069604865

That's pretty blunt.  I don't think you're projecting.  lol!

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, OtterMommy said:

The International Women's day aspect, in general, is a headscratcher.  I cannot believe that there was not a single person at Shondaland who thought that maybe, just maybe, they should delay the announcement of Drew and Capshaw's departure by a day or two so that it wouldn't fall on IWD.  If they had done that, the EP reaction would also have avoided that date.

There were a couple of Deadline articles and I must have either not read this one OR (more likely) glossed over it.  Honestly, though, I don't think that statement is that bad.  I'm not saying that Pompeo was not within her rights to fight back (although, as was said, her timing and the fact she said nothing about her co-stars was in poor taste), but there isn't anything factually incorrect about that statement and, honestly, it isn't like no one else was going to make that connection.  To make things more generic, a company makes a move that appears to signify that it is on good standing, and then lays people off.  It's going to raise eyebrows.  

That being said, I do think that Pompeo was caught a bit in the crosshairs on this, when the aim really should be on Rhimes and Vernoff.

I think, with the Deadline article mentioning Ellen's raise, there wasn't a need to mention it with Capshaw and Drew being let go from the show. There should be no correlation, and adding it in allows for biases and probably incorrect conclusions to be made. Perhaps a part of it does have to do with Ellen's pay raise...although they could have cut many others to meet the budgetary quota. From the articles I've read, they seem to stress that it was for creative reasons that they let Drew and Capshaw go. Of course, that could be utter bullshit. But blaming Ellen is definitely not the answer, which is why the Deadline article should have left Ellen out of it completely. That just leads to speculation, which wasn't needed on International Women's Day. 

Though, Ellen didn't handle things well at all, nor did Krista. They immediately jumped to the defensive and pointing fingers at people who were bringing it up. They should have kept it about Drew and Capshaw and kept it positive. 

Also, they really should have waited for Drew and Capshaw to process the news of their departure from the show. The fact that Vernoff jumped right into interviews a day after telling the actresses themselves, or even if she had given the interview earlier and asked the entertainment sites to hold off a few days, was very classless. It reminds me of some of those stories where cast members have not found out about their show being cancelled, or the actors being let go from a show, until it's in the news, or shortly before it hits the news (I wish I remembered which particular example in the last three years that this happened). 

I did re-read Sarah's Twitter post and the fact that she actually mentioned that she only found out less than 2 days before is very telling of her feelings. She didn't have to mention the time frame of which she found out, but she did, making it very clear how angry she might be. It's a passive aggressive way of putting the blame on Vernoff and the other people involved. And I can't even blame her, as she couldn't wait to make a statement, which meant she was forced to confront the fact that she was let go before she had a chance to deal with it herself. 

[OtterMommy]

48 minutes ago, Shellie said:

That's pretty blunt.  I don't think you're projecting.  lol!

Yeah, I don't think we have to wonder how he feels about this.

 

Also, the comments are pretty telling about how his fans feel the show is going.

[Joana]

5 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

I guess what bothers me the most about this is not that (the only)  two characters that I found interesting are going, but that characters who seem absolutely pointless to me are staying.

This sums up my feelings as well. Arizona's always been a favourite of mine and I've really come to appreciate April a lot over the years, so it's bad enough that they're leaving. But, what's really annoying is that they're being let go because the writers apparently don't know what to do with them anymore, while a bunch of characters who haven't had anything to contribute to the show in ages are staying to waste more oxygen. I mean, Owen has been literally going in circles for years to no end now - first with Cristina, now with Amelia AGAIN and hey, Teddy is coming back for another round with him soon. Or De Luca whose only purpose ever has been to look pretty on screen. Or Amelia, who... where do I even start? Or Richard, who I really like, but seriously, what is he still doing at that hospital? Or Bailey, who's just a sad caricature of her former self at this point. Or the seemingly neverending series of interns who are just as pointless as they're annoying. 

I've complained about the way Arizona has been written for a long time, but I really wish they had tried to do something meaningful with her instead of throwing a bunch of things at her and see what sticks. Amputated leg! Cheating! Break-up with Callie! Back together with Callie! Divorce! Sleeping around! Living with De Luca! Not a pediatric surgeon anymore! Nobody knows what her specialty is! Custody battle! One hideous relationship! Another one! Sofia is back! Except that Arizona doesn't remember it! Dear God. 

And in a way it's even worse for April because they're actually paying attention to her character this season and giving her some serious screen time, and instead of expanding on that, they're cutting her off. 

Ugh, this SUCKS. I haven't been this pissed off over a TV show departure ever since Michael was killed off on Jane the Virgin with a similarly stupid explanation. And this might very well be the one thing that finally pushes this show over the edge for me. 

[cycworker]

I don't think these firings are due to Ellen's salary. I do think that they could well be due, in part, to her ego, though. She has made multiple comments about wanting to be the centre of Grey's, in the same way that Viola Davis & Kerry Washington are for HTGAWM & Scandal, respectively. Arizona & April aren't part of Meredith's circle. Ergo, with the show now to be solely focused Mer as The Sun Cristina declared her to be, planets not part of her universe are no longer worthy. 

Maggie is of course part of the three sisters. So she gets April's man. Vernoff is a fool if she thinks JApril shippers are going to get on board for Maggie/Jackson because April leaves, or worse, dies.

In fairness, I genuinely don't think Vernoff ever pictured Jackson & April together. The fan's desire for that above all else, in her mind, leads to, 'Get rid of April.' It's too bad, because I'd rather try her with Owen than have her leave. And I really didn't want to try her with Owen. 

Same problems with Arizona... she's not connected to Mer (even though she owns a part of the damn hospital), and Vernoff only 'gets' her in the context of her love for Callie. 

[Black Knight]

I absolutely think it was budgetary. The fact that this came as such a shock to Drew, Capshaw and the rest of the cast points to it. A lot of times when actors are let go, they aren't surprised because they could see the writing on the wall from what was happening with their storylines. (Like Ally Walker on Sons of Anarchy - after her character was killed off she said that she knew that once her character and Jax started working together there wasn't anywhere else it could go.)

I don't think the showrunners planned on this - again, the fact the storylines weren't leading in the direction of exits for those characters point to this (as well as Capshaw and Drew not being advised earlier, while pilot season was ongoing - from what I hear, they're both well-liked behind the scenes, so I think they would have been told earlier for that reason, if that had had been the plan earlier than, oh, one week ago). But the fact of the matter is that ABC hasn't yet officially renewed the show, despite its ratings making it a lock for renewal, and that points to ABC wanting to sort out a few fiscal issues first - license fees, other budget matters. I don't at all begrudge Ellen Pompeo her $20 million - she should have been getting paid that long, long ago and probably would have if Patrick Dempsey hadn't been such an ass and willing to let the network use him against her instead of them negotiating together for the betterment of both of them. But Grey's is 14 seasons in and that means it's at the point where ABC isn't going to raise the budget to accommodate expenditures. The $20 million was going to come from somewhere. A mandate got dropped from above, the show TPTB suddenly had to scramble to figure out the numbers, and Capshaw and Drew were unlucky enough to be, as upperco lays out well above, the next highest-paid after the untouchable original cast and McKidd, who doubles as a director, so they're out.

It's unfortunate, and I sure as hell wish that Capshaw and Drew hadn't been the next in line, but that's how it goes. That's how business goes all the time. Costs are controlled, and Peter is robbed to pay Paul, and profit margins are preserved at all costs. It's not Pompeo's fault and she should not come in for blame. She's finally getting paid what she deserves (and I'm not even a Meredith fan and don't watch the show for her - but it's Grey's Anatomy and she's number one on the call sheet). But it wasn't a creative decision nor was it about clearing the way for Jaggie. It's money. And yes, they could have let a bunch of the newer players go instead, but they would've had to let a lot more than just two go, and then there would've had to be at least some new characters, not paid all that much less than the newer players, to replace them. The numbers work out much easier and quicker if they just drop Capshaw and Drew.

The timing means it might not happen for a bit, but Drew will eventually get cast in a prestige show, I predict, while Capshaw will end up on another ABC show or one of Shonda's Netflix shows.

[Catznip]

1 hour ago, cycworker said:

I don't think these firings are due to Ellen's salary. I do think that they could well be due, in part, to her ego, though. She has made multiple comments about wanting to be the centre of Grey's, in the same way that Viola Davis & Kerry Washington are for HTGAWM & Scandal, respectively. Arizona & April aren't part of Meredith's circle. Ergo, with the show now to be solely focused Mer as The Sun Cristina declared her to be, planets not part of her universe are no longer worthy. 

Maggie is of course part of the three sisters. So she gets April's man. Vernoff is a fool if she thinks JApril shippers are going to get on board for Maggie/Jackson because April leaves, or worse, dies.

In fairness, I genuinely don't think Vernoff ever pictured Jackson & April together. The fan's desire for that above all else, in her mind, leads to, 'Get rid of April.' It's too bad, because I'd rather try her with Owen than have her leave. And I really didn't want to try her with Owen. 

Same problems with Arizona... she's not connected to Mer (even though she owns a part of the damn hospital), and Vernoff only 'gets' her in the context of her love for Callie. 

This departure has every thing to do with Ellen's salary and nothing to do with the creative directions of the show.  Think about this... what story line can possibly excite the viewers about a mid 40 surgeon with 3 kids?  Since Dericks departure, Mer has been boring, sleeping with her sisters boyfriend then sending Nathan off to be with his dead wife. I mean c'mon.  Grey should just fire the writers instead of the characters that draw on viewership.  They will definitely will lose viewers with this move.

[cycworker]

On 3/8/2018 at 11:22 AM, OtterMommy said:

* Could this be a move to recenter the show around Meredith?  As the  main character, I've long felt that she's far from being the most interesting--or important--character in the show.  

**I'll be honest, I would watch the hell out of a Private Practice-ish spinoff with Arizona and April off finding themselves in some other setting.  Just sayin'

Quite likely that these moves are about recentering the show around Meredith. Ellen has been ranting, since Patrick Dempsey was let go, about how "Nobody says Viola can't carry a show. Nobody says Kerry Washington can't carry a show." She wants this show to have Meredith as The Sun, surrounded by worshippers. Arizona and April aren't part of the in crowd. 

Add in the fact that Vernoff is determined to put Maggie with Jackson, and that's the end of April. Why she thinks writing April out will make people more accepting of the couple - especially if they kill her off - I have no idea. And a big part of me thinks they have to kill her off, because I can't see her leaving Harriet & I can't see Jackson letting her leave with his child. Jackson doesn't want to be his father. 

Now, all THAT said - Teddy is coming back. Some think April could go work with Teddy because the military work was so helpful for her. That could be a read herring & April could die before she goes. 

And who was Arizona's best friend, pre-April? Teddy. 

I could well see the idea of Arizona & Carina in Italy - if Sofia didn't exist. And if Arizona hadn't had multiple scenes hinting that she's not over Callie. Couple that with Teddy coming back? Arizona & Carina split because Carina really isn't interested in going to Italy with Arizona if it means Sofia is coming along, and Arizona realizes she doesn't feel enough for Carina to leave Sofia again.  So they use Teddy as a vehicle to get Arizona to go to New York so that Sofia can have both of her mothers in the same city again, knowing Callie is single and she realizes she does miss Arizona 'enough.' 

I think Vernoff just doesn't have the energy of inclination, in a show that's being centred creatively around Meredith, to write a real relationship for Arizona, given that the first thing she was hit with from fans upon her hiring was calls for her to get Sara back & give us Calzona back. So she's doing what she sees as the next best thing - giving Calzona their happily ever after, just offscreen. I think KV has just always seen Arizona primarily as "The One" for Callie, as opposed to valuing the character in her own right. 

[Joana]

42 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

But it wasn't a creative decision nor was it about clearing the way for Jaggie. It's money.

I do think it's a bit of both. They'd probably remain on the show if all went swimmingly well on the financial side, but the way both characters have been written for quite a while now made sure they'd be easy to dispose off if cuts ever needed to be made. Arizona hasn't had a proper ongoing storyline that the writers were seriously committed to in ages, there was just a bunch of random stuff thrown in that never went anywhere. It got so bad to the point that no one even knows what exactly her job is anymore. April is just so detached from everyone that even when she does get a storyline of her own and gets to be in spotlight for a change, it just makes it even more obvious how alone and constantly overlooked she is.

I'm not saying it was completely intentional, but it's pretty clear that for whatever reason the writing team couldn't or wouldn't make an effort to come up with interesting storylines for these two AND integrate them properly with the rest of the cast. And when you factor in the fact that these two actresses make a lot of money and the expenses need to be cut down - it's easy to guess what happens next. 

[cycworker]

15 minutes ago, Catznip said:

This departure has every thing to do with Ellen's salary and nothing to do with the creative directions of the show.  Think about this... what story line can possibly excite the viewers about a mid 40 surgeon with 3 kids?  Since Dericks departure, Mer has been boring, sleeping with her sisters boyfriend then sending Nathan off to be with his dead wife. I mean c'mon.  Grey should just fire the writers instead of the characters that draw on viewership.  They will definitely will lose viewers with this move.

Ok, I'll grant you the piece about the salary. But I stand by what I said re; creative directions. You are totally right that Mer is boring, but Ellen's ego doesn't get that. And Shonda's fed it. I tell you, I've read the comments in too many interviews with Pompeo to be convinced that this isn't at least in part about Ellen wanting to prove that it's GREY"S Anatomy. Doesn't mean that she has to be in every story - just that if you aren't connected to her, you aren't relevant. Alex is her person. Amelia & Maggie are her sisters. Richard is essentially her dad. Jackson is Maggie's man & Richard's stepson. If you don't have a tie to Meredith, you don't belong in her Universe, of which she, as The Sun, is the centre. 

This show is done in two years. 

[Catznip]

4 minutes ago, cycworker said:

 

This show is done in two years. 

The show was done 2 seasons ago.

[cycworker]

5 minutes ago, Joana said:

I do think it's a bit of both. They'd probably remain on the show if all went swimmingly well on the financial side, but the way both characters have been written for quite a while now made sure they'd be easy to dispose off if cuts ever needed to be made. Arizona hasn't had a proper ongoing storyline that the writers were seriously committed to in ages, there was just a bunch of random stuff thrown in that never went anywhere. It got so bad to the point that no one even knows what exactly her job is anymore. April is just so detached from everyone that even when she does get a storyline of her own and gets to be in spotlight for a change, it just makes it even more obvious how alone and constantly overlooked she is.

I'm not saying it was completely intentional, but it's pretty clear that for whatever reason the writing team couldn't or wouldn't make an effort to come up with interesting storylines for these two AND integrate them properly with the rest of the cast. And when you factor in the fact that these two actresses make a lot of money and the expenses need to be cut down - it's easy to guess what happens next. 

Exactly... it's the way the various factors came together that created the decision, versus any one thing. In this day & age it's a terrible idea, imo, to get rid of the disabled lesbian & one of the few devout Christians on TV - and the irony is on the same day KV was tweeting something about the fact that there's still a dearth of LGBT representation - but they're focussed on their bottom line(s).

They could have allowed Arizona to develop a new, serious relationship post Callie. Male characters are allowed to do that. Sam was very serious with a woman as Private Practice was ending, yet they still managed to find a way to get him back to Naomi in the final episode. They could have done the same with Arizona - they simply chose not to be bothered to try. Instead they put her in two relationships that were awful, then turned around & whined that people compared those relationships negatively to Calzona. Gee, ya think? Minnick was practically the equivalent of Hahn, and Carina is a bi stereotype. 

1 minute ago, Catznip said:

The show was done 2 seasons ago.

Touche. I meant done as in cancelled. Ellen ain't getting another 2 year deal like this one, and then she'll be done. She'll have proved what she wanted to prove, they'll have beaten ER, and they'll sign off. 

Wonder who comes back for guest appearances in the final season/final episode. 

[Catznip]

4 minutes ago, cycworker said:

Minnick was practically the equivalent of Hahn, and Carina is a bi stereotype.

Yup.  Arizona bar hopping was better than these 2 hook ups.

[Scatterbrained]

48 minutes ago, cycworker said:

 

Touche. I meant done as in cancelled. Ellen ain't getting another 2 year deal like this one, and then she'll be done. She'll have proved what she wanted to prove, they'll have beaten ER, and they'll sign off. 

Wonder who comes back for guest appearances in the final season/final episode. 

Except that the network will have to pick up the show for that to happen, and with Shonda leaving for Netflix, and Ellen’s big payday, plus all of her big talking around the big payday, they might not.

 

Kate Burton might come back.  I don’t think anyone else will.  The more distance between Sandra Oh and the show, the more she seems to be glad it’s over. 

Edited March 10, 2018 by Scatterbrained

[funnygirl]

3 hours ago, Catznip said:

The show was done 2 seasons ago.

*4 seasons ago. 

They should've wrapped it up when Cristina left. I know Ellen likes to boast about how the show was able to succeed and continue on after Cristina and then after Derek, because Meredith don't need no man, but in reality the show hasn't been as good ever since.

Of course, that doesn't matter when the show continues to pull in ratings thus raking in big bucks for the network. But look where things are now? Two more beloved characters exiting the series, casting even more of a shadow over the show that once was. Honestly, if they can't manage to bring back the departed fan favorites for the series finale, it will end up being a dud. 

Edited March 10, 2018 by funnygirl

[cycworker]

14 hours ago, Scatterbrained said:

Except that the network will have to pick up the show for that to happen, and with Shonda leaving for Netflix, and Ellen’s big payday, plus all of her big talking around the big payday, they might not.

 

Kate Burton might come back.  I don’t think anyone else will.  The more distance between Sandra Oh and the show, the more she seems to be glad it’s over. 

 

@Scatterbrained - I'm not following you re the network not picking up the show. They wouldn't have given Pompeo if they were considering cancelling this show after this season. They can't afford that. It will get the 2 years of Ellen's deal, if only to beat ER.

And they'll want the hype of bringing back faves for the finale. No point in beating ER and making the end a dud. @funnygirl is totally right about that.

Edited March 10, 2018 by cycworker

[PepSinger]

This may be a UO, but the main reason I still watch is for Meredith’s story. I still find her to be compelling, and I’m glad Ellen is getting the money she rightfully deserves.

That being said, they didn’t have to screw over April/Sarah and Arizona/Jessica over for it.

[HazelEyes4325]

I remember seeing an interview with the actor who plays DeLuca and he said that there was always this nervousness going into table reads, especially for episodes near the end of the season, because you couldn't be sure if your character wouldn't be killed off or somehow else be exiting the show.

I really hope that Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw didn't find out about their characters' fates this way...

[Pallas]

19 hours ago, cycworker said:

In fairness, I genuinely don't think Vernoff ever pictured Jackson & April together. The fan's desire for that above all else, in her mind, leads to, 'Get rid of April.' It's too bad, because I'd rather try her with Owen than have her leave. And I really didn't want to try her with Owen. 

Same problems with Arizona... she's not connected to Mer (even though she owns a part of the damn hospital), and Vernoff only 'gets' her in the context of her love for Callie. 

It's true; Vernoff never wrote for Jackson and April as a romantic pair; their entire storyline as a couple occurred after Vernoff left at the end of season 7. The season that included Callie and Arizona's break-up, Callie's pregnancy, Callie's reaction to Arizona's return, Callie's accident, Callie's giving birth to Sophia, Callie's recovery, and Callie and Arizona's wedding...events in which Arizona was key, but not the story.

Then April. For all we know, April's current crisis of faith may have been a storyline that Vernoff had in mind for her seven years ago, at the start of her residency. Only to watch as April's faith became an irritating and jejune romantic plot complication: the "Jesus hates me now!" era. (Contrast that with April's snappy, "When God made the world, He also made metaphors" at the beginning of this arc, under Vernoff). But an April who survived her crisis of faith -- in whatever way -- would be no more bereft of story potential than a Meredith who surmounted her abandonment trauma, or an Owen who overcame his PTSD and control issues, or a Webber and Amelia who manage their addictions, or a Bailey dealing with her OCD. 

So the pushing point does seem to come down to a creative decision that April's marriage is done. And that her presence in the same workplace as her former husband and his next mate casts a pall. (At least once she's no longer packing fifths of vodka and a tart tongue.) In that case, as in real life, I could see why April would look for another hospital, perhaps in a more rural setting. But killing her off? Killing off another parent of an infant, and having April's decision to elope with Jackson result in three deaths (that we know about) is...macabre. 

[Layne]

5 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

I remember seeing an interview with the actor who plays DeLuca and he said that there was always this nervousness going into table reads, especially for episodes near the end of the season, because you couldn't be sure if your character wouldn't be killed off or somehow else be exiting the show.

I really hope that Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw didn't find out about their characters' fates this way...

That makes sense for the actor who plays DeLuca. He joined the show like one episode after Derek died. At the end of the next season, Callie left. At the end of the next season, Stephanie and Minnick left. His entire intern class disappeared around him. Then Riggs and Ben left. He joined at in interesting time. 

4 hours ago, Pallas said:

having April's decision to elope with Jackson result in three deaths (that we know about) is...macabre. 

Three deaths?

[Pallas]

27 minutes ago, Layne said:

Three deaths?

Samuel, Matthew's wife and April. 

[pennben]

What can I say....the show is back!  I think this season has been fantastic, the best since the season after Derek died.  And.....we've got behind the scenes drama again!!!  Speculation abounds....hell, I've even dipped a toe back into the spoiler thread.  What more could I ask for??!!!  Two shows for the price of one!

Edited March 11, 2018 by pennben

[MrWhyt]

On 09/03/2018 at 11:32 AM, OtterMommy said:

Fired is a harsh word and implies that they were not doing their jobs.

yes while it was pretty shitty that this decision came late enough that the actresses missed pilot season it's not like they were told to clean out their trailers and go home in the middle of a workday. Contracts expire.

[TigerLynx]

Out of all the characters that I could see easily being written off, Arizona and April wouldn't have been on the list.  I think they have a lot more to offer than several other characters on this show who's names I can't remember.

[Chas411]

That was quick.. Drew booked a pilot. Another reboot since nobody seems to be Doing anything original but still..

 

http://deadline.com/2018/03/cagney-and-lacey-sarah-drew-michelle-hurd-cast-pilot-greys-anatomy-1202337468/

[BaseOps]

1.9 last night, up from the 1.8 last week and 1.7 two weeks ago. Highest rated scripted show of the night (beat only by March Madness). 

[pennben]

Apparently the woman who pushed for Greys to get on the air at ABC died suddenly today.  From the attached article, looks like she had a good eye for a lot of the really good shows at ABC back in the day.  Regardless, I had never heard of her, so I thought I'd pass the article along in case others hadn't.  Here's a bit about Grey's:

Quote

"He hated it," Grey's Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff told THR in November. "And he said to Suzanne Patmore Gibbs at the time, 'This show is going to be the chapter in my book titled, 'Why I Should Trust Myself or Why I Should Trust the People I Hire.' Because she forced that program on the air. And then it was a great big hit, and he got all the credit."

Edited March 30, 2018 by pennben

[transitfan]

On 3/10/2018 at 12:25 AM, Scatterbrained said:

Except that the network will have to pick up the show for that to happen, and with Shonda leaving for Netflix, and Ellen’s big payday, plus all of her big talking around the big payday, they might not.

 

Kate Burton might come back.  I don’t think anyone else will.  The more distance between Sandra Oh and the show, the more she seems to be glad it’s over. 

With Scandal ending, maybe Jeff Perry will reprise his role as Thatcher Grey, just to fuck with Meredith LOL

[beautifulGA]

Sarah Utterback is reprising her role as Nurse Olivia from season 1.

- Nurse Olivia is the infamous nurse who got syph from Alex and later passed it on to George.

Edited April 5, 2018 by beautifulGA

[VCRTracking]

A review of Shonda Rhimes' Masterclass from the "Bitter Scriptreader"'s blog:

Excerpt:
 

Quote

 

I can't claim to be a superfan of Rhimes's catalog. I watched about a season or two of Grey's Anatomy when it first premiered, and I might have seen an episode or two of her other series over the years, but I'm hardly an encyclopedia for those shows storylines, or on Rhimes herself. I only say this as a disclaimer in case some of the anecdotes Rhimes relays here prove to be incredibly familiar to the superfan who's studied every interview of hers, and listened intently to every director's commentary.

 

What you get for your $90 is over six hours of videos hosted by Rhimes. As you'll recall from my earlier reviews, the better MasterClasses split their focus between lecture videos where the subject directly speaks into the camera, and some sort of workshop where the instructor gets to apply their knowledge in a practical way. The best of these were the videos of Ron Howard demonstrating how he blocks and shoots a scene while directing actors. Rhimes's class doesn't having anything quite that unique and captivating to watch, regrettably. For a series of videos she brings in some people (I'm not quiet clear if they're all aspiring writers or if they're just fans) for a series of videos where she breaks down some of her episodes act-by-act.

 

Let's tackle the lecture videos first. As is common, these are the meat-and-potatoes portion of the course. She lays out some of the basics of writing for TV. Sometimes these can feel perfunctory, with a Writing 101 air about them. Certainly the videos discussing "Finding an Idea" and "Researching Your Story" can come across that way. The strength of Rhimes's course is that she finds a way to make it all personal to her experience. When she talks about "Developing the Concept" she relates it back to the conception of Grey's Anatomy.

Even better - she supplies the series bible for Grey's Anatomy! It's a 19-page document that introduces the characters and their relationships to each other and has one page descriptions of each of the first 12 episodes. I wish I had interesting trivia for you about how these early ideas later diverged by the time that everything made it to screen, but I simply don't remember season 1 well enough to call out these things.

We also get the original 10-page pitch document for the series and an early version of the pilot script. It's rare for actual documents like this to be available to aspiring writers and they make great supplements to the rather long segments as Shonda takes us through her process of developing a pilot. Two full segments are spent just on developing characters, and it's a theme that the lectures return to time and again.

 

Edited April 10, 2018 by VCRTracking

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sandra Oh interview with Vanity Fair: the actress opens up about the thrilling new series, her post-Grey’s Anatomy career, and her thoughts on Ellen Pompeo’s heroic salary negotiations.

[moonorchid]

https://www.bustle.com/p/april-arizona-leaving-greys-anatomy-is-a-blow-to-a-less-flashy-form-of-feminism-8776673

 

interesting perspective on April and Arizona as characters and the actors firing

 

ETA: 

Edited April 17, 2018 by moonorchid

[Deanie87]

I think that it is an interesting article but, as always, I struggle with the concept of feminism when it comes to anything Shonda.  I know that these characters meant a lot to many, many people (as is the case with any character on a show), and from all appearances things were handled very, very poorly.  But the whole refrain of "this happened on International Woman's Day!!!!" just doesn't work for me.  Two actresses on a popular but aging television show didn't have their 6-figure contracts renewed.  No matter how it happened or why, that really is what it comes down to.  And I know that Arizona and April represented characters that aren't often seen on tv, so I realize that importance of that, but I guess I just don't have it in me for that level of outrage.

[funnygirl]

18 minutes ago, Deanie87 said:

But the whole refrain of "this happened on International Woman's Day!!!!" just doesn't work for me.  Two actresses on a popular but aging television show didn't have their 6-figure contracts renewed.  No matter how it happened or why, that really is what it comes down to. 

And the news breaking on "International Women's Day" wasn't even intentional, it was just happenstance; unfortunate timing for ABC publicity. 

I also think that both of the characters exiting at the same time has amplified the response and outrage. Because big picture, April and Arizona are no more important than any other character who has left the series, and definitely not Cristina or Derek. I understand the difference is in the manner in which they are exiting the show and being that this was not their choice, but thus is the nature of the entertainment business and actors understand that.  

Edited April 17, 2018 by funnygirl

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, funnygirl said:

And the news breaking on "International Women's Day" wasn't even intentional, it was just happenstance; unfortunate timing for ABC publicity. 

I also think that both of the characters exiting at the same time has amplified the response and outrage. Because big picture, April and Arizona are no more important than any other character who has left the series, and definitely not Cristina or Derek. I understand the difference is in the manner in which they are exiting the show and being that this was not their choice, but thus is the nature of the entertainment business and actors understand that.  

Sure, I can agree with this. What personally doesn't settle with me in regards to this whole situation is how the actresses were given less than two days notice to process before the news broke. It's a different story if the decision to leave is mutual and all parties have had plenty of time to figure things out before the public finds out. It's another for one party to be blindsided by this news and then have it be released to the public before things can be settled. Capshaw and Drew had their hand forced in addressing the news publicly before they, themselves, had time to process. Yes, I know it's not on Shonda, Vernoff, or the other producers who didn't actually publish the story...but they also had statements made toward the entertainment news sites in time for the story to break. 

At least give the women more time to process before breaking the news. Less than two days is no time at all, really. A week or two might have been a bit more appropriate. 

[Joana]

I can't help but find it ironic that Pompeo's pay rise was lauded as some feminist landmark moment and a victory for women worldwide (and personally I cannot put to words just HOW empowered I felt to learn that a mediocre actress who was born under a lucky star and managed to get herself a leading role in a show that was going to become a huge hit and last inexplicably long was now about to earn ever more money), when it indirectly led to two other women being let go from their jobs.

But otherwise the only reason I'm upset with the departure of these two is that they're the two characters I actually like in a cast I'm either indifferent to or actively dislike. All the behind the scene shenanigans that led to it, the way it was handled etc. is simply a part of the entertainment industry.

[Pallas]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

Capshaw and Drew had their hand forced in addressing the news publicly before they, themselves, had time to process. Yes, I know it's not on Shonda, Vernoff, or the other producers who didn't actually publish the story...but they also had statements made toward the entertainment news sites in time for the story to break. 

I'm sure it was hard on the actors, especially in an era where they are expected to address their public (via Twitter) about any and all news. My guess on the timing is that TMZ notified the production office that they had the story and were going to post it. Shondaland may have negotiated enough time to prepare a statement and warn the actors -- that much time and no more.  

[BaseOps]

People honestly need to drop the bullshit about Ellen's pay leading to Sarah & Jessica exiting. I'm as sad to lose both April and Arizona as anybody else. April's story this season has been my favorite of the year by miles. But Ellen's raise wasn't significant enough to cost two actresses their jobs, ESPECIALLY when they also lost two other regulars within months (Steph & Riggs) in addition to having lost their highest-paid actor (Patrick Dempsey) just 2 years ago. They have the money to pay them, and Grey's continues to generate massive revenue through a) being the 2nd highest-rated drama on broadcast television, b) being a massive streaming property, and c) having huge international deals. Do y'all think Ellen was making $12 an episode before this or something? Her raise reflects what she has contributed to the show, how much the show has made for ABC/Disney, and the fact that she also became a producer on Grey's + the spin-off. 

Ellen deserved that raise. Grey's has generated $3B for Disney and she's the face of the show. I don't care how angry you are at her (for no reason), or whether you like Meredith or happen to think that Ellen isn't a great actress - she works insane hours and has been the face of the show for 14 seasons. It wouldn't be around if she had chosen to leave 2, 3, 4, or 5 years ago. None of these actors would have jobs had that been the case. The fact that she was making less than Patrick for years when she's the title character + his exit didn't make a dent in the ratings is sad. 

As for the show 'hitting or tying' series lows as that (ridiculously biased) article which lacked any real point brought up; Grey's first hit a 1.7 in April of last year and has yet to fall below that this season. It has tied that, but never fallen below it... which is remarkable for a drama. Every single show on TV declines year-to-year these days (Modern Family is collapsing, Scandal has hit new series lows this year, Big Bang Theory just hit a series low by 0.2), and as it stands Grey's has among the lowest y2y declines of anything on TV, comedy or drama. So to spin the story as this news having lost them viewers simply doesn't make sense. 

Actors get let go all the time. It's the nature of the business. In this case, Ellen has the bad fortune of having made her raise public a few months prior to the announcement. The funny thing is, people keep going on about how awfully Sarah & Jessica were treated, when the fact is they're actually quite lucky. Often actors are literally let go after a seasons wraps; they simply find out that the studio isn't picking up their contracts. That or they read it in their final script. In this case, they were given months of advance notice. Sarah literally booked a new gig like 3 days later. 

Edited April 17, 2018 by BaseOps

[shantown]

Agreed, no reason to pit the women "on the ground" against each other when there are plenty of people making money AND decisions above them.