Grey’s Anatomy fans are begging Shonda Rhimes to give Dr. Alex Karev a happy ending. Amid the shocking news that original series star Justin Chambers has abruptly left the show , fans of the long-running ABC medical drama want his character to live happily ever after — even if it’s off-camera.
Chambers announced his departure from Grey’s Anatomy on Friday, nearly two months after his final episode of the show aired on ABC. His character’s storyline was not wrapped up on the November 14 episode, and now fans are begging Rhimes not to kill off the Seattle surgeon they have followed since 2005.
Over Grey’s Anatomy’s 16 seasons, fans have witnessed some brutally fatal endings for beloved characters, including George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) and of course, McDreamy himself, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). Now, fans are hoping Chambers’ Dr. Karev doesn’t succumb to a similar fate.
On Twitter, Grey’s Anatomy fans appealed to Rhimes and ABC to give Chambers’ character a proper off-camera sendoff.
“Not only is Alex Karev leaving but his last episode has already aired. Please give Karev the ending he deserves so I don’t lose my marbles,” one fan wrote.
“Honestly, I just hope they give a well-deserved ending for Alex Karev on Grey’s . It’s what he deserves. If they kill him off, I will personally attack someone,” another added.
“Alex is leaving Grey’s Anatomy…WHAT THE F*CK IS GONNA HAPPEN TO JO?!? THEY BETTER GET A HAPPY ENDING,” a third viewer wrote.
“Alex deserves the best ending any character has ever gotten. He is the f*cking heart of Grey’s,” another chimed in.
It’s no surprise that fans are freaking out over how Grey’s Anatomy will handle Chambers’ sudden departure. The Shondaland drama has seen a high volume of sudden cast departures over the years, and it doesn’t usually end well for their characters.
In 2009, original cast member T.R. Knight quit Grey’s Anatomy , and fans were hit with heartbreak. Knight’s George O’Malley died from injuries sustained in a horrific bus accident.
Fans got a double whammy in Season 8 when beloved characters Lexie Grey and Mark Sloan died following a plane crash.
Even McDreamy wasn’t immune to a tragic sendoff. Patrick Dempsey played the handsome doc for 11 seasons but was still unceremoniously written off via a fatal car crash in 2015. Rhimes had a hard time with that one, too. At the time, the Grey’s Anatomy showrunner admitted that she “never imagined” saying goodbye to the McDreamy character, according to Deadline.
While Grey’s Anatom y fans are hoping for a happy ending for Alex Karev, it will be hard for the show’s writers to explain Chambers’ abrupt exit. Alex Karev was last seen going home to spend time with his mother after making his marriage to Jo (Camilla Luddington) legal.