The long-running ABC show Grey's Anatomy will be entering its eighth season in the fall, but one of its stars is already looking to the future. According to
TV Line, Patrick Dempsey, who plays Derek (a.k.a. McDreamy), has told Italian Vanity Fair Magazine that he will be departing after season 8.
“It’s gonna be my last,” he told the magazine. “I do not know what’s going to happen to the other characters, but for me it’s done.”
This might not be surprising for a lot of viewers. Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is actually expecting this news. In fact, she's already told TV Line that other original cast members, including Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, Sandra Oh and Justin Chambers, could very well leave after season 8 is finished. Rhimes is prepared that some or all of these cast members could be entering their final season and is prepared to set up storylines accordingly.
The question is how fans will respond when Dempsey leaves (and if the others leave as well). Obviously Grey's Anatomy wouldn't be the first long-running show where the original cast members depart. Look at The X-Files or various Law & Order spin-offs. This will also happen to Glee in coming years as the current characters graduate and leave the school. Sometimes the show continues and sometimes it doesn't. But only time will tell for Grey's Anatomy.
Update: Dempsey's publicist has told
EW that Dempsey was only talking about the end of his contract: “He was referring to the fact that his contract is up at the end of next season and we have no idea what the future holds.” That doesn't actually contravene Dempsey's original statements and it's possible they're just trying to backtrack now. In any event, we'll have to wait and see whether he resigns or chooses to leave.