"Grey's Anatomy" Season 13 recently saw the departure of Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Immediately after his exit, fans started speculating on the possibility of the actor leaving the hit ABC series altogether. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, executive producer Shonda Rhimes talked about casting the actor for the role 12 years ago. The exec revealed that the character Alex was not supposed to be part of the pilot for "Grey's Anatomy." However, when Chambers walked in, she and ABC's Channing Dungey knew that he should be part of the show.
Twelve years later, Chambers is still playing the role. He is also considered as one of the original cast members who have been with the series since day 1. Other cast members who have been on the show since the pilot include lead star Ellen Pompeo, who plays the role of Meredith Grey, Chandra Wilson, who plays the role of Dr. Bailey and James Pickens Jr., who plays the role of Dr. Webber.
However, big changes are always expected on shows such as "Grey's Anatomy." In Season 11, the series said goodbye to Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). In Season 10, the show also said goodbye to fan favorite, Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh). In Season 12, fans said goodbye to Sara Ramirez. At present, there are ongoing rumors suggesting that Chambers is finally done with "Grey's Anatomy." But since Rhimes and the network execs see his character as an integral part of the franchise, they could be creating a spinoff just for him.
As of late, this rumor has not been confirmed or denied by Rhimes, Chambers or any of the execs on the show. What is only known is that it is possible for Chambers' character to not be included in episode 10. "Grey's Anatomy" Season 13 is on a short winter hiatus and will return with new episodes starting Jan. 19. Details from episode 10 are still being kept under wraps, but Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) will still be faced with their marital woes.
Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Andrew (Giacomo Gianniotti) will most likely have an awkward encounter, and Meredith and Nathan (Martin Henderson) will continue hooking up.