Grey's Anatomy 5 Most Divisive Characters Fandom Grew to Love
Fans loved to hate them, but not anymore.
5. Callie Torres
It's hard to believe that Callie was once one of the most disliked characters on the show, but that changed after her relationship with George ended. During their relationship, she was portrayed to be desperate and clingy, and gave fans secondhand embarrassment. Fans also found her to be bratty and annoying.
Besides being a powerful queer character, Callie proved to be a compassionate doctor, and a kind and loyal friend. Her season 12 departure had many fans in tears, proving her position as a beloved and impactful character.
4. Tom Koracick
'I'm not gonna follow your plan because the part of your brain that makes plans is compromised.'
To put it simply, fans found this sarcastic neurosurgeon to be a total 'jackass,' until his arrogance was revealed to be a defense mechanism put up after losing his son, and then his marriage.
It didn't take long for his quirky, softer side to take the spotlight after his romance with Teddy and desire to create positive change in the world following his COVID-19 scare. Fans were devastated when he left the hospital to work at the Catherine Fox Foundation in season 17.
3. April Kepner
Initially, April was bland, high-strung, and stubborn, and fans saw her as an annoying imposter after joining during the hospital merger.
April seemed to find her footing after a crisis of faith, and her character developed the depth and relatability she was missing.
Fans began to appreciate April for her kindness, her desire to do the right thing, and for staying true to herself and her faith even when called stubborn. She also became the other half of one of the most popular couples; Japril, and had fans rooting for her happy ending.
2. Alex Karev
Alex Karev was introduced in the pilot episode and made it clear that he was a misogynistic womanizer, with a big ego and anger issues. He exposed pictures of Izzie as an underwear model, dismissed female nurses, and then cheated on Izzie with a nurse, and this was just one of many terrible things he did, before eventually having one of the most significant character arcs on the show.
Karev showed remarkable growth, (and his soft side) learning to be compassionate, fostering a strong, stable relationship with Jo, becoming one of Meredith's 'people,' and dedicating his time to working with children.
1. Meredith Grey
How could fans not like the main character? For many, Meredith was boring, condescending and too 'dark and twisty.' Fans were tired of her self-destructive antics, but soon realized that she was simply a human that needed to grow up, and deal with unresolved trauma.
Meredith went from being a broken, but brilliant, intern living in her mother's looming shadow, to a medical hero, a loyal and trusted friend that fans could only dream of having, a voice of warmth and reason, and one of the most powerful and inspiring female characters on TV today.