Having just aired its 400th episode and receiving a renewal for its 19th season, Grey's Anatomy is one of the longest-running medical dramas in the world. Its popularity lies in part with the show's ability to tell a wide range of stories, which are still relevant to this day.
The other reason behind the medical drama's success is the main cast. Each character brings a new opportunity for telling stories. However, Grey's Anatomy also features some fantastic side characters who have often been overlooked.
Megan Hunt
Fans of Grey's Anatomy first learned of Megan when Owen Hunt and Nathan Riggs encountered each other in season 12. Owen wasn't being particularly pleasant, but then again, he did blame Riggs for Megan's apparent death. Little did both men know that Megan was actually still alive.
Since her appearance in season 13, Megan has recurred on the show multiple times, most recently in season 18 when she feared for her son, Farouk's, life. However, Megan is also a doctor and it makes sense that she might relocate to be nearer family, and the best surgeons around.
Zola Grey Shepherd
Zola Grey Shepherd made her debut in season 7, one of Grey's Anatomy's best seasons, after visiting Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital for surgery to fix her spina bifida. It was part of a project that Alex Karev was running and Derek and Meredith bonded with baby Zola immediately.
Since her introduction, viewers have witnessed Zola grow up on their screens. She is now a wonderfully intelligent child and the scenes in which she shares with her mom are some of the best on the show. Making Zola a main character would make sense as she is starting to feature on the show more heavily.
Carina DeLuca
ittedly, Carina DeLuca is already a main character in the Grey's Anatomy universe; she is part of the main cast of Station 19, and is part of one of the best romances to come out of that show for a long time. However, it does sometimes feel like she's the odd one out.
All of the other main characters on Station 19 are firefighters, so most of the story focuses on them. Carina is the only doctor on the show, which does sometimes mean she gets less screen time. If she were a main character on Grey's, then viewers would get more time with Carina, and perhaps more Grey's Anatomy crossovers with other shows.
David Hamilton
One of the more recent characters to be introduced, David Hamilton can be fairly antagonistic, which is perhaps what the show needs. He's not an altogether unpleasant man but he can be selfish, impetuous, and rather stubborn.
His storyline is also very interesting, as he is currently the test subject for the cure for Parkinson's disease. Chronicling his life living with this illness is a storyline Grey's has never done before, and his relationships with Ellis and Meredith Grey are begging to be explored further.
Catherine Fox
Catherine first appeared in season 8 as Jackson's formidable mother and she made quite the impression. She clearly suffered no fools and provided some of Grey's Anatomy's best quotes. Catherine became more involved as the show went on. Aside from being Jackson's mom, she also formed relationships with both Richard and April.
Although Jackson and April have now left Grey Sloan, Catherine still has a huge impact on the show. After staying on Grey's Anatomy for 11 seasons, Catherine deserves to be part of the main cast. Her cancer diagnosis for one would ensure she spends more time at the hospital with the other doctors.
Kai Bartley
Another new character, Kai has become a huge fan favorite in the short time that they've been on the show. For the first part of the season, Kai shared some amazing chemistry with Amelia Shepherd, in addition to working extremely well together on their Parkinson's research.
Thankfully, as season 18 progressed, Kai and Amelia's chemistry bubbled over and they became an item. After a slight bump in the season finale, they rekindled their relationship ready for season 19. Kai would be the logical choice to be part of the main cast next season, as it would allow their relationship to be explored in more detail.
Jordan Wright
Jordan was a great character addition to season 18, as he initially gave Bailey some much-needed room to breathe and just be herself. Also, the fact that he chose her and Grey Sloan over the Mayo Clinic immediately endeared himself to viewers.
He also provided a lot of drama as he kissed Bailey after misreading her signals. Fortunately, this only served to strengthen Bailey and Ben's relationship, and Jordan deeply apologized. He also proved to be a good friend to the other residents, which is why he deserves to be a main character.
BokHee
As one of the few Grey's characters still alive from season 1, Bokhee is Grey's Anatomy's longest-serving ing character. She has appeared in all 18 seasons and is played by Kathy C. An, who is a real-life scrub nurse. Interestingly, her first speaking role came in season 15, despite having appeared in all seasons beforehand.
Her longevity is just one reason why she should be part of the main cast. It would be amazing to learn more about her life outside of the O.R. Viewers know that she is married but that is about it. Additionally, Grey's has never had a scrub nurse in the main cast, which would give the show another avenue to venture down.
Nico Kim
Nico was introduced in Season 15 and together with Levi Schmitt, he became part of the first prominent male gay couple to feature on the show. While fan-favorite LGBTQ+ couples like Calzona paved the way, Nico and Levi have become incredibly popular.
While they share a tremendous amount of chemistry, Levi and Nico's relationship has had a lot of bumps. Additionally, Nico isn't a main character (yet) so less time has been devoted to this relationship than others. This is one of the main reasons why Nico should be a main character next season.
Taryn Helm
Along with Levi, Taryn made her debut in season 14. Originally, she was quite a one-dimensional character with her crush on Meredith being her only personality trait (which soon grew extremely tiresome).
However, Taryn eventually received better storylines (albeit still relatively minor). For example, she experienced physician burnout in Season 17 during the Covid-19 pandemic. This scene was one of Taryn's best and proved that she had what it took to be part of the main cast. Additionally, in season 18, she witnessed Levi's severe breakdown and additionally struggled to process their patient's death. Helm is a brilliant character and needs more recognition!
