A Complete & Indisputable Power Ranking Of The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Main Cast

Did you know that Grey’s Anatomy just kicked off its 16th season? 16! Seasons! People clearly still want to know what those horny doctors are up to, when they’re not suffering tragedies like helicopter crashes and bomb scares. Do you remember that time when Grey’s Anatomy decided to do Lost? Wild!

Everyone on the show has had enough trauma for 10+ lives, but they’ve also had lots of sex. (Nice!) And they’ve also done a lot of self-discovery by projecting their personal lives onto the ~journey~ of one of their patients. That matchmaker waiting for a kidney transplant taught Meredith how to open her heart, and it was very moving.

So we’ve taken it upon ourselves to obsessively rank every main cast member from the beginning until now, in a way that is unstructured and unfair and makes little to no sense. Come with me! The snacks are cheap!

Here’s our indisputable power ranking of Grey’s Anatomy main cast, through the ages.

30. Leah Murphy

Murphy shouldn’t count as main cast, so she’s at the bottom. She was annoying and always causing trouble for everyone and whining. I have nothing more to say about that.

29. Shane Ross

Who is Shane Ross? I don’t remember him at all. Apparently he killed Karev’s dad. Shane Ross sucks.

28. Stephanie Edwards

Stephanie got really into Jackson, and we respected and shared her thirst. Later she had a traumatic time at the end of season 13 and quit medicine. It involved a rapist, a hostage situation, a fire and an explosion – a classic Grey’s trauma plotline. But I just never really connected with Stephanie, y’know? Sorry.

27. Erica Hahn

I barely remember Erica Hahn. I think she wanted to fuck Torres? Wait, she did date Torres. That’s fine. Idc.

26. Teddy Altman

I know some people like Teddy, and she’s strong and a feminist and everything, but I find all her plotlines heaps boring. She’s pregnant, she loves Owen, she doesn’t, snore.

25. Levi Schmitt

I prefer Schmitt to Teddy. Schmitt, who dropped his glasses in an open surgery and had a one-night-stand with Jo, is better than Teddy. I found his love plotline with Dr. Kim heartwarming and sweet. I’m glad he’s found himself.

24. Izzie Stevens

Izzie was impulsive and erratic and indisputably the worst of the original five interns. She has no redeeming qualities. Nope.

23. Richard Webber

Shock! I hate Webber! He’s all sanctimonious and lecture-y and I wish he’d just let everyone live rather than always needing to be right and in charge all the time. You’re not the Chief anymore! You’re just a guy in a white coat!

22. Andrew DeLuca

DeLuca is hot, but the Meredith-DeLuca plotline grated on me, especially when his ex like… almost got deported/moved to Zurich not that long ago??? What is up with that?

21. Jo Karev

This feels unfair on Jo, because she’s become more bearable over time. But she started off really annoying, and even her wedding to Karev barely redeemed her. Moving on…

20. Maggie Pierce

Maggie Pierce? Never good enough for Jackson. Annoying. Very good at everything at a young age but struggles to express emotions. You can’t not express emotions on Grey’s! This whole show is just E.M.O.T.I.O.N.

19. Ben Warren

It was good when Ben Warren decided to pursue firefighting because it cut his screentime in half. I’m glad Bailey gets a partner, but does he have to be so… good? It’s boring being kind and good always.

18. Atticus Lincoln

Yeah, I prefer Linc to a bunch of much-loved, long-time characters. I love his positive attitude and bouncy puppy energy. If Meredith or Amelia won’t date him, I will.

17. April Kepner

April became less annoying when she went into her deep spiral, but it took a really long time for me to come around to her. The hospital merger happened literally a decade ago and it took me that entire time to trust April.

16. Callie Torres

Callie Torres gave no fucks and taught George about sex. For that we are forever thankful. She and Arizona raised a beautiful daughter together. She deserves the world.

15. Miranda Bailey

Should Miranda Bailey be higher in this list? Probably! But it’s my list. So she’s here, the mid-point, someone who has become more annoying with time. How come when she was Chief Resident she was so on top of everything and full of sage advice, and now she’s a wreck? How is she still this righteous? It’s almost like constantly suffering trauma without therapy is… bad??

14. Tom Koracick

This is probably too high for Koracik, but I find his wit and dickheadedness wonderfully appealing. And did you see how sweet he got with Teddy? Koracick ftw.

13. Owen Hunt

Imagine if the guy who plays Owen (Kevin McKidd) got to speak in his Scottish accent? It’s pretty hot actually. But also he can be extremely annoying. He can’t figure out who he’s deep in love with – Cristina? Amelia? Teddy? Just pick one. Stop trying to be all noble all the time, it’s a snore.

12. Nathan Riggs

Nathan Riggs was hot and he and Meredith deserved each other. I remain sad that he is gone, happily ever after with Owen’s sister. Yuck.

11. Amelia Shepherd

Amelia grew on me over time – at first she was infuriating, and then her addictive tendencies and vulnerability made me root for her. Someone make her happy! She’s not too damaged. And Amelia does some of the show’s best acting with her eyes.

10. Arizona Robbins

Arizona was the sunny kids’ doctor who lost her heckin’ leg. Arizona was a series MVP. Whether she was angry with the world or in love or struggling, she was full of advice and gentleness and I stan.

9. Mark Sloan

Mark Sloan was iconic. Mark Sloan should never have died. A Mark Sloan ghost plotline would never work, but I want it so badly.

8. Lexie Grey

Lexie was kind and funny and weird and in love with Sloan. It sucks that couples can’t have a happily ever after – there’s just death and destruction and grief and everyone carries it around forever until they too die.

7. Jackson Avery

Jackson Avery is the hottest doctor in the whole of Grey’s Anatomy and has always had interesting plotlines. Except all the boring-ass rich kid stuff. But leave that aside and you’ve got relationship drama and he does cool things with plastics and he is everything. I should probably move Jackson to the top of this list!

6. Addison Montgomery

My editor is an Addison fan so Addison is here. I felt conflicted by how much I liked her and how much I liked Meredith at the same time. But you know what? She’s better off without Derek. And Kate Walsh is still doing beautiful work on 13 Reasons Why.

5. George O’Malley

George O’Malley’s death plotline was some of the most brutal television of the mid-’00s, because we spent so much time loving him and then suddenly… tragedy. Unexpected tragedy. We didn’t know it was him for ages! Bring back George as a ghost too.

4. Derek Shepherd

Derek is hot and so he gets to be up here. His love story with Meredith = iconic. His smile = everything. His death = a real downer. Really upset me, but not in an Offspring Patrick dying kind of way. In an ‘I will try to watch objectively terrible TV to see more of Patrick Dempsey’ way. (The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair is bad.)

3. Cristina Yang

Cristina Yang is the queen we never ever deserved. Her friendship with Meredith was true goals, even as they overcame so much adversity. SO MUCH ADVERSITY. That plane crash??? That’s forever trauma. I hope she gets to be happy in Zurich, where I assume her plotline crosses over with Killing Eve.

2. Alex Karev

At first, Grey’s Anatomy fans didn’t like Karev. He was a bit of a jerk. But over 16 years, we’ve come to love him. He works with sick kids. He supports his friends and partner. He is Meredith’s core support. He’s actually very charming and I would like him as my friend also.

There have been so many times when the show has teased Karev leaving the show, but he never does. He keeps me grounded.

1. Meredith Grey

The OG and the best. Even if she could be insufferable at times, there’s no one more important to Grey’s Anatomy than Meredith. She’s a mother, a supportive friend, a brilliant surgeon, a boss bitch. She has seen everything (like her list of traumas is making my head ache) and comes out punching. Meredith is #1.