The show is surrounded around Meredith and Derek’s relationship and without the core characters it’s hard to stay engaged. With Derek out of the show, the basis of the plot seems demolished. Should the show have ended after his death? Do you agree with how the plot continues after he dies? What makes him so great that people would question whether or not the show should have ended after his death?
As someone who still watches the show, I think the dynamic definitely changed after his death. From the very first episode, it was all about him and Meredith. I don't think the show should have ended just because there still are a lot of other characters. For me, the way he was written off was horrible. It felt so rushed and I hated it. For example, Meredith pulled the cord before anyone got the chance to say goodbye, something I don't think would actually happen. I also did not like how the show skipped ahead a year. It was just rushed and I don't think Shonda wrote him off in a proper way. I think just his and Meredith's relationship is a reason people would question if the show should have kept going. Theirs was epic, something we have been following since the beginning. – diehlsam8 years ago
The show has undergone so many changes through its seasons that this moment wasn't the show "jumping the shark" because it has jumped the shark so many times (and still I keep watching!). I think that the show simply has a different purpose than it did in that first season, where clearly Derek/Meredith's relationship was central. Now, it is focusing on the ensemble cast more, and so it could, in theory, exist past Meredith even being on the show (after all, the "Grey" in Grey's Anatomy doesn't need to be Meredith--the hospital is named that now, too). I think this is where the show is attempting to head, although whether that is a good idea, I'm not so sure. – cray03098 years ago