8 Shondaland Actors Who Left For Better Things (And 8 Who Are Stuck)

Shondaland is, for us adults, what our favorite amusement parks used to be for us as kids: an entertaining place away from a reality that we never want to leave.

Shonda Rhimes has been monopolizing primetime television since 2005. Named one of the world's most innovative companies in 2018 by Fast Company, Shondaland is at the forefront in producing content that is focused on self-empowerment, feminism, and an inclusive worldview. We can't get enough and she's not stopping until we have.

From Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice to Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, we've had the pleasure of being introduced to many actors through her shows. Many cast members move from one Shondaland show to the next, never straying too far from Shonda's genius. Maybe they really never wanted to leave or didn't think they could, but they have permanently been cast as certain characters.

There are the former Shondaland stars that either left or were pushed out, and then there are others who have lost the “Shonda Fever” in order to venture out into the wider world of Hollywood. Below are 16 actors who have experienced these polarizing impacts of Shondaland.

16 Escaped Shondaland: Eric Dane Sails To New Beginnings In 'The Last Ship'

Eric Dane entered Grey's Anatomy's Seattle Grace Hospital as Mark Sloan (AKA McSteamy) in 2006 and remained there until he met his fateful demise in the ninth season. During this time, he also made a brief guest appearance on Private Practice under the same name. Due to injuries sustained in an airplane crash (but also possibly due to budget cuts on the show, as reported by Wetpaint), Dane licked his wounds and set out for new work.

In 2014, Dane was cast as the lead in TNT's The Last Ship, in which he played Captain Tom Chandler. The post-apocalyptic show follows a naval ship loaded with crew members trying to save civilization after a viral outbreak. Critics have given it mixed reviews, according to Metacritic, but dedicated fans have been happy to change the channel for a little more McSteamy.

Unfortunately, the news just broke at Variety that the upcoming fifth season of The Last Ship will be its last, taking with it Eric Dane's largest role since leaving Grey's Anatomy. Will he make a return to Shondaland?

According to his personal social media page, Dane also shamelessly self-promoted his appearance in a Lean Cuisine commercial. It is certainly McSteamy-esque, but not quite what we had in mind.

15 Stuck In Shondaland: Justin Chambers Will Forever Be Known As Dr. Karev

Snatched up from the middle of Ohio and a Calvin Klein modeling contract, according to Closer Weekly, Justin Chambers was not even written into the pilot episode of Grey's Anatomy. However, Shonda added him in quickly and hasn't released her grip since.

His character on the medical drama, known widely by fans as Dr. Alexander Karev, is one of the only characters from that first season to remain.

The intern-turned-resident-turned-fellow follows a path of deep personal growth that fans have reacted to quite strongly. There have been multiple points throughout the show in which it has seemed that Chambers may, too, be written out of the script, like when Izzie Stevens died or when he started a relationship with Jo (the first time), but each time fans have breathed a sigh of relief.

The latest talk on the town, according to Bustle, is speculation that Chambers won't make it to the fifteenth season because his character and Jo will run off together. While this is possible, we just don't think Shonda would do this to us. Right, Shonda?

Unlike many of the other actors, Chambers has appeared in almost no other films or television shows during his time on Grey's Anatomy.

14 Left Shondaland: Dean Norris Delivered As Hank In 'Breaking Bad'

Breaking Bad was great, but we can't picture what it would have been like without everyone's favorite larger-than-life DEA agent, Hank Schrader. Walter White's brother-in-law made it his final life's mission to solve the Heisenberg case and when he finally passed away, he was armed with the knowledge of its creator.

Dean Norris made a name for himself through Breaking Bad, though it is worth noting that he made a little pitstop in Shondaland before rising to fame.

In 2007, just one year before Breaking Bad broke out, Dean Norris played the role of a mechanic in season three of Grey's Anatomy. According to Fandom, his character, Vince, was helping people after a ferry crash when his friend Rick was crushed by a moving vehicle. He went for help and came back with the infamous Izzie Stevens. Sounds like the right amount of drama for the Dean Norris we know!

Though the character, Hank, has since passed, fans can still see Dean - a different side of him - in Claws, where he plays a well-accessorized mob boss. For someone that has historically been cast in serious, power-hungry roles - and who actually has a degree from Harvard - to see him in something a little flashier is highly entertaining.

13 Still In Shondaland: Paul Adelstein Switches Professions From Pediatrician To Crisis Management Consultant

Sometimes Shonda Rhimes' gravitational pull is so strong that an actor is cast in one of her shows and then is immediately sucked back in for another one. In a nutshell, this is what happened with Paul Adelstein, who you will recognize (probably not by name, but by his face) from Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice as Cooper Freedman, and Scandal as Leo Bergen.

In no time at all, Adelstein traded in pediatrics and his relationship with Charlotte (and their triplets) for the White House and a title as second-best to Olivia Pope.

According to Splash, this makes Adelstein part of the Shondaland “in-crowd”. And it has certainly paid off; the role of Leo was actually written for Adelstein, offered up to him on a silver platter after a job well done on Private Practice. Apparently, this type of star treatment is reserved for only a select few!

So, will he complete the full Shondaland effect and make it onto How to Get Away with Murder in a big role? Maybe.

But we recently learned from People that he and his real-life former partner, Liza Weil, have officially split. Liza plays a lead character in How to Get Away with Murder (more on that later).

12 Fled Shondaland: Chyler Leigh Embraces Her Inner Supergirl

Like her lover Mark Sloan, Lexie Grey (played by Chyler Leigh) succumbed to that fiery plane crash in season eight of Grey's Anatomy. In the few seasons that we did have Lexie, she was the little sister everyone wanted to keep safe, as well as the coworker everyone wanted by their side. Her sudden departure from the show (as a result of the tragic crash) was shocking to all except Leigh, who told TVLine that she had worked with Shonda to give Lexie's story closure, which allowed her more time to spend with her own off-set family.

Lucky for us, we only had to wait a few years to see Chyler in action again.

Since its inception in 2015, Chyler Leigh has played a key role in the CW series Supergirl (based on Superman's seriously awesome female cousin). Here, she portrays Supergirl's adoptive sister, Alex Danvers, and helps fight crime as a scientist and government agent.

She may not have any superpowers of her own, but she does have many musical talents. According to Bustle, Chyler and her husband, Nathan West (also an actor), bond through singing and have several audio covers available on YouTube. They even wrote and recorded two original songs.

You go, (super)girl!

11 Cemented In Shondaland: Ellen Pompeo Digs In Deeper As Dr. Meredith Grey

In a recent article released by ABC News, Ellen Pompeo offers young people in search of successful careers with the advice that “if one door shuts, there's always another door”.

That said, Pompeo hasn't seen many doors shut in front of her. At least not in Shondaland. She has been the leading lady on Grey's Anatomy from the beginning and, thanks to a new $20 million contract, will be there for at least another two years. According to Daily Mail, this makes her the highest paid female in a television drama!

Ellen Pompeo has won numerous awards for her portrayal of Dr. Meredith Grey over the past 300 plus episodes. She has also been the glue and (literal) voice of the series, a responsibility The Hollywood Reporter says she never thought she would have because she only accepted the initial short-term offer in order to pay her rent!

According to Us Weekly, Shonda and Ellen have decided that Grey's Anatomy cannot go on without Dr. Grey. While her departure will signal the end of the show, Variety reports that Pompeo is going to let the fans decide when they're ready to move on and she will leave only when the show is no longer a favorite.

Of course, we have to wonder what's next. Will Pompeo remain a permanent Shondaland fixture for decades to come?

10 Vacated Shondaland: Nicholas Gonzalez Flourishes In 'The Good Doctor'

We barely got to know Nicholas Gonzalez in that one episode of Grey's Anatomy, but he had a return ticket to Shondaland just a few years later. After an untimely death at Seattle Grace Hospital in season four, Gonzalez was cast as Mateo in Rhimes' Off the Map in 2011. The series, based on a group of doctors that travel to South America (where one such doctor meets and falls for Mateo), flopped after just one season. Gonzalez spent a few years auditioning for other roles and then re-entered the Shonda scene in 2017 as Dominic in How to Get Away with Murder.

Just when we thought he was here to stay as a Shondaland staple, he cut ties.

Nicholas' new gig has taken him to another medical drama, this time the widely popular The Good Doctor. As Dr. Neil Melendez, the attending surgeon with oversight of residents, Gonzalez plays opposite Dr. Shaun Murphy (the savant saving lives left and right). With an average of nearly 10 million viewers in its first season, Variety has confirmed The Good Doctor has just been renewed for its second season.

In an interview with Fan Fest, Gonzalez noted that he isn't interested in being the actor everyone else wants him to be. He is content only taking on roles that he loves and exploring those deeper, caring less about what other people think. That sends a pretty clear message and we're excited to see more of Gonzalez in The Good Doctor and beyond.

9 Rooted In Shondaland: Liza Weil Reprises Her Role In 'How To Get Away With Murder'

Going once, going twice. Gone!

And then back again (and again).

Liza Weil, formerly of Gilmore Girls fame (the all-encompassing Paris Geller), is growing roots in Shondaland. Liza has managed to appear in four (yes, four!) of Shonda's shows (staring at us with those piercing eyes in every single one of them). Let's break this down.

2009: one episode of Grey's Anatomy.

2011: one episode of Private Practice.

2012: six episodes of Scandal.

2014 to present day: 60 episodes of How to Get Away with Murder!

This last one was just renewed for a fifth season, meaning Liza in her portrayal of Bonnie Winterbottom will be back to give the city of brotherly love a run for its money. But even if her character is removed sooner rather than later, we'd expect her to stick around. Maybe she can make an appearance on Station 19 as an attorney for the hospital? You know, just to round out the full Shondaland tour.

She was even married to Paul Adelstein (yep, the other Shondalandian) for ten years and is currently dating fellow How to Get Away with Murder co-star Charlie Weber, according to United Press International. So, she has really been going all in on the “Shonda or bust” idea.

8 Skipped Out Of Shondaland: Zoe Perry Takes On A New Mission As A Mom In 'Young Sheldon'

Sometimes you find out the history of an actor and totally don't believe it. He was in that movie?! He was married to that girl?! She is her daughter?! So, it's understandable that we were caught by surprise when we found out Zoe Perry is Laurie Metcalf's daughter (though upon closer inspection she is the spitting image of her mother). The love child of former dynamic duo Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Perry, the 33-year-old originally hit the scene in the early 1990s playing a younger version of Jackie, her mom's character, in Roseanne.

According to Heavy, she was banned by her parents from acting after that brief role, until reaching adulthood.

She eventually found her way to Shondaland, first in minor roles in Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Then, in 2017 she appeared with her father, who was playing Cyrus Beene, in Scandal.

With famous parents like that, who needs Shondaland?

Of course, Zoe has been great in her own right, now starring as Sheldon's mother in Young Sheldon (the Big Bang Theory spinoff). She did take another lesson from her own mom, though, as Laurie Metcalf plays Sheldon's mother in the original series. Maybe we can hope for more Zoe/Jeff/Laurie revivals in the future?

7 Deadlocked In Shondaland: Tom Verica Is Tasked With Directing, Acting, And Producing

If Shondaland was a small town, Tom Verica would be the guy everyone runs to with all their problems. A sort of “Mr. Fix-It” who simultaneously unclogs the neighbor's shower drain, helps his daughter with her math homework, and steps up to host a fundraiser for the local library.

As it stands now, Verica is the energizer bunny of Shondaland. He made his entrance in the smallest of roles in Grey's Anatomy and leveraged that into a co-executive producer of Scandal and lead actor in How to Get Away with Murder. Now, he serves as Producing Director and Executive Producer for For the People, the Shondaland legal drama that has just been picked up for a second season. When asked by Variety in an interview if he prefers acting or directing, he simply said “yes”.

According to Fast Company, Shondaland is known for promoting from within and rewarding employees that stick around (it is also known for having Play-Doh and puzzles in the writers' room and banning work emails after 7 pm). If Shonda ever wanted to turn over the company - though that will probably never happen - Tom Verica just might be the person fit to take it on. Until then, we can expect to see him doubling or tripling down in Shondaland.

6 Dropped Shondaland: Justina Machado Is Taking It 'One Day At A Time'

According to Vox, Justina Machado is here to hold writers, producers, and executives accountable for the portrayal of Latino culture. And she's not afraid to say no to roles that play into the stereotypes and stigmas she is trying to break down. The Chicago Tribune writes that Machado is also not afraid to stand up to some of Hollywood's most elite, either, including Sean Penn.

Hailing from Chicago - but with a firm dislike of improv that typically comes out of Chicago - with Puerto Rican heritage, Justina Machado completed the Shondaland trifecta early with roles in Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Off the Map.

No longer a nurse chasing after Taye Diggs' character (more on him later), Justina is blazing a trail on the Netflix show, One Day at a Time. Just picked up for a third season, One Day at a Time revolves around Justina's character, Penelope, as a single mom and Army veteran. Also present is Penelope's Cuban mother, played by the unbreakable Rita Moreno. Its plotline has been hailed for tackling deep topics like mental illness and immigration, while still being relatable and humorous.

We're really thankful Justina got a head start in Shondaland, but even more thankful she is doing this very important work now.

5 Clinging To Shondaland: T.R. Knight Can't Match Success Of 'Grey's Anatomy' Career

While we had many favorite characters on Grey's Anatomy, baby-faced George O'Malley might have been the actual favorite. From 2005-2009, his character was tortured in his work, his relationships, and even in his eventual death (hit by a bus isn't a very peaceful way to go). Citing a breakdown in communication with Rhimes, CNN reported that Knight asked to leave the show rather than determine a way forward.

Character destruction aside, Knight himself didn't have it easy speaking particularly about an altercation with Isaiah Washington in which a slur was used against him (ultimately resulting in Washington's firing from the show). While he admits it was risky to leave such a popular show and a multi-million-dollar contract, he wanted more fulfillment. Unfortunately, finding more work was harder than he had thought, and Knight struggled to make a name for himself in television outside Grey's Anatomy (though Bustle credits him with stage work of varying success in those years).

In 2016, fans rejoiced at the news O'Malley would be rebranded as Tommy Vaughan in Rhimes' new show, The Catch. The return, however, was less than triumphant and the show folded after two seasons. As T.R. Knight looks for a boost from his Shondaland reputation and hits the streets with a resume again, we wish him more luck than he's had.

4 Retreated From Shondaland: Taye Diggs Makes It Big On And Off-Screen

Taye Diggs has been charming us since the days of Rent (where he met Idina Menzel, and we are still not over the fact that it didn't work out) and Ally McBeal. We're pretty sure we still have a poster of him at our parents' house somewhere.

In 2007, he was cast as Dr. Samuel Bennett (AKA Dr. Feelgood) on Private Practice and remained there for all 111 episodes of the show.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Diggs had a long history with ABC TV Studio (ABC is also home to Shonda Rhimes) through his personal O'Taye Productions (the company under ABC that brought you Day Break and Kevin Hill).

For that reason alone, we figured the two would converge and Diggs would remain a Shondalandian for life. But Diggs had left his heart on Broadway and returned as Hedwig at the end of the Hedwig and the Angry Inch run. He also one-upped Rhimes by returning to television in detective drama Murder in the First under the esteemed tutelage of Steven Bochco.

The self-proclaimed mama's boy (he has his mom's initials tattooed on his shoulder, according to People) also wrote two children's books since his retreat from Shondaland (cute!). He even has a new rom-com due out on Netflix in June and it looks more than worth our time. We're pretty sure his mom will like it, too.

3 Caught In Shondaland: Jason George Carries Title Of Dr. Warren From 'Grey's Anatomy' To 'Station 19'

When Jason George isn't busy watching Captain America while working out in his home gym (according to Men's Journal, no first-hand accounts here though we wish there were), he's making the painstaking decision to switch careers. Well, not him per se, but his character.

An anesthesiologist mocked for his age by peers at the hospital, Dr. Warren flipped Grey's Anatomy upside down by becoming a surgeon. For the last eight years, we've been tuning in just to see what he does next.

His latest switcheroo takes him from surgery to the firehouse in Rhimes' new spin-off drama, Station 19. The cast went to a firefighting boot camp to prepare for their roles, but no word yet on how Dr. Warren will prepare for the strain on his relationship with Bailey (yep, it's carrying over from Grey's Anatomy). And to think, we almost didn't get to see any of this because George was originally planning a career in law (we prefer him living on the edge of danger).

According to People, George supports cast shakeups, though we assume he means the departure of other actors and not himself. He has caught the Shonda bug and the only cure is more Shondaland.

2 Departed Shondaland: Kate Walsh Lets Go Of Dr. Addison Montgomery And Gives Us '13 Reasons Why'

Dr. Addison Montgomery was a fierce, amazing woman and Shonda Rhimes met her match in that character. According to TV Guide, Rhimes was certain she would be able to carry on Private Practice without the lead character when Walsh announced she was ending Addison's run and departing the show. That didn't work out for Rhimes because surely without a Dr. Montgomery there could be no show.

After nearly ten years as Addison between Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, Walsh had to channel her inner doctor to care for her own health. In 2015, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and required surgery. That ordeal helped put her priorities in order and she spent a great deal of time just working on herself out of the spotlight. Feeling better and ready for a new challenge, Kate started filming 13 Reasons Why. On the critically acclaimed show, she plays Olivia Baker, the mother of a young student who takes her own life.

The second season was just released, and we've already watched the whole thing. Twice.

Last week, it was announced that Walsh would also join the cast of the Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy. We don't completely understand what it's about, but we're Kate's number one fans so we're excited anyway.

1 Grounded In Shondaland: Kelly McCreary Battles With Fans In Her Role As Dr. Maggie Pierce

This one has a spoiler alert, so if you haven't watched the Grey's Anatomy finale yet then don't read on (though the cast member departure mentioned is plastered everywhere, so you really can't hide from it).

Somehow, Kelly McCreary has become one of the most despised people in America as of late. The recent departure of fan-favorite Sarah Drew (April) from Grey's Anatomy is being blamed on McCreary's character, Maggie (though it was first blamed on Ellen Pompeo's pricey contract). According to Deadline, the theory is that the relationship between Maggie and April's ex, Jackson, was too much for April and it pushed her away.

But the battle has escalated, and blood is being drawn on a more personal level as fans have taken to attacking Kelly McCreary on social media. It got so bad that Sarah Drew herself took to the internet to defend her “lovely, brilliant, talented” friend against the haters. In her plea, she tells fans that she understands how much the characters mean to them but that they have to “show kindness” and leave Kelly alone.

Will McCreary be able to overcome her Grey's Anatomy character and regain fans, or will she be grounded in Shondaland forever?

References: Fast Company, Wetpaint, Metacritic, Variety, Instagram, Closer Weekly, Bustle, Fandom, Splash, People, TVLine, Bustle, ABC News, Daily Mail, The Hollywood Reporter, Us Weekly, Variety, Variety, Fan Fest, Hollywood Reporter, People, United Press International, Heavy, Variety, Fast Company, Vox, Chicago Tribune, CNN, Bustle, Men's Journal, People, TV Guide, Deadline