Having entered its 15th season earlier this year, there is little ground that hasn’t been covered by Grey’s Anatomy. From the beginning, this series hooked audiences with epic romance, impossibly quotable dialogue, and fascinating medical cases set to an unforgettable soundtrack. Grey’s made household names of pretty much everyone involved and laid the groundwork for Shondaland to eventually take over television. It also reminded the world that 80s heartthrob, Patrick Dempsey, was still incredibly dreamy.

By this point, the doctors at Seattle Grace (now Grey Sloan Memorial) have been through every trauma imaginable. Whether it was the result of natural disasters, a plane crash, or a gun-toting man, many doctors have come and gone over the years. Grey’s may excel in soap-operatics, but there was always so much more to the show than suds. For all its undeniably engaging melodrama, the series has never shied away from facing major issues, which elevated it over many of its contemporaries. Unsurprisingly, there have been many changes from page to screen throughout the course of the series. One example is the fact that Alex Karev wasn't in Rhimes’ original pitch. He was digitally added into the pilot after it had already been shot. At this point, he and Meredith are the only doctors who began as interns in season one who have remained at the hospital. Despite this, the show has proven repeatedly that it can survive regardless of who comes and goes. The writers often chose wisely, but the way that some stories were set to unfold may surprise you.

Here are 14 Canceled Twists That Would’ve Hurt The Show (And 6 That Would’ve Saved It).

Saved: Seeing George’s last day

Although George O’Malley was a fan favorite throughout the first few seasons of Grey’s, it is true that he was given increasingly less to do as the series progressed. For this reason, T.R. Knight ultimately chose to move on. Many fans were left dissatisfied by the way in which he was written out, and apparently, Shonda Rhimes had a different plan.

Rhimes asked Knight to return for the season six premiere in order to give George the sendoff she felt he deserved. The episode was originally planned to include flashbacks of the doctor during his final hours, seeing George’s split-second decision to give his life for someone else’s. There is no denying that this would have given a better sense of closure to George’s five-year arc, however, Knight decided not to return, leaving George to succumb to his injuries.

Hurt: Derek having a teenage daughter

The surprise twist that Derek was married was one of the greatest tricks that Grey’s Anatomy ever played on viewers. No one saw it coming. Even the actors themselves were kept in the dark until the last possible moment. As much of a surprise as meeting Derek’s wife was, the neurosurgeon was initially intended to come with even more baggage.

Rhimes’ original idea also included Derek having a teenage daughter. She would've been the one who convinced him to take the job at Seattle Grace and much of the story was set to revolve around him trying to repair their fractured relationship. Derek already had a lot going on, and ultimately, this added layer of drama was too much. It likely could’ve detracted from his burgeoning romance with Meredith, which was one of the most compelling aspects of those early seasons.

Saved: Giving Callie a different ending

Grey’s Anatomy hasn’t always found the best ways to write out characters, and Callie Torres was a prime example of this. However, in this case, the decision was simply out of the writers’ hands. Sara Ramirez’s desire to leave was as much of a surprise to Rhimes as it was to fans and it left her in dire need of a new plan for Callie.

Callie went to New York at the end of season 12 and never returned, but that was not her original trajectory. It’s unclear what Rhimes intended to do moving forward, but surely, it was better than this lackluster ending. It’s nice that Callie was able to make it to the end alive, unlike so many other Seattle Grace employees, but she deserved better than disappearing to New York with Penny, who was kind of the worst.

Hurt: Cristina falling for Denny

Rhimes’ original blueprint for Grey’s was quite different than what actually made it to the screen. There were several romances that wound up being central to the show’s early seasons, but all of them were almost completely different. The relationship between Denny Duquette Jr. and Izzie Stevens was one of the most unforgettable ever featured in the series, but initially, it was Cristina who was destined to fall for a patient with a looming expiration date.

This is incredibly difficult to imagine, but there was such intense chemistry between Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Katherine Heigl. Aside from that, Cristina likely wouldn't succumb to romantic feelings for a patient, no matter how charming he was. It’s good that once the characters were a bit more developed, the decision was made to give this storyline to Izzie instead.

Hurt: Izzie’s return

After Katherine Heigl’s infamous trash-talking about the material written for her character not warranting an Emmy nomination, many fans suspected Izzie might meet an early demise. Izzie survived her experiences at Seattle Grace, but she did exit the show during its sixth season. By the time she left, most viewers were ready to see her go.

As keen as Heigl seemed initially to leave Grey’s, she eventually made it clear to Rhimes that she would be happy to return. Heigl had expressed regret over her comments on more than one occasion and seemed to want to find a way to wrap up Izzie’s story. By the time Heigl made this clear, however, it was too late. Fans had moved on and so had Rhimes. At that point, bringing Izzie back would’ve been more disruptive than anything else anyway.

Hurt: Addison leaving after only a few episodes

There was a time when there weren’t really any plans for McDreamy’s wife beyond her “showing up, all leggy and fabulous.” Kate Walsh’s original deal with the show was only for a multi-episode arc. Luckily, the writers saw the incredible potential in Addison Montgomery and chose to make her so much more than just Derek’s jilted ex.

Addison was one of the best surprises of Grey’s Anatomy, a character who could’ve easily been one-note, but was instead given the opportunity to really come into her own. Interestingly, it didn’t take too long for Addison to become a fan favorite, especially once she was no longer an obstacle for Derek and Meredith. Viewers even followed Addison on her journey to L.A. when she spun off into her own series, Private Practice.

Saved: Cristina’s ectopic pregnancy was meant to be a termination

Although Cristina ended an unwanted pregnancy during the show’s eighth season, the initial plan was for her to do so during Grey’s freshman outing. However, Rhimes experienced a lot of pushback from the network, cautioning her against such a controversial storyline. Considering the fact that the show hadn’t even begun airing yet, Rhimes chose to make Cristina’s pregnancy ectopic instead.

This was a disappointment for Rhimes and Sandra Oh, both of whom felt that it was an important story to tell. Years later, when Cristina found herself once again debating ending a pregnancy, she chose differently. Rhimes had a lot more freedom to tackle the issue head on by that point and the subject had been addressed multiple times on Private Practice. Still, it’s a shame that the original story couldn’t play out the way that it was intended to.

Hurt: Meredith and Burke get together

This is another romance that would’ve made Grey’s Anatomy completely different, and not for the better. Even if Meredith developed feelings for Preston Burke instead of Derek Shepherd, their relationship could never have been so long-lasting. Isaiah Washington’s contract was famously not renewed for season four after he used slurs on multiple occasions.

It was actually Ellen Pompeo herself who initially nixed the idea. She felt that the storyline “hit too close to home” – her husband, Chris Ivery, is an African American music producer – so Pompeo suggested that her character fall for Patrick Dempsey’s instead. Derek and Meredith became such a huge part of the narrative and it’s difficult to imagine Pompeo having the chemistry with Washington that she had in abundance with Dempsey. Plus, that also would’ve robbed audiences of the relationship between Burke and Cristina.

Saved: Mark Sloan goes to L.A. and lives happily ever after with Addison

Rhimes has proven time and again that she has no problem ending the lives of beloved characters. The list of Grey’s fatalities has become so numerous that it seems surprising that the hospital ever manages to attract new doctors to employ. The time came when Mark Sloan had to be written out, but Rhimes desperately wanted him to survive.

Private Practice was wrapping up and one idea was that Mark could head over to L.A. to find happiness with Addison. However, he was still grieving the love of his life, Lexie, who didn’t survive the plane crash. Plus, Mark wouldn’t just leave Callie and Sophia, especially not in the aftermath of Arizona's injury. Even still, on a show so full of tragic endings, it could’ve been nice to see McSteamy find a good one.

Hurt: Burke was originally going to be married

As if the relationship between Cristina and Burke wasn’t already complicated enough, the cardiothoracic surgeon was originally intended to be married with children. Apparently, this made Burke feel “trapped,” and his storyline would spend a lot of time on his desire to leave his wife. So, his entire relationship with Cristina would’ve been an extramarital situation.

Sure, there is plenty of “involvement” that goes down on Grey’s, but this particular plot point could’ve damaged both characters involved, rendering them quite unlikable. Aside from that, it would’ve made the romance between Burke and Cristina so much heavier to begin with, taking away much of the fun of watching it unfold. It definitely worked out much better having these two single people connect without all that added drama.