Perhaps to its own detriment, ABC's medical drama Grey's Anatomy doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. Now series star Ellen Pompeo is only set to appear in eight episodes of Season 19 (although she'll be doing voice overs for all of them) while the show introduces more new characters. At first, it seems impossible that the series could exist without Meredith. Very few characters have appeared in every season, and Meredith has stayed at the show's center. Her surname is in the title.

However, this reduced role is the second best thing that could happen to Pompeo's character -- second only to Grey's Anatomy ending. Over the years, Meredith has endured more than any other character, including almost dying, losing loved ones and getting into legal trouble... all of which have happened multiple times. Grey's Anatomy is a drama and its characters suffer regularly. In order for Meredith to finally move on and find happiness, she needs to leave the show.

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Deadline reports that Pompeo is reducing her role on Grey's Anatomy in Season 19 due to her starring role in the upcoming Hulu series Orphan. Because Orphan is a limited series, it is unclear whether Pompeo's fewer appearances on Grey's will be just for Season 19 or if she will continue to scale back or even leave should the show get to Season 20. Although Pompeo's decision is due to external factors, it feels fitting at this point in Meredith's storyline.

Season 18 seemed like a goodbye for Meredith as she started working in Minnesota and doing Parkinson's research. A new job and a fresh start felt like the right path for her. She also had a new romance with Nick Marsh, who her kids liked, and she was ready to move to Minnesota permanently to be with him. But because it's Grey's Anatomy, Meredith made a bad call in surgery during the Season 18 finale, "You Are the Blood."

The episode ended with Meredith forced into staying at Grey Sloan after the hospital lost its residency program, while Meredith and Nick got into a fight and broke up. A new chapter was within reach for Meredith -- and the writers closed it before it started. Meredith has now lost her husband, her mother, her sister and multiple friends. Every time she seems to have found happiness, it gets snatched away from her. Taking Meredith away from the series will give her a chance to find happiness off-screen, in the way that other characters such as Jackson and April have.

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Grey's Anatomy fans have seen enough of Meredith's suffering by now, and with her off getting her happy ending, the other characters will be able to have their arcs more fully explored. The Season 18 finale also saw Maggie almost end her marriage to Winston, so now the two of them have to work through their differences and get to know each other better. If Teddy and Owen are really gone as the finale implied, then the other characters will need time to react to their leaving (and Meredith's). Bailey and Ben now have an adopted daughter, Pru, who's joined their family.

The addition of new characters might give the show its own fresh start as well. Grey's Anatomy has the opportunity to use Meredith's absence as a way to finally give her peace while also exploring the conflicts and storylines of the other characters on the show. As the past handful of seasons of the show have just felt like more of the same, Season 19's big risks could lead to big rewards.

Seasons 1-18 of Grey's Anatomy are available to stream on Netflix.