The big news on the Grey’s Anatomy front the past few days has seen a supposed uproar from cast members regarding the surprise announcement from Shonda Rhimes that a Grey’s spin-off is in the works, set to star actress Kate Walsh, who plays Dr. Addison Montgomery on the ABC drama. In the midst of this announcement, Katherine Heigl (who plays Dr. Izzie Stevens) has apparently broken off contract talks with the network.
This all seems highly dramatic, the stuff of gossip columns, but there could be some serious ramifications for the future of Grey’s Anatomy. Losing Kate Walsh is already a big blow as far as I’m concerned, and the fact that Katherine Heigl is upset with management is going to do nothing but hurt the show. I’m not saying that the spin-off is a necessarily bad idea, but it looks as if the way ABC and Shonda Rhimes went about announcing it was pulled off in a poor manner.
I guess the issue is salary, and Heigl wants more, to be equal with the show’s highest paid actors. I’d say she deserves it. Izzie is my favorite female character on the show, and Heigl has proven to be a very good actress, far better than I had previously imagined.
Heigl breaking off talks soon after the spin-off was announced makes it seem like it is Heigl who wanted a spin-off. Would she really want one? They rarely work, and are usually horrible failures. Heigl is a key cog in the Grey’s cast, much more so that Walsh, and I think the show would change dramatically if Heigl ended up leaving.
As much as I also like Walsh, the show isn’t going to suffer that much with her gone. Addison makes the most sense as the basis for the spin-off, because the character is distraught and could very plausibly pack up and leave Seattle. I’m actually looking forward to the direction they take with the new show.
In Heigl’s case, she’ll be sticking around for awhile, and I’m sure her and ABC can come to a contract agreement at some point. It’d be silly not to; Grey’s Anatomy prints money, so why not spend it on your stars?
What do you think? Is the spin-off a good idea? Should Heigl be upset?
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
