Why did Eric Dane leave Grey’s Anatomy?

In the Grey’s Anatomy season 9 premiere, we said goodbye to another major character. Mark Sloane left the hospital, but why did Eric Dane leave the series?

When the plane crash happened in Grey’s Anatomy season 8, we hoped that Chyler Leigh’s Lexie Grey would be the only casualty. However, during the summer, we learned that Eric Dane would leave the show. That meant an exit in the season 9 premiere.

There was only one way to deal with the exit. It had to be through McSteamy’s death. There was no way that Mark would leave Seattle without his daughter, and Callie and Arizona wouldn’t give her up for Mark to take her. So, death was the only reasonable option for the character.

This wasn’t a creative decision, though. It turned out that Eric Dane wanted to leave Grey’s Anatomy.

Why Eric Dane left Grey’s Anatomy

Dane made it clear that he was ready for something different. He’d been playing Mark Sloane for years on the series. While fans loved the character and it was always good fun seeing him on our screens, he was ready for something new.

That something new was The Last Ship, Comic Book Resources reminds us. He would lead the series from start to end, with production taking a pause when Dane suffered with his mental health.

After the end of that series, he would get a chance to do something very different indeed. He is now on Euphoria, where he plays one of those characters you’re not supposed to like. That’s hard to do when it’s Eric Dane!

The exit from the medical drama was his choice. Death was just the only way to handle it. He has been back since. During the pandemic year when Meredith was on her beach, she did get a visit from Mark and Lexie. It turns out they are together in the afterlife.

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