This is the year we say goodbye to some stalwart Shonda Rhimes standbys — there's Scandal, which had its finale last night, and there's Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw, the two Grey's Anatomy regulars who will be leaving the show at the end of its season 14 finale. Not one to choose favorites among her TV children, Rhimes herself mourned the loss of Capshaw and Drew on Instagram last night, just as Scandal was drawing to a close.
"Today, in the midst of scheduled mania of #scandal series finale, two beautifully talented women filmed their last scenes at #greysanatomy," Rhimes wrote. "Having these things happen at the same time is almost impossible to process."
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In early March, Deadline confirmed that Drew, who plays Dr. April Kepner, and Capshaw, who plays Dr. Arizona Robbins, would be departing the series. Fans were irate, given the characters' importance on the show. Capshaw's character was one of the most prominent queer women on primetime television for her ten year tenure. After the news broke, Capshaw shared an emotional post in honor of her character, writing, "Arizona Robbins is kind, intelligent, funny, insightful, bold, playful, fierce and really good at her job. She was one of the first members of the LGBTQ community to be represented in a series regular role on network television. Her impact on the world is permanent and forever. Forever." Drew shared her own goodbye, noting that April's story "wasn't over," although fans are convinced the show will kill her off.
Drew, for her part, is already working on another gig. She was recently cast in the Cagney & Lacey reboot for CBS.
In her goodbye post, Rhimes noted that she would have more to say on the characters of April Kepner and Arizona Robbins. "A social media post won't cut it and I will not minimize their magic by pretending it will," she wrote. "I have more to say. I will do so. For now I will just say how lucky we were to witness their talents and the magic they brought to their characters."
Capshaw and Drew's last episode has yet to air. The Grey's Anatomy finale will air on May 17.
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