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The Worst Episodes of Grey's Anatomy

Every episode of Grey's Anatomy ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Grey's Anatomy!

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Follows the personal and professional lives of a group of doctors at Seattle's Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 16 - Leave a Light On
    4.4/10(2838 votes)

    #1 - Leave a Light On

    S16:E16

    Bailey and Ben face a huge, life-altering decision, while Meredith and several of the doctors reflect on the past.

    Director:Debbie Allen
    Writer:Elisabeth R. Finch

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  2. Grey's Anatomy Season 17 Episode 9 - In My Life
    5.2/10(1655 votes)

    #2 - In My Life

    S17:E9

    After a heart-wrenching loss, Teddy struggles to cope and it triggers memories of her past. When Owen brings her home, she must face some long-standing truths. Meanwhile, Amelia tries to help the situation by encouraging Owen to accept and forgive Teddy.

    Director:Kevin McKidd
    Writer:Tameson Duffy

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  3. Grey's Anatomy Season 11 Episode 21 - How to Save a Life
    5.6/10(3738 votes)

    #3 - How to Save a Life

    S11:E21

    Derek witnesses a horrible car accident and springs into action to save lives.

    Director:Rob Hardy
    Writer:Shonda Rhimes

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  4. Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 12 - The Makings Of You
    5.7/10(770 votes)

    #4 - The Makings Of You

    S18:E12

    Nick whisks Meredith away to his Minnesota cabin for a romantic weekend, leaving Winston and Maggie to care for Meredith’s children. Meanwhile, Amelia and Kai grow closer.

    Director:Debbie Allen
    Writer:Felicia Pride

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  5. Grey's Anatomy Season 7 Episode 18 - Song Beneath the Song
    6.1/10(4763 votes)

    #5 - Song Beneath the Song

    S7:E18

    A cataclysmic event leaves the doctors shaken; Callie, on the verge of a life-changing moment, starts imagining about the hospital and her friends.

    Director:Tony Phelan
    Writer:Shonda Rhimes

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  6. Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 12 - The Last Supper
    6.2/10(1071 votes)

    #6 - The Last Supper

    S16:E12

    Jackson creates an uncomfortable situation when he invites new girlfriend, Vic, to what he thinks is Richard and Catherine’s anniversary celebration, only to discover the dinner was called for different reasons. Elsewhere, Levi brings Nico on a trip to visit an ailing family member.

    Directors:Debbie Allen, Nicole Cummins-Rubio
    Writer:Jason Ganzel

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  7. Grey's Anatomy Season 17 Episode 12 - Sign O' the Times
    6.2/10(1330 votes)

    #7 - Sign O' the Times

    S17:E12

    Maggie is preoccupied with Winston while trying to treat a patient wounded in the Seattle protests. Meanwhile, Levi is tested by an emergency, and the doctors struggle to treat a patient who doesn't believe in COVID.

    Director:Michael Medico
    Writer:Jase Miles-Perez

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  8. Grey's Anatomy Season 19 Episode 7 - I'll Follow the Sun
    6.3/10(710 votes)

    #8 - I'll Follow the Sun

    S19:E7

    It’s Meredith’s last day at Grey Sloan Memorial and the doctors plan a goodbye surprise, while Nick confronts her about the future of their relationship. Elsewhere, the interns compete to scrub in on Maggie and Winston’s groundbreaking partial heart transplant procedure, and Richard asks Teddy an important question.

    Director:Debbie Allen
    Writer:Krista Vernoff

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  9. Grey's Anatomy Season 19 Episode 9 - Love Don't Cost a Thing
    6.6/10(488 votes)

    #9 - Love Don't Cost a Thing

    S19:E9

    Simone is met with a life-changing decision upon the return of someone from her past. Blue shadows Maggie on a risky procedure, while Jo and Link tend to a pregnant woman. At the intern house, Lucas and Mika throw a party filled with surprises.

    Director:Kevin McKidd
    Writer:Jess Righthand

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  10. Grey's Anatomy Season 17 Episode 14 - Look Up Child
    6.7/10(1017 votes)

    #10 - Look Up Child

    S17:E14

    Jackson pays a visit to his father that helps set him on the right path.

    Director:Debbie Allen
    Writers:Elisabeth J. Finch, Felicia Pride

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  11. Grey's Anatomy Season 19 Episode 8 - All Star
    6.7/10(506 votes)

    #11 - All Star

    S19:E8

    Teddy makes a challenging decision. Meanwhile, Maggie and Winston aren’t on speaking terms, and Link leans on Jo for emotional support as he preps for a surgery on a well-known athlete. Simone and Lucas are surprised by an unlikely visitor.

    Director:Allison Liddi-Brown
    Writer:Briana Belser

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  12. Grey's Anatomy Season 3 Episode 22 - The Other Side of This Life (1)
    6.8/10(1746 votes)

    #12 - The Other Side of This Life (1)

    S3:E22

    Meredith works on her relationship with Susan and Thatcher. Cristina has to deal with her mother and Burke's. Alex continues to tend to Jane Doe/Ava. Meredith and Derek's relationship has a problem that needs resolution quick. Addison sees her god-daughter which leads to a job offer outside of Seattle. Derek has to perform surgery. Burke has a reservation about marrying Cristina. Many new people guest star in the course of Addison's road trip to California. Addison considers moving to be closer to her old med school friends until she discovers that drama she wishes to leave behind isn't exclusive to Seattle. Her friends who she thought had it all, are divorced. A pregnant woman must discover who the father of her child is.

    Director:Michael Grossman
    Writer:Shonda Rhimes

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  13. Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Episode 8 - The Room Where It Happens
    6.8/10(1914 votes)

    #13 - The Room Where It Happens

    S13:E8

    A difficult surgery brings back pivotal memories for Meredith, Richard, Owen and Stephanie, as they work together to save a life.

    Director:Debbie Allen
    Writer:Meg Marinis

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  14. Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 19 - Love of My Life
    6.8/10(1012 votes)

    #14 - Love of My Life

    S16:E19

    Richard preps to present his PATH pen at the LA Surgical Innovation Conference but becomes distracted by his issues with Catherine. Maggie and Teddy run into people from their past at the same conference, while Hayes relives moments from when he met his late wife.

    Directors:Debbie Allen, Allison Liddi-Brown
    Writers:Kiley Donovan, Andy Reaser

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  15. Grey's Anatomy Season 17 Episode 6 - No Time for Despair
    6.8/10(1074 votes)

    #15 - No Time for Despair

    S17:E6

    Grey Sloan Memorial faces new pressures as Seattle Pres is overloaded, and Grey Sloan Memorial is now on surge capacity protocol. Meanwhile, Owen and Amelia are faced with one of the most controversial surgeries of their careers.

    Director:Pete Chatmon
    Writer:Jase Miles-Perez

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  16. Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Episode 15 - Civil War
    7.0/10(1053 votes)

    #16 - Civil War

    S13:E15

    Richard, Jackson, April and Catherine tackle a grueling trauma case intensified by hospital politics. Amelia finally faces her feelings about Owen, and Meredith gets caught between Nathan and Alex over a patient.

    Director:Nicole Cummins-Rubio
    Writer:Elizabeth J.B. Klaviter

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  17. Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 17 - Life on Mars?
    7.0/10(771 votes)

    #17 - Life on Mars?

    S16:E17

    A wealthy inventor arrives at Grey Sloan and asks Koracick for help, while Meredith struggles to save a woman with diabetes who has been rationing her insulin. Jo and Link fight to save a young man who fell onto train tracks, and Jackson and Vic's relationship hits a snag.

    Directors:Debbie Allen, Michael W. Watkins
    Writer:Jase Miles-Perez

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  18. Grey's Anatomy Season 17 Episode 11 - Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right
    7.0/10(821 votes)

    #18 - Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right

    S17:E11

    The Grey Sloan doctors are stuck in the middle of a fight between a newlywed couple who are injured in a car accident and brought to the hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, Jackson’s generosity with COVID-positive patients goes a bit too far, and Hayes works to rebuild Maggie’s confidence and convince her to perform an extremely risky heart surgery.

    Director:Giacomo Gianniotti
    Writer:Julie Wong

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  19. Grey's Anatomy Season 17 Episode 16 - I'm Still Standing
    7.0/10(717 votes)

    #19 - I'm Still Standing

    S17:E16

    Levi gets accepted into the vaccine trial. Meanwhile, Amelia and Owen treat a car crash patient, and Hayes and Jo are met with Luna’s legal guardian.

    Director:Michael W. Watkins
    Writers:Meg Marinis, Andy Reaser

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  20. Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 2 - Some Kind of Tomorrow
    7.0/10(744 votes)

    #20 - Some Kind of Tomorrow

    S18:E2

    Meredith seeks advice from Amelia. Meanwhile, Richard is reenergized as he takes teaching to a new level at the hospital, and Winston treats a patient suffering from kidney failure.

    Director:Kevin McKidd
    Writer:Felicia Pride

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  21. Grey's Anatomy Season 3 Episode 23 - The Other Side of This Life (2)
    7.1/10(1617 votes)

    #21 - The Other Side of This Life (2)

    S3:E23

    Meredith works on her relationship with Susan and Thatcher. Cristina has to deal with her mother and Burke's. Alex continues to tend to Jane Doe/Ava. Meredith and Derek's relationship has a problem that needs resolution quick. Addison sees her god-daughter which leads to a job offer outside of Seattle. Derek has to perform surgery. Burke has a reservation about marrying Cristina. Many new people guest star in the course of Addison's road trip to California. Addison considers moving to be closer to her old med school friends until she discovers that drama she wishes to leave behind isn't exclusive to Seattle. Her friends who she thought had it all, are divorced. A pregnant woman must discover who the father of her child is.

    Director:Michael Grossman
    Writer:Shonda Rhimes

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  22. Grey's Anatomy Season 12 Episode 11 - Unbreak My Heart
    7.1/10(1521 votes)

    #22 - Unbreak My Heart

    S12:E11

    The evolution of April and Jackson’s relationship is revealed through a series of flashbacks dating back to when they first met. Simultaneously, we follow the years-long progress of one of Jackson’s patients.

    Director:Rob Corn
    Writer:Elizabeth J.B. Klaviter

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  23. Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 1 - Here Comes the Sun (II)
    7.1/10(954 votes)

    #23 - Here Comes the Sun (II)

    S18:E1

    As the city of Seattle revels at the Phoenix Fair celebrating the city’s rebirth post-COVID, the Grey Sloan doctors treat a patient who encounters illegal fireworks. Meanwhile, Bailey has her sights set on hiring new doctors, but she’s having trouble finding viable options. Owen and Teddy attempt to take the next step in their engagement, and Meredith has a surprising opportunity when she meets a dynamic doctor from her mother‘s past. The crossover starts on Station 19 S05E01 Phoenix from the Flame (I).

    Director:Debbie Allen
    Writer:Meg Marinis

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  24. Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 7 - Today Was A Fairytale
    7.1/10(618 votes)

    #24 - Today Was A Fairytale

    S18:E7

    Dr. Hamilton takes his frustrations out on Meredith, so Nick gives her a chance to blow off steam by scrubbing in on a surgery. Back in Seattle, Link and Jo take their kids to a fairytale theater performance that goes wrong. Bailey and Dr. Lin attend a recruitment fair in hopes of attracting more doctors to Grey Sloan but find themselves ill-prepared.

    Director:Debbie Allen
    Writer:Julie Wong

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  25. Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 16 - Should I Stay or Should I Go?
    7.1/10(566 votes)

    #25 - Should I Stay or Should I Go?

    S18:E16

    Bailey faces an unhappy Catherine who is facing audits for several of her Foundation hospitals. Meanwhile, Addison is back at Grey Sloan; tensions rise between Meredith and Richard, and Owen returns to work.

    Director:Michael W. Watkins
    Writers:Jase Miles-Perez, Jess Righthand

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Leave a Light On" is the worst rated episode of "Grey's Anatomy". It scored 4.4/10 based on 2838 votes. Directed by Debbie Allen and written by Elisabeth R. Finch, it aired on 3/5/2020. This episode scored 0.8 points lower than the second lowest rated, "In My Life".