George O'Malley Dies: Grey's Anatomy Will Never Be the Same

Season 5 of ABC's hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" ended with the revelation that the unidentified individual the doctors were working on was none other than Dr. George O'Malley. The show kept one in suspense because Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) was also in the process of flat-lining. But in the end, it was T. R. Knight's character, George O'Malley, that would succumb to that monotonous electronic whine. "Grey's Anatomy" fans found out in June that T. R. Knight was not returning to the show. And even though Katherine Heigl has nailed down a pretty successful film career, she returned to "Grey's Anatomy" for Season 6, despite a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order. And so the death of George O'Malley sets the stage for the two-hour Season 6 premiere of "Grey's Anatomy," where viewers find Seattle Grace Hospital still trying to cope with the loss of a friend and a beloved doctor.

T. R. Knight's George O'Malley was one of the original cast of characters that populated ABC's primetime version of their hit daytime drama "General Hospital" and one of the five interns around which the stories would ultimately turn. While the young interns struggled with first-year problems, Grey would fall for Dr. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey), Izzie would start her contentious love-bouts with Alex (Justin Chambers), Cristina (Sandra Oh) would fall for the driven Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), and George O'Malley would pine for the affections of the McDreamy-smitten Meredith Grey.

Through five seasons, the shy and hard-working O'Malley would have his own convoluted relationships -- with best friend Izzie (on a separate note: they're great friends off the set as well), a night of sex with the woman of his dreams (Meredith), a marriage to Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), and the object of a crush from Meredith's little sister, Lexie (Chyler Leigh).

And as Dr. George O'Malley stumbled through his internship and into full-fledged doctorhood, his character became one of the most beloved on the show. His popularity could be a partial explanation for the dismissal of Isaiah Washington from the show -- despite an apology -- after three seasons when he made some off-color remarks about T. R. Knight's lifestyle (Knight is gay). T. R. Knight's announcement that he was leaving the show led to rumors that Washington might return to the show, which would be interesting now that Cristina has moved on and found love with Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd).

So Season 6 premiered with a funeral and everyone attempting to cope with George O'Malley's absence. Izzie is recuperating from her surgery and still trying to make it work with Alex. McDreamy has moved in with Meredith. McSteamy (Eric Dane), who joined the cast in 2006, has moved in across the hall from Lexie. Cristina is helping Owen deal with PTSD.

And so we find that the soap opera lives of the characters of "Grey's Anatomy" go on.

As for the real George O'Malley, T. R. Knight has gone back to the stage, something he has been doing since the age of five. According to TVGuide.com, he will take the leading role in the upcoming musical "Parade" in Los Angeles. He stars as Leo Frank, the Atlanta factory manager convicted of the 1913 murder and rape of 13-year-old Mary Phagan. After conviction, Frank's death sentence was commuted to life in prison when evidence suggested that he might be innocent, but a mob kidnapped him from jail and lynched him. Leo Frank is the only known Jew to have ever been lynched in the United States.

At least with "Parade," T. R. Knight will return to play the character again. (Of course, with "Grey's Anatomy" being a soap opera, he could still return as a ghost, an unknown twin brother, a long-lost cousin who looks like George O'Malley, etc.)

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Personal note: Dr. George O'Malley was this writer's favorite character on the show. It will be interesting to see how the plotlines develop without him. But speaking as a fan, after the two-hour "Grey's Anatomy" premiere Thursday evening, his absence was quite noticeable and terribly sad. He will be missed.

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