‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Are Disappointed With Teddy: She’s ‘Not Even Remotely the Same Character’

Grey’s Anatomy has been one of ABC’s most popular primetime shows for more than 15 years. The medical series has tons of loyal fans who have fallen in love with many of its characters. 

Fans are used to the revolving door of characters at Grey Sloan–people do come and go rather suddenly sometimes. Some characters return after a few seasons away, and they’re not always the same when they come back. Teddy Altman was beloved by fans during her first run on the series, but when she returned later, fans noticed some glaring differences in her character…

Teddy Altman: Brilliant surgeon and former U.S. Army doctor

Teddy Altman–portrayed by Kim Raver– is a gifted cardiothoracic surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial. She completed a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and then worked at Columbia University Medical Center. After her love interest died in the 9/11 attacks, she enlisted in the Army as a way to escape from the overwhelming heartbreak. 

While in Afghanistan, Teddy met Owen Hunt. He helped her get through the pain at losing her friend, and she eventually fell in love with him. Owen was involved with someone else, but the pair continued to serve together for years. When Teddy returned to the U.S., Owen convinced her to come work at Grey Sloan. 

Teddy became a mentor to Cristina Yang, who was dating Owen at the time. When Teddy decided to leave Grey Sloan because she was in love with Owen, Cristina offered to let her have him if she would stay. He later found out about what Cristina said, and it put a heavy strain on their relationship. 

She later fell in love with Henry, a patient whom she married because he had a disease that required extensive treatment and he had no insurance. Although the marriage was strictly for convenience, she ended up falling in love with him. Unfortunately, Henry died shortly after they decided they wanted to have a real marriage. She soon left Grey Sloan for a job somewhere else, and didn’t return for several seasons. 

Fans favorite storylines before Teddy left

Grey‘s fans loved Teddy Altman. There were two character arcs that made them love and respect her even more. First, they greatly enjoyed the mentor/mentee relationship between Teddy and Cristina. 

A few Redditors agree that the scene between Teddy and Cristina after Henry dies was incredibly powerful and moving. One fan asked how they were not nominated for an award after that scene, and another agreed, saying “Such greatness! And Cristina holds back any tears while Teddy is there and as soon as she leaves she looks up and cries, that was amazing too. Teddy & Cristina were really good in scenes together.”

Fans also loved Teddy and Henry’s relationship. Some even said they may have been the best couple on Grey’s Anatomy so far–“Teddy and Henry – so underrated yet the best couple of Grey’s.” It’s kind of surprising that such a strong bond developed between Teddy and Henry when they originally only married to help him get medical treatment. 

Why are fans unhappy with her character now? 

Fans have quite different feelings about Teddy’s character now. She left the show in season eight, and returned in season 14. People aren’t happy about her character’s developments since her return, and they feel like the writers have completely changed her personality. 

Since Teddy’s return, she became pregnant with Owen’s child and developed a serious relationship with Tom Koracick, a new neurosurgeon at Grey Sloan. That resulted in yet another love triangle, with Teddy bouncing back and forth between the men, and even cheating on Owen with Tom. 

The fans are displeased with the new flightiness of a character who was once very strong-willed and respectable–after all, she pushed her feelings for Owen aside several times because she respected the relationships he was in. They took to Reddit to voice their displeasure, going so far as to say they never should have even brought her back to the show. 

One fan said, “Wish they never brought back teddy. She got a good send off and now they’ve destroyed her character.” Others agreed that the differences are glaring, stating, “It’s not even remotely the same character, at this point.”