Shonda Rhimes Regrets Killing off This Grey's Anatomy Character

After 13 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy has featured so many great guest-stars —
but one actor, in particular, has had a lasting impact on show creator Shonda Rhimes.

In fact, Shonda admitted in a new interview that she totally regrets killing off one character during Season 2 — Dylan Young, the commanding officer of the Seattle Police Department bomb squad.

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Fans of the hit medical drama will remember Dylan was played by Kyle Chandler in a super-emotional episode back in 2006. During “As We Know It,” Dylan tragically died after helping main character Dr. Meredith Grey (portrayed by Ellen Pompeo) surgically remove a bomb from inside a patient’s torso.

Kylie Chandler in Grey’s Anatomy bomb episode. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

“[Kyle] would pitch me ideas on how Dylan, his character, could maybe not explode, and I would show him the line in the script that said, ‘Dylan explodes.’ That’s literally all it said. He was written to explode. But I did not expect to have Kyle Chandler. I didn’t want to explode him,” Shonda recently told Entertainment Weekly.

The episode was so well-received that Shonda earned an Emmy nomination for her writing.

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“I remember thinking Kyle Chandler was amazing. I wasn’t surprised his career really took off after that because he was so natural,” Ellen said of working with Kyle on Grey’s more than 10 years ago.

Fans might also recognize Kyle from the NBC sports drama, Friday Night Lights. The actor portrayed the lead character — Eric Taylor — in the acclaimed series from 2006 to 2011.

The Grey’s Anatomy episode director Peter Horton called the episode the “highlight” of the hit series.

He added, “It was a special moment when it all came together in just the right way.”

Check out the gallery to see more heartbreaking character deaths on Grey’s Anatomy!

Derek Shepherd

Meredith Grey lost her husband — played by Patrick Dempsey — in Season 11. After stopping to help two children injured in a car crash, Derek is hit by a semi and rushed to a nearby hospital. Following an unsuccessful surgery to save him, McDreamy is declared brain dead and Meredith removes him from life support several hours later.

George O'Malley

At the end of Season 5, George — portrayed by T.R. Knight — abruptly reveals he's joining the US Army. After leaving the hospital, O'Malley is hit by a bus and, because he is horribly disfigured, returns to the hospital as a "John Doe" patient. Meredith later learns the John Doe is George and he is rushed into surgery but is soon declared brain dead.