The Definitive Ranking Of All "Grey's Anatomy" Main Characters By Awesomeness

Twelve seasons, twenty-eight regulars, and a whole lot of dah-RAMA!

"Grey's Anatomy" has had an immense cast over its twelve seasons, overflowing with talented actors. But which characters rose above the rest?

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SPOILERS, HO!

28. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: –500/10

Arizona is a great doctor. I mean, she essentially downloaded Geena Davis's brain into her own just to become a better prenatal surgeon, and that takes skill! But as a person, she is the worst.

How shall I count the ways? Perhaps it was the time that she blew Callie (Sara Ramírez) off because Callie, who Arizona would eventually marry, was too new to the lesbian community. Perhaps it was the time that, when Callie's overtly homophobic father came to town, she blamed Callie for being too standoffish. Perhaps it was the time that she went and cheated on Callie after Callie had spent the better part of a year helping Arizona learn to walk again after complications from a plane crash had forced Callie to amputate Arizona's leg.

Perhaps it was the time that Arizona spent the first half of an episode repeatedly yelling at Callie after Callie realized that she wanted a second child and didn't magically intuit that Arizona wanted one as well. Or perhaps it was the time that she spent the second half of that same episode repeatedly yelling at Callie because, even though Arizona didn't want to carry their second child, Callie had understandably assumed that she herself would carry it, as Callie had also carried their first child.

NO! ALL OF THE WRONGNESS WITH THIS CHARACTER!

27. April Kepner (Sarah Drew)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: –10/10

Sarah Drew is an excellent actress, and she was perfectly cast as April, the retconned-redheaded Charlotte York of this show. And while her perennial naïveté may make her sympathetic or even mildly adorable at times, she spends most of her airtime generally making other people miserable. Not telling Jackson about her second unplanned pregnancy is somewhat understandable. Fleeing the continent for a year to serve in the military (her? really?!) following the death of her first child also makes some sense. But bursting into a room and distracting Derek (Patrick Dempsey) while he's at gunpoint? Uh-uh, sister—that's on you.

26. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: –5/10

Jo, who could very well be the love child of Rose Byrne and Rachael Leigh Cook, rapidly epoxied herself to Karev (Justin Chambers) and hasn't stopped whining since then. She started off as a cool character, a motivated and indefatigable woman who fought to keep herself level-headed and professional despite the emotional scars from her childhood, but she has slowly devolved since then, now opening her mouth pretty much only to complain.

25. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 0/10

Burke's first name could have easily been "Pretentious" instead of "Preston," and it would have fit. Though a talented surgeon, his treatment of those in his personal life leaves a lot to be desired. Several consecutive episodes giving your fiancée the silent treatment, only to eventually leave her at the altar? Do not want.

24. Leah Murphy (Tessa Ferrer)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 1/10

Aside from sleeping with Arizona, there was nothing really for the character to do. When she was written out of the show at the end of season ten, she left just as she had entered: with no fanfare.

23. Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 1.5/10

Daniel Franzese once exclaimed, "She doesn't even go here!" Apparently, Shonda Rhimes has never seen that iconic moment in "Mean Girls," as every scene featuring Riggs after his first episode has been the televisual equivalent of poking a dead horse; beating said horse would be too noticeable. There's nothing bad about Riggs, per se, but there's nothing interesting about him either.

22. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 2/10

Teddy was a character on this show? For three seasons? News to me! Aside from her irksome B-plot, where she married Henry Burton (Scott Foley) so he could commit insurance fraud, there was no point to her character.

21. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 3/10

Did you know that she had a photographic memory? Because she wouldn't let viewers forget about it for a second. That helped with exposition, but an information kiosk or a smartphone could have done the same thing. After her early season four role in making her half-sister Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) significantly uncomfortable on a regular basis, the character had completed her arc, and aside from her substantial part in gradually humanizing Sloan (Eric Dane), Lexie overstayed her welcome.

Shame about that plane crash, though. That was brutal.

20. George O'Malley (T. R. Knight)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 4/10

He died a hero, and it was a shocking and gut-wrenching death—one that left me feeling eviscerated. But while he was alive, George was a pitiable character, flitting from love triangle to love triangle and serving as everyone's punching bag. He deserved better material, and apparently, T. R. Knight agrees.

19. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 4.5/10

STILL TOO SOON!! But, you know, for all the times that he was charming and expertly-moussed, Derek sure did a lot of moping. Not even being a world-renowned neurosurgeon with a loving wife, two kids, a house he designed for his family, an unwaveringly supportive network of colleagues and friends, and Tyne effing Daly as his mother could make this man happy.

18. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 5/10

That raised eyebrow, though…

Addison was always kind of a cool character, albeit a selfish one, but it was only once she left the series to star in her sepia-toned spin-off that she really blossomed. Her first reappearance on "Grey's" basically consisted of her doing little more than berating her former colleagues for making stupid decisions in her absence, which was awesome.

17. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 5.5/10

It is absurdly hard to give Meredith a grade. When the series began, she was little more than a whiny Carrie Bradshaw knock-off, and she stayed that way for far too long. In the show's later seasons, she finally began to blossom into the mature and beloved anchor she is today. But having to deal with "Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me" Meredith for about a decade was as excruciating as Ross Geller on the bagpipes.

16. Ben Warren (Jason George)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 6/10

Bailey (Chandra Wilson) has finally met her match! Sure, Ben can be a bit headstrong ("a bit" is perhaps an understatement), but under all the bombast, it's clear that he really loves her, and they're one of the best couples on the show. (Sorry, Daniel Sunjata!)

15. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 6/10

Her initial appearances weren't anything special, but after Amelia became a series regular, she truly began to stand out and thrive. Bringing her into the show permanently was probably a ruse to distract us viewers that Derek was about to meet his demise, but Amelia's sense of humor and pathos made her a great diversion.

14. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 6.5/10

Maggie is the kind of character who kind of should have been around from the beginning, but arrived to the party too late. Still, despite her tongue-tying foibles and feelings of alienation, she's really cemented herself among the cast of characters. Frankly, I wish she had shown up instead of Lexie years ago.

13. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 6.5/10

Many viewers may not remember Hahn—she was, after all, only a regular for just over a single season—but she had an edge to her that most of her successors lacked. Sure, she had some kind of bizarre revulsion for Cristina (Sandra Oh) that was never completely explained, but her place in Callie's life was so vital that it was a surprise when Smith was abruptly written out of the show. She would have been a better match for Callie than Arizona was any day.

12. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 7/10

The heir to the McSteamy throne, Jackson has had his moments of using his familial capital and head-turning looks to get his way. Underneath that veneer, however, is a sweet soul yearning to do what he feels to be the right thing, even if he tramples some toes in the process.

11. Shane Ross (Gaius Charles)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 7/10

Gone too soon! Shane could be a tad moody at times, but he was also adorable, and his final plea to Cristina ("Take me with you!") underscored what a hilarious character he had the potential to be…if only Charles's contract had been renewed.

10. Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 7.5/10

Edwards is a ray of light, one with great comedic timing and a strong sense of justice. There are rumors that Hinton may not return because of her involvement in another upcoming ShondaLand production, but I hope we get more of her. Jackson doesn't know what he's missing!

9. Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 7.5/10

Amelia's lingering glare doesn't lie; DeLuca is one of the best additions to "Grey's" in the last five years. Self-assured, yet compassionate; dedicated, yet malleable; and charming, yet eccentric, DeLuca is one of the few additions to the cast to fit in seamlessly since his premiere episode.

8. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 8/10

How did this happen? How did one of the most infuriating characters in season one become one of the most adored by season twelve? It is the mark of a solid partnership between a gifted actor and a skillful team of writers that Karev, who began the series as a condemnable sexist, has evolved into part of the heart of the show.

7. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 8/10

Let's ignore that story line where she hallucinated her deceased fiancé for about half of season four, shall we? Heigl's Emmy was deserved, and that moment where she wept in her prom dress is iconic. If only Heigl had made better (read: legitimate) career choices, she probably would have continued to brighten the show for several more seasons.

6. Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 8.5/10

He may have been a lackluster husband, but he has made a great father, serving as the paternal figure overseeing and contentedly guiding all the other characters to be their best. His relationships with Meredith and Maggie have been the most interesting, and I kind of want him to adopt me. Wouldn't you?

5. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 8.5/10

He's a hot Scot* in real life and a hunky Yankee on screen, with the voice and charm of a classic crooner. There is no excuse for how he vented his fury at Cristina after her abortion, but Hunt has repented, and Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital has flourished under his reign.

*Listen to him say the word "anything," which he pronounces "enneh-theng," and you can hear a crack in his otherwise impeccable accent. CAN'T BE UNHEARD.

4. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 9/10

Oh, how the low have risen. Originally little more than orgasmic eye candy, Sloan became one of the most admired characters on the show, with his romantic relationships and his newfound role as a father humanizing him. He is sorely missed.

3. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 10/10

The true rock of "Grey's Anatomy," Bailey was always the perfect balance between butt-kicker and den mother, as well she should be. Her short stature belied her gigantic personality, and as long as the hospital exists, its staff is in good hands with Bailey in charge.

2. Callie Torres (Sara Ramírez)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 50/10

Callie Torres is the perfect woman. She is brilliant, she is strong, she is hysterical, and she is sincere. When Ramírez won her Tony for her role in "Spamalot," ABC executives approached her and offered her a role on a series of her choosing, and Ramírez chose "Grey's Anatomy." Thank goodness, because the show wouldn't be the same without her.

1. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh)

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AWESOMENESS LEVEL: 5,000,000/10

HOW DID SHE NEVER WIN AN EMMY?!

There's a reason that the title card at the beginning of her final episode must a collage of screen grabs of her face. Cristina Yang is one of the best characters on modern television, and I want her to be my best friend. It cannot be expressed in words just how awesome she is, and ABC is all the better having featured her in its prime time lineup.

Who do you think are the best characters on "Grey's"? Sound off below!