This Private Practice Character Needs To Appear on Greys Anatomy

The Big Picture

• Grey's Anatomy is at its best when old characters return.
• Private Practice 's Charlotte King is the only character who hasn't appeared on Grey's Anatomy .
• Charlotte King joining Grey's Anatomy would provide fresh dynamics and nostalgia for fans, as well as a heartwarming storyline for Amelia Shepherd.

Grey’s Anatomy has seen a lot of characters come and go. From OGs who were around from the pilot episode, to characters that joined a little later but still left their mark nonetheless. We always hope we’ll see them again, but never know for sure. So when it was announced that Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) would be making her grand return, fans were ecstatic. She left the show far too soon (and far too abruptly), so seeing her come back will surely be a highlight of the new season. Arizona is a character that fans have been crossing their fingers would return sooner or later, but what about the characters that have yet to make an appearance? Show creator Shonda Rhimes has made some incredible TV shows, and some of those shows happen to be set in the Grey’s Anatomy universe. Shows like Station 19 and Private Practice, specifically. And though both series had their fair share of Grey’s crossovers, there’s notably one character from Private Practice that never got a chance to visit Grey Sloan, and that’s none other than Charlotte King (KaDee Strickland).

Throughout Private Practice’s six-season run, there were plenty of crossovers. After all, the series was a spin-off of Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), who is the ex-wife of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), and also later features Derek’s younger sister, Amelia (Caterina Scorsone). It was really a no-brainer that the two shows would often share some screen time. In fact, it was encouraged, and made for a fun little Shondaland multiverse. But despite multiple crossovers, Charlotte King never made an appearance on Grey’s Anatomy, which feels like a missed opportunity, and is something Grey’s Anatomy desperately needs to remedy in future seasons. Not only would Charlotte be a friendly face for Amelia, but she’d also be able to provide a specialty that we haven’t seen in quite a while.

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Amelia and Charlotte Are Close Friends

Private Practice is known for being the show that gave us Amelia’s backstory. If you haven’t seen it, Grey’s Anatomy does a decent job at telling you what you need to know, but to really understand Amelia as a person, and everything she’s been through, Private Practice is the show to turn to. It provides a new side of Amelia, and allows viewers to see her as more than just Derek’s irresponsible little sister, as he so often pins her. Which is why it’s so rewarding to see her be accepted by the crew at Seaside Wellness, because from the moments we do see of Derek’s family, it’s clear they’re not the warmest people. The doctors at Seaside Wellness become her family and the crew create a tight bond that rivals pretty much any other we see her have in Grey’s. But there was one character in particular that Amelia gravitated towards, and that was Charlotte. From the moment we meet her, it’s clear Charlotte isn’t the most friendly person you could meet. But she’s smart, and she is determined, and there’s something endearing about her that led to her becoming a fan-favorite. As the series went on, we learned more and more about Charlotte’s past, specifically her struggle with pain medication. This detail resonates with Amelia and the pair bond over their shared struggle and help each other overcome any urges they might feel. Given that so many others have simply looked down on Amelia with disdain for her past, it was refreshing to see someone not only willing to help her, but also be able to relate to her and find solace in her. While Amelia has been doing exceptionally well this past season of Grey’s Anatomy, with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Maggie (Kelly McCreary) now having left the show, Amelia is all alone. What better time for Charlotte to visit? Amelia needs a friendly face, and Charlotte could be just that. We saw how happy the visit from Addison made Amelia, bringing Charlotte in would likely be just as heartwarming to see, and as far as we know she hasn’t visited the practice since she left, so it would be a long-overdue reunion.

Charlotte Would Fit In Well At the Hospital

Among some of the fan-favorites in Grey’s Anatomy, Carina Deluca (Stefania Spampinato) in particular stands out. It’s rare for a series as long-running as Grey’s Anatomy to introduce new characters and have them become as beloved as Carina is by fans. Sister of Andrew Deluca (Giacomo Gianniotti), Carina came to Grey Sloan Memorial in hopes of doing her research study there, after hearing that it was run by a female Chief of Staff. With special permission from Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), Carina gets to work on researching the female orgasm. As an OB/GYN, Carina’s focus was often on women’s bodies, specifically the sexual pleasure aspect. Carina eventually went on to be a regular in the spin-off series Station 19, and though she plays a fairly prominent role in it, fans still miss her presence in Grey’s. But Charlotte may be the one person who could actually fill her shoes.

Aside from being Chief of Staff at her own hospital, Charlotte is also a urologist and sexologist, which made for some unique cases later in Private Practice’s run. As mentioned, the show pushed a lot of boundaries for what was often seen on TV at the time, so to have a doctor specializing in sex was a bit taboo. Nowadays, we’re a lot more open-minded, hence Carina’s addition to Grey’s Anatomy and her topic of studies. But given Carina’s history at Grey Sloan, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to suggest Charlotte could join the team. Not to mention, Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen) would probably love her and how unabashed she is about pretty much everything. An interaction between them would make for phenomenal television.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Could Use Some Familiar Faces

Grey’s Anatomy is sort of notorious for how long it’s been on air, even more so now that Ellen Pompeo has left the show. It’s not the same show it was when it first began, and though some change is to be expected, there are now only two characters from Season 1 left in the show, and it’s just not the same. The show needs to grow and evolve, of course, but it’s still tough to connect to the new characters when we spent so much time with the others. Which is why the show benefits most from bringing back the old characters. Fans were through the roof when April Kepner (Sarah Drew) came back for a few episodes, and the same goes for Addison’s multiple appearances in Season 19. The show is at its best when it goes back to its roots, and it needs to lean into it more. Writing Charlotte into the show would not only satisfy the nostalgia factor for fans of Private Practice, but it would benefit the show as well. We’d get to see the dynamic between her and Amelia again, and how it’s evolved since Amelia moved back to Seattle. We’d see a new specialty at the hospital that could make for some more interesting cases. And, given that Charlotte is Chief of Staff at St. Ambrose Hospital, we’d likely see her butt heads with Bailey, and that sounds like a rivalry we want to see. So please Grey’s, bring Charlotte back!

Grey's Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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