Is Gary Going to Die in a A Million Little Things? His Cancer Came Back For the Final Season — And It’s More Aggressive Than Before

Credit: ABC via Getty Images

Since his cancer returned at the end of Season 4, viewers have had concerns over if Gary is going to die in A Million Little Things or if he’ll live to see his baby grow up.

A Million Little Things is ABC‘s family drama series follows a group of friends in Boston, Massachusetts, after a member of the circle dies by suicide. The title of the show is a reference to the phrase: “Friendship isn’t a big thing — it’s a million little things.” James Roday Rodriguez plays Javier “Gary” Mendez Jr., a breast cancer survivor who met his love interest, Maggie Bloom, another breast cancer survivor, in a cancer support group. Gary and Maggie welcome their first child together in Season 5.

ABC announced that A Million Little Things was ending with Season 5 as its last season in November 2022. “I know seeing this show end may be sad for many people (especially my mom who watches live every week), but I always knew I wanted to follow these friends for 5 seasons and leave them when the time was right,” creator and executive producer DJ Nash said in a statement at the time. “When we started making our show, I never could have imagined this incredible community of ‘Millionaires’ who would come together and not only watch, but also share with each other their personal struggles, their pain and ultimately their true grit.”

Nash continued, “I am both honored and humbled by all of it and am so in awe of the incredible actors, writers, directors and crew who lend their talent to make our show. I am also so grateful that ABC now makes mental health awareness one of the top issues for which it advocates. Terrence and I can’t wait for the Millionaires to watch what we have planned for our final season.”

Nash also confirmed in an interview with Variety in 2023 that Season 5 will include multiple deaths. Will one of them be Gary? Read on for what we know about if Gary is going to die in A Million Little Things and what happened to him in Season 5 so far.

Does Gary die on A Million Little Things?

Does Gary die on A Million Little Things? The answer is unclear, however, it doesn’t look good for him. Gary — who survived breast cancer and met his love interest, Maggie Bloom, in a breast cancer support group — reveals in the Season 4 finale that he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Gary discovered the cancer after he had another test done on a lump on his breast. Though the test revealed the lump was benign, Gary later found out that he had a mass in his lung and underwent chemotherapy in secret from his friends.

So… does Gary die on A Million Little Things? In an interview with Distractify in April 2023, James Roday Rodriguez — who’s played Gary since Season 1 of A Million Little Things — revealed that he didn’t even know at the time if Gary would live or die in the A Million Little Things series finale. “We can’t even tell you because we don’t even know,” Rodriguez said. “I think one of the interesting components of being on this show is that DJ Nash, who created it, doesn’t always tell you what’s going to happen. And I think it’s good because, you know, that’s sort of how life works. And it doesn’t give you the chance to contextualize it or make any choices ahead of time, or decide how you think it should go. And I think it’s served us pretty well up to this point.”

Rodriguez also told Distractify about the “growth” Gary has had since his first diagnosis to now. “I don’t think he’s nearly as angry anymore. And as a result, I think he’s processing his latest diagnosis… more thoughtfully and more internally about what everybody needs, as opposed to just, you know, what he needs,” Rodriguez said. “I think … the first time he was really struggling, finding the meaning in it, and making peace with it all. And I think, as a result, he was inviting as many outside noises as he could get. And this time, it’s sort of the opposite.”

As for why that growth has happened, Rodriguez told the site that he thinks Gary has “found a certain degree of peace in his life.” “As a result, it’s like, he can actually think like, ‘What is the best way to share this news with everybody else? Based on what they’re each going through in their lives,'” he said. “So, I don’t think it was … that he was being dishonest as much as he was being thoughtful. I think, you know, he wanted to do it as thoughtfully as possible.”

In an interview with TV Line in 2022, A Million Little Thing‘s creator DJ Nash and executive producer Terrence Coli revealed that the they brought Gary’s cancer back as a way to make sure the series could return for another season. “We went in to the network at the middle of the year and said, ‘Hey guys, we’ve been on again for a while. Are we coming back, or are we not coming back?’ And they said, ‘Please don’t end this show now.’ I said, ‘OK,'” Nash said. “And TC and I talked about it and we said, we have a really, really big cliffhanger that could possibly top bag-over-someone’s-head and someone-getting-hit-by-a-car. But it’s a cliffhanger, it is not a series finale, and are we all prepared to go that way?”

Nash continued, “And they really, really pushed for us to do it. I know that we were a last-minute pickup. There’s no question we were a bubble show. But everybody creatively at ABC was so supportive and wanted to see it happen, and we knew that if it didn’t happen, our fans would be like, ‘You can’t end a series like that!’ So we put all of our eggs in the Gary basket.”

Nash and Coli also explained why they decided to have Gary’s cancer return at the same time he and Maggie were trying for a child. “For us, a couple things. One: Our series, if there is a formula, it’s just when you think it’s A, it’s B,” Nash said. “If you look back historically, ‘Is Eddie going to drink or not? Oh thank goodness, he didn’t. He got hit by a car!’ So in the magic trick that it is, we’re trying to get you to look at this hand with the shiny object while we do this other thing over here.”

Nash continued, “I also think that’s really true of the way life is. The happiest moments of your life sometimes butt up against some of the saddest moments of your life, and just when you think you can’t take anymore, sometimes the world gives you a reason to laugh. You just have to be open to it.”

Nash also told TV Line that Maggie and Gary’s baby journey was also a way to not make his cancer “so sad.” “So for us, the decision to combine those two was based on A) not wanting the show to be so sad, because there’s great power and control in Maggie and Gary deciding that despite cancer always being a part of their lives in some way, that’s not going to keep them from living life,” Nash said. “When Maggie had her abortion, she talked about, ‘I can’t believe I’m still having cancer determine things about me.'”

Nash continued, “And right now, the day they come home from having that bad diagnosis, they’re lying in bed and he says, ‘I think we should move in together’ and she says ‘I think we should have a baby.’ So they’re making these decisions and they’re going to live life on their terms for as long as they’re allowed.”

Rodriguez and Allison Miller, who’s played Maggie since Season 1 of A Million Little Things, also told ABC 7 in February 2023 about the response to Gary and Maggie’s cancer storylines over the years. “It’s so common and so many people have been touched by cancer, and I know that we both took it very seriously and spoke to as many people as we could to get their stories so that we could be equipped with the most empathetic tools that we could have,” Miller said. Rodriguez added, “I think we’ve tried to handle it as authentically as possible. And I think in wrapping the series up we’ve tried to follow that same blueprint.”

Gary Mendez, A Million Little Things

Who plays Gary on A Million Little Things?

Who plays Gary on A Million Little Things? Gary is played by James Roday Rodriguez, who has starred as a series regular on A Million Little Things since Season 1. Along with A Million Little Things, Rodriguez is best known for starring on USA Network’s Psych for eight seasons from 2006 to 2014. Rodriguez, who played Shawn Spencer, was also a director and screenwriter on the series, as well as starred in its 2017 movie, Psych: The Movie and its sequels: 2020’s Psych 2: Lassie Come Home and 2021’s Psych 3: This Is Gus.

In addition to A Million Little Things and Psych, Rodriguez has also starred in shows like First Year and Love Bites, as well as movies like The Dukes of Hazard. He’s also directed episodes of shows like Rosewood and The Resident, as well as written movies like The Driver and Gravy.

For more on primetime shows, check out our photo gallery on the best nighttime soaps ranked.

Dynasty -- "Company Slut" -- Image Number: DYN105b_0628b.jpg -- Pictured (L-R): Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon and Nathalie Kelley as Cristal -- Photo: Annette Brown/The CW -- ÃÂ© 2017 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

EMERALD POINT N.A.S., from left: Sela Ward, Andrew Stevens, Stephanie Dunnam, Doran Clark, Dennis Weaver, Charles Frank, Susan Dey, Richard Dean Anderson, 1983-84. ph: Mario Casilli / TM & Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. / Courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Talk about a killer cast! Dennis Weaver, Richard Dean Anderson, Sela Ward, Andrew Stevens, Susan Dey, Jill St. John and Maud Adams were all featured in this 1983 drama created by the same folks who gave us Dynasty! We’ll Never Forget: Ward’s Hilary Adams dumping her lover by telling him she was going to be late for her wedding. Fun Fact: Nearly half of the episodes were written by the duo of Henry Stern and Steven Black, who would later become headwriters at As The World Turns.

BERRENGER'S, (from left): Jeff Conaway, Anita Morris, 1985. © NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Taped at Barneys in Manhattan, NBC’s 1985 entry into the soap sweepstakes made shopaholics of all of us who thrilled, however briefly, to the exploits of the family that owned the titular upscale department store. We’ll Never Forget: Broadway mainstay Anita Morris as fantabulous Babs Berrenger, the former party girl who just wanted to be taken seriously. (Maybe if she took fewer photos like this?) Fun Fact: The series lasted only a dozen episodes.

DARK SHADOWS, from left: Ben Cross, Joanna Going, 1991, Ph: Paul Drinkwater, © NBC/courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: If little else, the 1991 primetime reboot of ABC’s supernatural daytime soap nailed the spooktastic atmosphere that had always surrounded the cursed Collins family. We’ll Never Forget: The life’s blood that Lysette Anthony injected into the show when she debuted as witchy Angelique Bouchard. Fun Fact: Despite the series’ failure to hypnotize viewers, two more primetime resurrections of Dark Shadows were planned but, like a smart vampire, never saw the light of day.

SAVANNAH, Jamie Luner, George Eads, Season 2, 1996- 1997. © Spelling Entertainment / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved it: Frankly, the show itself wasn’t that good… but we were all about vixenish Peyton Richards, brought to glorious, badly-accented life by Jamie Luner (who would later have the unenviable task of playing a recast Liza Colby on All My Children). We’ll Never Forget: Mourning the death of studly Travis Peterson… only to have portrayer George Eads return in Season 2 as his twin, Nick. Fun Fact: Executive producer Aaron Spelling said the serial was “a little touch of Gone With the Wind if it were done in 1996.”

MODELS, INC. Linda Gray, 1994-95. © Spelling Entertainment / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Late in the game, primetime’s answer to Bold & Beautiful brought in Emma Samms as a glam scheme queen who, given the chance, could have made the Season 2 we never got must-watch TV. We’ll Never Forget: The never-to-be-resolved 1995 cliffhanger involving kidnapping, attempted murder and a wedding. Fun Fact: Farrah Fawcett was originally considered for the part which eventually went to Dallas’ Linda Gray.

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 23: PAPER DOLLS - Cast Shot - Season One - 9/23/84, The ruthless and powerful Racine (played by Morgan Fairchild, center) headed a top modeling agency, and Taryn Blake (Nicollette Sheridan, left) and Laurie Caswell (Terry Farrell) were her top clients, in this short-lived 1984 series., (Photo by Bob D'Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

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Why We Loved It: The 1984 series about the fashion industry was every bit as superficial and glossy as the Joan Collins TV movie that inspired it. We’ll Never Forget: The first pairing of Morgan Fairchild, who replaced Collins, and daytime legend Roscoe Born; they’d be re-teamed years later on ABC’s Loving spinoff, The City. Fun Fact: The song that accompanied the series’ opening credits was composed by Mark Snow, who’d go on to write the X-Files theme.

90210, (from left): Dustin Milligan, AnnaLynne McCord, 'We're Not In Kansas Anymore', (Season 1, ep. 101, aired Sept. 2, 2009), 2008-. photo: Michael Desmond / © The CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Existing in the same universe as the original series, the Beverly Hills teens of 2008 skipped those innocent years we saw Brandon and Brenda go through in favor of diving headfirst into drug addiction, pregnancy and mental-health issues. We’ll Never Forget: Raj Kher, newly diagnosed with terminal cancer, reacting to the prom theme being “The Future Is Ours.” Fun Fact: Tori Spelling refused to do the show after finding out fellow OGs Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty were receiving far bigger paychecks.

BARE ESSENCE, clockwise from bottom: Genie Francis, Jaime Lyn Bauer, Jennifer O'Neill, Jessica Walter, 1983. ©Warner Brothers Television/courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: A whiff of intrigue never failed to surround General Hospital star Genie Francis’ 1983 NBC series based on her 1982 CBS miniseries about a young widow making “scents” among a fragrance dynasty’s stinkers. We’ll Never Forget: The reveal that mousy Muffin Marshall was the most ruthless conniver of them all. Fun Fact: In 1988, Francis married castmate Jonathan Frakes, who played shifty Marcus Marshall (and with whom she’d appeared in ABC’s North and South).

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 30 : 'Melrose Place' actors Katie Cassidy (R) and Heather Locklear on the set of Melrose Place in Los Angeles. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)

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Why We Loved It: To be honest, because we really, really wanted to go back to the small screen’s most complicated apartment complex. We’ll Never Forget: The way Laura Leighton’s Sydney Andrews, killed off on the mothership way back when, was resurrected, only to be rubbed out yet again. Rude! Fun Fact: Eh, maybe not fun. But even adding Heather Locklear to the mix as Amanda Woodward didn’t save the reboot from cancellation after a single season.

THE COLBYS - "Gallery" - Airdate November 11, 1985. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) STEPHANIE BEACHAM

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Why We Loved It: ABC poured buckets of money into its doomed 1985-87 Dynasty spinoff to hire movie stars and fill closets with designer clothes, but all it really needed to hold our attention was Stephanie Beacham as slinky Sable Colby. We’ll Never Forget: The Season 2 cliffhanger that found Fallon Carrington being abducted by aliens. Fun Fact: Legend has it that Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn turned down the roles that went to Charlton Heston and Barbara Stanwyck.

FLAMINGO ROAD, Morgan Fairchild, 'The Hostages,' aired January 6, 1981. ©NBC/courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Based on a Joan Crawford movie that was based on a Robert Wilder novel, the 1980-82 serial was as steamy as a summer night in Truro, the deceptively sleepy Florida town where the scandals ran as deep as the wealthy Weldon family’s pockets. We’ll Never Forget: Morgan Fairchild vamping it up as supervixen Constance Weldon, No. 16 on E!’s 2016 list of primetime’s wickedest women. Fun Fact: A daytime version of the show was planned for 1982 but never came to pass.

HART OF DIXIE, Rachel Bilson, 'Parades & Pariahs', (Season 1, ep. 102, aired Oct. 3, 2011), 2011-. photo: Michael Yarish / © The CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: The O.C. vet Rachel Bilson played the fish-out-of-water story of would-be cardiologist Zoe Hart’s relocation from New York to Podunk, Ala., altogether enchantingly in The CW’s 2011-15 romantic dramedy. We’ll Never Forget: How torn we wound up being between the doc’s destiny, Wade Kinsella, and his antithesis, George Tucker. Fun Fact: Nancy Travis would’ve kept playing secretary Mrs. H beyond her first two episodes, had she not been contracted to star in the Fox sitcom Last Man Standing.

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Why We Loved It: If there’s one thing Tyler Perry’s primetime soaps know how to do, it’s shock and scandalize. Wait, that’s two things. But both were true when it came to this show, a more-diverse, less-comedic Desperate Housewives. We’ll Never Forget: The stunning finale in which bad guys Randall Holmes and Eddie Willis each were murdered by their former wives. Fun Fact: The show’s 2014 premiere was the highest-rated in OWN’s history, beating previous record holder The Haves and the Have Nots, another of Perry’s productions.

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS - “60 minutes” – Gary hits multiple roadblocks while trying to meet an important deadline; Eddie makes a surprising discovery at Katherine’s house, and Rome struggles to connect with an impressionable group of young artists on an all-new episode of “A Million Little Things,” airing WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Darko Sikman) JAMES RODAY RODRIGUEZ

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Why We Love It: Is there anything more relatable than a group of friends who lean on one another during hard times? With the upcoming fifth season set to be its last, we’re already bracing for the tough task of saying farewell to the gang. We’ll Never Forget: The opening-episode shocker which set everything in motion as Jon Dixon, whose life seemed perfect from the outside, died by suicide. Fun Fact: Grace Park, who plays Katherine Saville, was reportedly once a member of the infamous NXIVM cult but left before the arrests which would later rock the group.

RIVERDALE, from left: Charles Melton, KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, 'Chapter Sixty: Dog Day Afternoon', (Season 4, ep. 403, aired Oct. 23, 2019). photo: Colin Bentley / ©The CW / Courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: A drug called Jingle Jangle? A group of shirtless teenage vigilantes? A Chilling Adventures of Sabrina crossover? A monstrous Gargoyle King? Nope, nothing was too nuts or nonsensical for The CW’s sexed-up 2017-23 adaptation of the Archie Comics. We’ll Never Forget: The series’ real star, KJ Apa’s abs. Fun Fact: Down Under, Riverdale came out on top. In 2018, it was the No. 1 show in Australia (where it streams as a Netflix Original Series).

LOVE, VICTOR, (aka LOVE VICTOR), from left: George Sear, Michael Cimino, ‘Gay Gay', (Season 2, ep. 205, aired June 11, 2021). photo: Michael Desmond / ©Hulu / Courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Hulu/Disney+’s high-school dramedy, inspired by the movie Love, Simon, lettered in teen angst and palpitation-inducing reminders that love is love. We’ll Never Forget: The “aww”-inducing Season 1 scene in which Benji Campbell sang Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe” to us a lovestruck Victor Salazar. Fun Fact: Nick Robinson — the Simon of Love, Simon fame — narrated the series, which was set in the same world as the 2018 flick.

NEVER HAVE I EVER, from left: Darren Barnet, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, ‘...had sex with Paxton Hall-Yoshida’, (Season 1, ep. 102, aired Apr. 27, 2020). photo: Lara Solanki / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Love It: Mindy Kaling’s Netflix dramedy gives us the kind of intense feels that we haven’t experienced since… well… since we were as young as Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s Devi Vishwakumar and her friends. We’ll Never Forget: Our realization in Season 1 that we were rooting equally for both of Devi’s love interests, high-school hottie Paxton Hall-Yoshida and academic rival Ben Gross. Fun Fact: Yes, that’s really testy tennis great John McEnroe narrating most episodes.

DOWNTON ABBEY, Maggie Smith, 'Episode 2.3', (Season 2, aired Oct. 2, 2011), 2010-. photo: Nick Briggs / © Carnival Films for Masterpiece/PBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Over the course of its 52 episodes, the Masterpiece Classic exponentially classed up the screen with its saga of early-20th-century aristocrats and their servants. We’ll Never Forget: The Season 1 shocker that found viperish Miss O’Brien weaponizing a bar of soap to ensure that Lady Grantham would miscarry. Fun Fact: In 2013, Entertainment Weekly called Julian Fellowes’ period piece “the biggest PBS phenomenon since Sesame Street.”

ELITE, from left: Manu Rios, Aron Piper, ‘I Love You All Wrong', (Season 4, ep. 406, aired June 18, 2021). photo: ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Love It: There’s nothing subtle about Netflix’s wildly over-the-top Spanish drama. The antics of the gorgeous, oversexed teens of Las Encinas would make the wildest West Beverly Hills High student blush. We’ll Never Forget: Season 1’s jaw-dropping reveal of who really killed Marina Osuna. Fun Fact: Original cast member Danna Paola (Lucrecia) nearly missed out on the chance to audition when the e-mailed info went to her spam folder!

DEVIOUS MAIDS - "The Talk of the Town" - Zoila discovers a secret from Genevieve's past; Rosie struggles with having both Ernesto and Spence in her life; Marisol tries to fight her attraction to Jesse; Carmen is outsmarted by Adrian; and Taylor reaches her breaking point, airing MONDAY, JUNE 29 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on "Devious Maids" airing on Lifetime Television. (Photo by Bob Mahoney/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Studios via Getty Images)

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Why We Loved It: Two years after her final appearance as All My Children’s iconic Erica Kane, Susan Lucci showed primetime audiences what she could do as the much-married, emotionally unstable Genevieve Delatour. We’ll Never Forget: The acidic, borderline perverse marriage of Evelyn and Adrian Powell, which was at turns heartbreaking, hilarious and somewhat tragic. Fun Fact: Despite ABC’s success with creator Mark Cherry’s Desperate Housewives, the network passed on Devious Maids, which ultimately wound up airing on Lifetime.

QUEEN SUGAR, (from left): Rutina Wesley, Kofi Siriboe, 'In No Uncertain Terms', (Season 1, ep. 107, aired Oct. 12, 2016). photo: Skip Bolan / ©OWN/Warner Brothers / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Much like the great daytime soaps of yore, the Louisiana-set, Oprah Winfrey-backed drama dealt with issues others dared not, including racial profiling and transgender rights. We’ll Never Forget: The series-capping twist which allowed the Bordelons to reign victorious over Sam Landry. Fun Fact: Bianca Lawson, who played Darla, is the stepsister of Beyoncé thanks to her dad’s marriage to the singer’s mom.

Jane The Virgin -- "Chapter Ninety-Three" -- Image Number: JAV512a_0290.jpg -- Pictured (L-R): Justin Baldoni as Rafael and Gina Rodriguez as Jane -- Photo: Kevin Estrada/The CW -- © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Why We Loved it: What started as a simple misconception story in which our heroine accidentally became artificially inseminated (hey, it happens!) soon blossomed into a comedic telenovela willing to go anywhere and do anything to keep us entertained. We’ll Never Forget: The Season 3 death of Jane Villanueva’s true love, good guy Michael Cordero. Fun Fact: In the final episode, it was revealed that the omniscient narrator was, in fact, Jane and babydaddy Rafael Solano’s son, Mateo.

SISTERS -- "Mirror, Mirror" Episode 18 -- Aired 2/20/93 -- Pictured: (l-r) Sela Ward as Teddy Reed, Julianne Phillips as Francesca 'Frankie' Reed, Patricia Kalember as Georgie Whitsig, Swoosie Kurtz as Alexandra 'Alex' Reed Halsey Barker -- Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank

HEARTSTOPPER, from left: Kit Conner, Joe Locke, (Season 1 ep. 102, aired April 22, 2022). ©Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Love It: Alice Oseman’s Netflix dramedy about English schoolkids figuring their, and one another’s, sexuality is sweet, swoon-worthy and a heaping helping of lovely in a world that too often is anything but. We’ll Never Forget: Future boyfriends Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring’s first kiss in Season 1. Fun Fact: The series marks the first-ever television role, never mind the first-ever television lead role, for Charlie’s portrayer, newcomer Joe Locke, who was 17 during Season 1’s filming.

STATION 19 - "Hot Box" - In the final days before the Station 19 captaincy is announced, Pruitt warns Andy not to be disappointed with the outcome. Meanwhile, Ben gets upset with Pruitt for having told Bailey the dangers of firefighting; and the team gets trapped inside the garage of a burning house, putting several lives at risk, on "Station 19," THURSDAY, MAY 10 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on The Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Byron Cohen/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) BARRETT DOSS, JAY HAYDEN, OKIERIETE ONAODOWAN

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Why We Love It: By Season 3, the Grey’s Anatomy offshoot had, ahem, caught fire and begun serving up twists and turns that were as hot as those on the mothership. We’ll Never Forget: The Season 5 episode that killed off Dean Miller as well as his unrequited crush on fellow first-responder Vic Hughes. Fun Fact: To date, two Grey’s Anatomy actors — Jason George (aka Ben Warren) and Stefania Spampinato (aka Carina DeLuca) — have been made Station 19 series regulars.

THE L WORD, Pam Grier, Jennifer Beals, 'Luminous', (Season 2, ep. #207), 2004-09, photo: James Dittiger / © Showtime / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Upon its launch in 2004, this Showtime drama turned the lesbian and bisexual women around whom it revolved into living, breathing characters, whereas they’d previously been portrayed by most shows as ratings-grabbing curiosities. We’ll Never Forget: We’re still not over, let alone willing to forgive the writers for, Dana Fairbanks’ death. Fun Fact: Sandra Bernhard’s guest stint as writing teacher Charlotte Birch was loosely based on Susan Sontag.

DALLAS, (back row, from left): Linda Gray, Mitch Pileggi, Brenda Strong, Patrick Duffy, Emma Bell, (front): Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, (Season 3, 2014). photo: James White / © TNT / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: TNT’s 2012-14 revival not only got J.R. and Bobby Ewing 100-percent right, it nailed the casting of J.R.’s son John Ross (with Josh Henderson) and Cliff Barnes’ daughter Pamela (with Julie Gonzalo). We’ll Never Forget: Judith Light’s deliciously wicked Judith Ryland sampling a line of coke in Season 3 and exclaiming, “Hot damn! Mama like.” Fun Fact: Following Larry Hagman’s 2012 passing, J.R.’s “master plan” to frame Cliff for his murder was brought to fruition.

SOAP - Cast Gallery - Shoot Date: August 4, 1977. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images) L-R: RICHARD MULLIGAN;CATHRYN DAMON;ROBERT GUILLAUME;KATHERINE HELMOND;ROBERT MANDAN

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Why We Loved It: From illicit affairs to demonic possessions, the ABC sitcom lovingly mocked our favorite genre while creating such an uproar that its 1977 launch was protested by religious organizations, sight unseen. We’ll Never Forget: The hilarious introduction of Robert Urich’s Peter to his extended family… several members of which he’d already seduced! Fun Fact: ABC wanted the writers to change the last name of Burt Campbell to avoid any negative association with potential sponsor Campbell’s Soup.

QUEER AS FOLK, (from left): Randy Harrison, Gale Harold, 2000-05. © Showtime Network / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: When Showtime’s take on the British original hit in 2005, it was the first time many American LGBTQ+ viewers saw their lives — warts and all — presented in a big, dramatic, serialized way. We’ll Never Forget: The final image of BFFs Brian Kinney and Michael Novotny dancing in the bombed-out remains of the club in which much of the action took place. Fun Fact: Although set in Pittsburgh, the show was largely filmed in Toronto.

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Why We Loved It: Yeah, yeah, the vampires and fairies, werewolves and witches were cool and all. But what made Alan Ball’s 2008-14 supernatural serial hot was the sex. So. Much. Sex. (And so many kinds, too. Damn!) We’ll Never Forget: The Season 4 episode in which the Bill/Sookie/Eric triangle was “resolved” by throwing them together in a lusty threesome. Fun Fact: Series leads Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, who played Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton, wed in 2010.

FELICITY, from left: Scott Speedman, Keri Russell, Scott Foley, 1998, 1998-2002. ph: Andrew Eccles /© The WB Television Network / Courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: It’s somehow appropriate that the WB series lasted only four seasons, given that it so perfectly captured the college experience. We all wanted Keri Russell’s alter ego to be our best friend… if only so we could talk some sense into her. We’ll Never Forget: The haircut. Enough said. Fun Fact: Thanks to copyright issues, the music you’ll hear on DVDs or when watching syndicated reruns is largely different from the original tracks.

GREENLEAF, Lynn Whitfield in 'A House Divided', (Season 2, Episode 201, aired March 15, 2017), ph: Eli Ade / ©OWN / courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: From 2016-20, the OWN drama kept us singing its praises by revealing the sinful side of its high-and-mighty titular family and the Memphis megachurch from which its fortune was made. We’ll Never Forget: The thrilling sermon that installed Lady Mae as her late husband’s successor. Fun Fact: Well, maybe less fun than factual. When the show wrapped in 2020, plans were underway for a spinoff… for which we’re still praying. (<a href="https://tvline.com/2020/08/11/greenleaf-last-episode-spinoff-spoilers-craig-wright-interview/" target="_blank">Read all about it here.</a>)

DAWSON'S CREEK, from left: Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams (1997), 1998-2003. ph: James Minchin /©Columbia TriStar Television/courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Scream writer Kevin Williamson’s 1998-2003 WB drama treated teenagers not only as living, breathing and lusting but as thinking, struggling and persevering. We’ll Never Forget: Soap vet Kerr Smith’s coming-out as Jack McPhee, who went on to have TV’s first gay-male kiss on screen. Fun Fact: James Van Der Beek won the role of Dawson over competition that included Sons of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam and Felicity’s Scott Speedman.

PRIVATE PRACTICE, Cristian de la Fuente, Kadee Strickland, Kate Walsh, David Giuntoli, Linara Washington, 'In or Out', (Season 4, episode 5, aired October 21, 2010), 2007-, photo: Ron Tom / © ABC / courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: We fell in love with Kate Walsh’s Dr. Addison Montgomery pretty much the moment she strutted onto Grey’s Anatomy, so how could we not be obsessed with a spinoff built around the character? We’ll Never Forget: The time a patient tired to steal a baby out of the womb of Addison’s co-worker. Fun Fact: Only a few months before joining Grey’s as Dr. April Kepner, Sarah Drew guested on Private Practice as a pregnant law student looking to give her baby up for adoption.

ONE TREE HILL, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, Daniella Alonso, 'Truth, Bitter Truth', (Season 2, epis. #208), 2003-, photo: Fred Norris / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: What started as a pretty typical CW show about basketball-playing half siblings eventually morphed into something much bigger, especially after a Season 5 time jump saw the gang dealing with post-college life. We’ll Never Forget: Lucas Scott going into full cardiac arrest only moments after wife Haley was run down by a car left us breathless. Fun Fact: The title was explained via a Season 1 line of dialogue in which Lucas’ mom told him, “There is only one Tree Hill, and it’s your home.”

GOSSIP GIRL, Blake Lively, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, Penn Badgley, Leighton Meester, Taylor Momsen, (Season 1, 2007), 2007-,. © THE CW / courtesy everett collection

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Why We Loved It: While the snarky narration of the titular character — archly voiced by Kristen Bell — lured us in, it was Leighton Meester’s Blair Waldorf (and her doomed romance with bad boy Chuck Bass) which kept us coming back to the original CW teen drama. We’ll Never Forget: Wait… Dan Humphries was Gossip Girl? Fun Fact: Every episode’s title is a play on a famous movie, such as “The Blair Bitch Project.”

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Why We Love It: The younger, hipper sibling of Brit sudsers EastEnders and Coronation Street routinely tackles issues those shows — never mind American soaps — wouldn’t go near. We’ll Never Forget: Bitch goddess Mercedes McQueen being shot by not one but two of her enemies while dancing in an empty nightclub. Fun Fact: Nick Pickard has played Tony Hutchinson since the first episode back in 1995!

THE O.C., Benjamin McKenzie, Peter Gallagher, Adam Brody, (Season 3), 2003-2007. photo: © WB / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Set in Orange County, Calif., Josh Schwartz’s teen drama made us with that, like Ben McKenzie’s Ryan Atwood, we, too, could be adopted by the Cohens, a family with even more love than money. And they had a lot of money. We’ll Never Forget: Five words — “Welcome to the O.C., bitch.” Fun Fact: Chrismukkah, the holiday invented by Adam Brody’s Seth Cohen to merge both of his parents’ religions, became so popular, it even got a mention on Grey’s Anatomy.

FALCON CREST, from left: Ana Alicia, Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas, (1982), 1981-1990. ph: Mario Casilli/TV Guide/©Lorimar Television/courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: Two words: Jane Wyman. The sour grapes that she served as viperish vintner Angela Channing kept us coming back for refills of the CBS soap from 1981-90 no matter how (hic) intoxicated she left us. We’ll Never Forget: The Who’s Who of silver-screen stars that passed through the series, among them Lana Turner, Cliff Robertson and Kim Novak. Fun Fact: Robert Foxworth, who played halo-clad Chase Gioberti, turned down the role of devilish J.R. Ewing on Dallas.

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Why We Love It: The foul-mouthed Roy family proves that the only way in which the rich are truly different is that their dysfunctions play out in mansions and exotic locales. We’ll Never Forget: Beaten-down hubby Tom Wamsbgans telling wife Shiv, “I wonder if the sad I’d be without you would be less than the sad I get from being with you.” Ouch. Fun Fact: The HBO hit’s bombastic patriarch, Logan Roy (played by the inimitable Brian Cox) originally was set to die in the pilot episode, setting in motion a battle for control of Waystar Royco.

TWIN PEAKS - Gallery - Shoot Date: November 20, 1989. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) SHERILYN FENN;KYLE MACLACHLAN

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Why We Loved It: In 1990, the supernova that was ABC’s short-lived David Lynch series was something altogether new, a traditional soap on an alternately dreamy and nightmarish acid trip. We’ll Never Forget: The Season 2 episode that revealed that Laura Palmer had been killed by her possessed father. Fun Fact: In 2017’s Showtime revival, Lynch muse Laura Dern finally gave a face to Diane Evans, the FBI secretary to whom Special Agent Dale Cooper was always dictating messages.

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Why We Love It: Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount Network Western pulls no punches, and neither do any of the members of the rough-and-tumble Dutton family. Well, maybe Jamie. (But he’s adopted.) We’ll Never Forget: The outta-control Season 4 finale that gunned down John, took aim at Kayce and blew up Beth. Or tried to, anyway. Fun Fact: As of Season 5, Sheridan has written or co-written every episode of the series, which has thus far spawned two prequels, 1883 and 1932.

ER, (aka E.R.), clockwise from top, from left, Eriq La Salle, Noah Wylie, Sherry Stringfield, George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, 1994-2009 (ca. 1997 photo). ph: Paul Drinkwater / TV Guide / ©NBC/courtesy Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: As much as we may hate actually going to see the doctor, we can’t get enough of medical dramas set in hospitals. Plus, this long-running NBC series featured George Clooney, whose Dr. Doug Ross was the original McDreamy. We’ll Never Forget: The Season 2 episode in which Ross saved a child trapped in a storm drain left us breathless and helped propel Clooney to superstardom. Fun Fact: The series was created by Michael Crichton. Yes, the same man who gave us Jurassic Park.

THE HAVES AND HAVE NOTS, (from left): John Schneider, Tika Sumpter, 'The War Room', (Season 2, ep. 202, aired Jan. 13, 2015). photo: Charles Bergmann / © OWN / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: There was no “there” to which Tyler Perry’s OWN soap wouldn’t go. Yet neither Jeffrey Harrington stabbing his homophobic Mommie Dearest in the breast implant nor Veronica Harrington setting her estranged husband on fire is What We’ll Never Forget: That would be Crystal R. Fox’s fierce portrayal of long-suffering Hanna Young. Fun Fact: In 2022, Tika Sumpter, who played Candace Young, tied the knot with co-star Nicholas James, aka off-kilter Officer Justin Lewis.

NBCUNIVERSAL UPFRONT EVENTS -- Upfront Portrait Studio -- Pictured: Sterling K. Brown, Susan Kelechi Watson, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore "This Is Us" -- (Photo by: Maarten de Boer/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank)

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Why We Loved It: Over the course of its 2016-22 run, the creators of the NBC series proved master manipulators where our emotional well-being was concerned. We’ll Never Forget: The unbreakable bond between the Big Three — the Pearson siblings. Fun Fact: So upset were fans upon learning that a slow cooker was the cause of Jack Pearson’s death that the makers of the responsible appliance posted a Facebook message addressing the incident. “We love [Jack], and we love you, too. Don’t further add to our heartbreak by no longer using Crock-Pot Slow Cookers.”

LONDON - FEBRUARY 14: British actor Steve McFadden who plays "Phil Mitchell" in the program "EastEnders" poses for a phototshoot on set on February 14, 2003 in London. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

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Why We Love It: Unlike its American brethren, the British sudser makes a big deal of the “little people.” In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a “have” amongst the “have-nots” who populate Albert Square and hang at its beloved Queen Vic pub. We’ll Never Forget: The 2008 tearjerker in which Dot Cotton recorded an episode-long farewell monologue to former hubby Jim. Fun Fact: For 28 years running, June Brown’s Dot wore the same dress on Christmas Day.

BEVERLY HILLS, 90210, Gabrielle Carteris, Ian Ziering, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin-Green, Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth, Luke Perry, (1991), 1990-2000.

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Why We Loved It: In a way, we grew up with the characters on Aaron Spelling’s 1990-2000 Fox hit, which originated as the fish-out-of-water story of sheltered Minnesota twins transferred to schmancy West Beverly High. We’ll Never Forget: The heated debates that erupted over Season 3’s Brenda/Dylan/Kelly triangle. Fun Fact: Since the network wasn’t initially as sold on Luke Perry or the character of Dylan McKay as Spelling was, the EP at first paid the future teen idol’s salary himself.

EMPIRE: L-R: Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyon, Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon, Bryshere Y. Gray as Hakeem Lyon, Jussie Smollett as Jamal Lyon and Trai Byers as Andre Lyon in Season Five of EMPIRE premiering Wednesday, Sept. 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2018 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Patrick Hoelck/FOX

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Why We Loved It: While we could wax poetic about the shocking plot twists which befell the Lyon family as they fought for control of their hip-hop dynasty, the truth is, what we really loved was Taraji P. Henson’s trash-talking Cookie. We’ll Never Forget: Sadly, the show will likely be most remembered for star Jussie Smollett staging a fake attack against himself. Fun Fact: Henson darn near got a spinoff focused on her character, but that Cookie crumbled before the proposed show could launch.

UNITED STATES - AUGUST 16: GREY'S ANATOMY - Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network's "Grey's Anatomy" stars (back row) Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, Katherine Heigl as Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, T.R. Knight as George O'Malley, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang - (front row) Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Isaiah Washington as Preston Burke, Sara Ramirez as Dr. Callie Torres and Kate Walsh as Addison Shepherd. (Photo by Bob D'Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

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Why We Love It: Nineteen seasons in, Shonda Rhimes’ medical drama never forgets that sometimes all it takes to get a patient series off life support is a transfusion of fresh blood. We’ll Never Forget: Season 5’s finale, which kept us waiting till the last second to learn whether Izzie Stevens or George O’Malley died. Fun Fact: Original cast member Ellen Pompeo was TV’s highest-paid actress — to the tune of $20M/year — when she stepped away from her role of Meredith Grey in 2022.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - "Assassins" - Susan's life hangs in the balance after being trampled by the rioting mob on Wisteria Lane; the fate of Paul Young is revealed following the aftermath of the riot, but who shot him?; Keith moves in with Bree but is shocked when Orson pays a surprise visit; Gaby finds it difficult to purge all traces of Grace from her life in order to repair her relationship with Juanita; and Renee wrestles with telling Lynette the truth about her past with Tom, on "Desperate Housewives," SUNDAY, JANUARY 2 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Danny Feld/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)TERI HATCHER, FELICITY HUFFMAN, MARCIA CROSS, EVA LONGORIA

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Why We Loved It: The suburbs-set 2004-12 series beautifully combined slapstick comedy with dark drama while chronicling the lives of Wisteria Lane’s residents… as seen through the eyes of a dead neighbor! We’ll Never Forget: Early in Season 1, Gabrielle Solis mowed her lawn in a full-length evening gown to prevent her hubby from finding out their hunky young gardener had been too busy tending to her needs to do the chore himself. Fun Fact: Said gardener was played by none other than a post-Passions, pre-Chesapeake Shores Jesse Metcalfe.

MELROSE PLACE, (Standing, L-R:), Heather Locklear, Grant Show, Doug Savant, Thomas Calabro.(Seated, L-R:), Andrew Shue, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Leighton, Daphne Zuniga, Josie Bissett, 1994.

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Why We Loved It: After Aaron Spelling spiked his Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff with Dynasty vet Heather Locklear as Amanda Woodward, it went from plain and boring to wild and crazy. We’ll Never Forget: The Season 2 scene in which a back-from-the-dead Kimberly Shaw ripped off her wig to reveal her scarred head. Fun Fact: Years after the show ended, Locklear dated and even got engaged to former leading man Jack Wagner, who’d played her love/hate interest, Dr. Peter Burns.

DYNASTY, Kathleen Beller, Pamela Sue Martin, Joan Collins, Linda Evans, John Forsythe, 1981-1989, © Aaron Spelling Prod. / Courtesy: Everett Collection

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Why We Loved It: ABC’s answer to Dallas was heavy on the glitz and glamour and even heavier on the catfights and spectacles. (Moldavian massacre, anyone?) We’ll Never Forget: Joan Collins’ Season 2 debut as Blake Carrington’s ex, Alexis, who elevated bitchcraft to an art form and moved the series out of Dullsville. Fun Fact: The role of the scheme queen was originally supposed to go to Sophia Loren. Elizabeth Taylor and Jessica Walter were also pursued, Collins told W in 2018.

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