Killing off Derek Shepherd was a risky move that injected new life into Grey's Anatomy. Derek's death in season 11 set the stage for fresh storylines and character development. The decision to write out Dempsey's character was ultimately a smart creative choice for the show's future.

Grey's Anatomy is one of the longest-running shows on TV, but I'm starting to think it wouldn't have thrived as long without killing off Derek Shepherd. The series was starting to show its age before Patrick Dempsey's exit during Grey's Anatomy season 11. Due to that big departure, season 11, episode 21 was one of Grey's Anatomy's most important episodes. Before that development, I believed Derek and Meredith were untouchable because of their popularity.

The best way to force a show into a new direction is to eradicate a part of what made it so successful in the first place. Grey's Anatomy relied on...