Michael Ausiello is reporting that T.R. Knight has officially left Grey's Anatomy, which I think we all sort of had an inkling about when, y'know, his character died. But now it's confirmed! Still up in the air is the fate of Katherine Heigl, though Ausiello drops what feels to me like a clue.
Apparently, showrunner Shonda Rhimes had tried to convince Knight to come back for a three-episode arc to start off the next season, despite the fact that his character, George, was so mangled, voiceless, and dead that it would hardly necessitate the actor's presence onscreen. Perhaps Rhimes had meant to have him spread around some survivor guilt in visits to the notoriously ghost-friendly Izzie, indicating that Heigl will be retained by Grey's for at least one more season?
Sure, it's possible that they'll axe Heigl and had meant to have T.R. appear on his own in a series of Ellen Pompeo dream sequences, but that would have been a bit awkward. "Heavenly George, where's Izzie?" "I'm afraid she she is too busy to appear in this episode. Her angels are in the middle of some intense salary negotiations with New Line."