Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner in Grey’s Anatomy

The Role: For nine seasons, Sarah Drew stole the hearts of Grey’s Anatomy fans through her tenure as Grey Sloan Memorial trauma surgeon Dr. April Kepner on ABC’s long-running medical drama. Over the years, April had her ups and downs including during what would be her final chapter at Seattle, which was quite the emotional rollercoaster. From a crisis of faith which saw April spin out into a downward spiral to a brush with death 2018 was quite the difficult year for April.

While 2018 was perhaps one of the most difficult years in April’s stretch at Grey Sloan, through the darkest of times there was also light. Against all odds, April managed to find a second chance at love with one-time flame Matthew, setting the stage for an impromptu wedding in her final farewell.

Why She’s One of 2018’s Best: Perhaps what made Sarah Drew’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy so much harder for fans to swallow was the fact that 2018 brought with it not only one of her greatest performances in the role, but one of the most emotional and moving performances of 2018.

One of April’s defining qualities throughout her journey on the show has been her relationship with God and the role her faith has had in shaping her life. Watching April question the existence of God and endure a crisis of faith, tugged at our heartstrings and took us on our own emotional journey which provided a powerful message about faith. Her impactful performance made it that much harder to bid farewell to April, but boy what a way to go out!

—Cody Schultz, Entertainment and Lifestyle Director