Burke Coming Back? Little to No Chance
November 5, 2009 by Ingrid Diaz
When it comes to television, it’s usually safe to maintain a “never say never” mentality. Situations change all of the time, contracts change all of the time. Bridges are burned. Issues are fixed. People move on. People come back. And when it comes to Grey’s Anatomy there is an ever-revolving door of actors entering and exiting.
So it’s a fair and resonable request – and one that I see very often – to want Burke to return to Seattle Grace. The topic keeps coming back over and over again, and I see it in the comments over and over again, so I wanted to reiterate that while I still maintain a “never say never” philosophy, the current state of things is that Burke is never coming back.
It has even been suggested to Shonda Rhimes that she recast Burke with a different actor if the issue is with Isaiah Washington. But – and I’m relieved to hear this – she feels that none of the characters on the show are re-castable. I think there’s a lot of viewers that don’t mind it when a different actor comes in for a character, but I seriously loathe it when that happens.
Unfortunately, with regards to Burke, it means that it’s very, very unlikely that he’ll ever return to Grey’s Anatomy.
The most recent quote by Shonda Rhimes on the topic of whether she feels that the Burke storyline was left lingering is, “I feel like we really played that storyline out in the way we meant to play it out – and I think it worked.”
But for the sake of conversation, if left up to you, would you bring Burke back? And would you be okay with it being a different actor that plays him?
Image: Pacific Coast News
I don’t think they should make the mistake of changing the actors. Isaiah Washington made that character what it was. They should definitely consider bringing Burke back, because he is awesome and Cristina needs a cardio god.
BRING BURKE BACK SHONDA!!!!!
i don’t think that the Burke storyline is played out. Cristina will never be the same, she really misses Burke, me too. as he said once, he is a nice person, an excellent doctor and Seattle Grace needs a character like him. with all these new faces, we need some stability. Burke would mean that
I don’t believe Burke should be played by a different actor but I wish he would come back (played by Washington). He was, with Yang, one of my favorite characters. He was very complexe and very interesting.
I agree with Emma. Though I do like Arizona and Owen, I wanna see Burke back in SGH. Cristina will never be the same, absolutely true. She’s actually losing herself. I’d love to see Cristina with her hardcore-ice-in-her-veins-edge again – I know she always is and that’s true but I think we all know what I’m referring to.
Bring him back
He will always be my favorite doctor in Grey’s. I was never big on DerekMeredith. For me, it was all about BurkeChristina – and to a lesser extent AlexIzzie. So I’d want Dr. Burke back. And oh, Preston Burke IS Isaiah Washington.
Bring erica back!
Bring him back! but not another actor!
Shonda please bring him back. He is greatly missed. No one has the elegance, sophistication, tranquility nor level headedness he had. Cristina has suffered greatly by his absence. Their pairing was historic, utterly compelling and beautiful to watch. Their struggle to communicate because of their respective neuroses was transfixing. They were such a unique pairing. Burke fans m i s s him terribly.
Plus AA female fans who loved him have no one to long for and swoon over like other fans take for granted and who have many choices to fulfill their romantic escapist tv fantasies. It is your show Shonda. Be the power. Return to your bold, innovative self. Please! If it’s a “ratings/Peoria/suits” thing,
well, the ratings were through the roof when he was on. If it’s an “Isaiah” thing, well Don Imus was forgiven why can’t Isaiah be? Please Shonda!!!
I think he should come back. Seattle Grace really needs a Cardio God, and it would be interesting to see how it affect Christina and Owen’s relationship. I f he does come back, it should be Isaiah playing him. I also hate it when different actors or actresses come in to play a character. HATE it!
I really liked Burke’s character also. I would be happy to have Isaiah Washington play him again. I would be surprised if they hired him back though. I’m really glad that Shonda doesn’t feel the characters are recastable. I can not stand when shows do that!!
I think it would be awful if they tried to re-cast him – that NEVER works. I also think he’s better off gone to be totally honest. Cristina’s finally moving past him and it would just suck for everybody if Burke was around again.
I want to see Hahn come back!
Bring him back as isaiah washington, and no one else. it would be great for the tv show, and aslo the big changes that are going on why not a change that we use to know
Please, please bring Burke back, if only for adult content for Christina, I don’t like her relationship with Owen, Burke would make it so much more interesting, and George is gone now isn’t he ????
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I’m sure Washington has learnt his lesson
I expect Burke to come back after Christina blurted out his name recently. Isn’t that foreshadowing writers???? I will be extremely disappointed if that is not the outcome.
PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASE FOR god sake bring him back
he is not the devil and he didn’t do “THE WORNG” thing
he is the best actor in the show pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasw shonda
bring him back
please let burke come back ! he was so important in the show !! A cardio god would be greate for critina who i think is not the same without him
I want Burke back as the same actor but that makes too much sense. The show will fail and they’ll hav only themselves to blame. The ratings are slowly going down as it is. Bringing Burke back is too logical and it makes too much sense. The show started decaying years ago. We are watching another good show go nowhere.
I don’t mind Burke, if they do bring him back. However I would rather a recast and seeing that Shonda doesn’t do recasts, I doubt we will be seeing Burke anytime soon with IW playing him….Thank God!
I AM FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND A GREAT FAN OF GREYS ANATOMY. I ALSO AGREE BURKE SHOULD COME BACK(ISIAH WASHINGTON). HE HAS PAID HIS DEBT AND IS A GOOD ACTOR. HE GELLS VERY WELL WITH ALL ACTORS AND HIM AND CHRISTINA MAKE A GOOD PAIR. BESIDES, CHRISTINA’S LIFE HAS BEEN TOO UNDEFINED. BRINGING BURKE BACK WILL MAKE IT MORE DYNAMIC AND THROW SOME EXCITEMENT AS WELL. THE RESPONSES IN SEATTLE GRACE AND WHAT OTHER DOCTORS WILL THINK. BESIDES WE HAVEN’T HAD A CARDIO GOD SINCE BURKE LEFT.
I just wanna see cristina’s face when she says burke for the first time. i would also love to see burke try to get cristina back and owen get jealous. lol. that would be awesome!!!
please i beg u,george,burke bring them bck…mk george come bck n pls we need, i need..chritina needs a strong man,a cadio,…a burke…a mento he made grey worth watching.dnt think dt by bringing cute,hot characters it will mk it any better.i have seen season 1,2,3,4 n 5 so manyt
mes i dnt think chnging d docs will mk it any better.lets stick 2 d beginners dt made grey the best medical series ever….havent seen anything like this. its ma best,so please stop dem from leaving.!
bring burke if the chance arises ok?
Bring him back as isaiah washington!!!
bring him back!!!pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
different actor that plays Dr. preston burke it’s no good idea, Dr. preston burke is isaiah washington n Dr. christina yang is sandra oh…just bring burke (isaiah w) back…and burktina back..
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease bring him back! would be amazing (but, never wih another actor)
Bring burke back! Denny is gone, George is gone, and who knows how the thing w/ izzie is going to turn out… why not bring Burke back? What happened between him & george is over & he did apologize & he has been off the show for a while — and so — it’s just time to bring him back.
The fans want him back & shouldn’t that matter? And please don’t recast him as someone else — b/c it just won’t work.
i think burke should come back. christina needs a cardio g-d. burke is a wonderful actor.
Listen the show was outstanding and one person does not make a show, but since he has been gone. It has not been the same. The red head she’s with is kind of a wierd character and makes her look weak. What is it against Isaiah. We all make mistakes. Please bring hem back, I guarantee they will see a ratings boost. So Izzie will leave the show, Who the hell cares.
Does anyone remember that isiah washington was a jerk to everyone and the set is a lot better without him!!!!!!!!!!!
If you bring Bourke back it has be to Isiah Washington, to just would not be Bourke without it.
I think it would be great to have him back. The storylines and dynamics you could play out between Derek, Christina, Owen and even the Chief could prove to be very good watching
I stopped watching the show for over a year after Isaiah was written off. PLEASE bring him back. He was such an asset to the show… The ratings will be through the ROOF to see that love triange with he, Christina and Owen… especially now that he has more notoriety because of the award he won… (you know she likes a man with status… lol). Seriously… the show wasn’t the same when he left… please write him back in.
Isaiah made Burke and no other actor can replace that. Isaiah added mystery, maturity, suspense, charm and other characteristic that would make you believe Burke is real. He is perfect. Please forgive him for his mistake, don’t you believe he has learned from it? Truthfully a majority of us want Isaiah back in GSH. There has been a void in several characters storyline since he has been out. His relationship with Crystina was a mystery, with George was touching because he gave him hope, Derek and he were like brothers and friends…I can go on & on because his story was well written and well incorporated with the FAMILY members of SGH that were together. Now I see things falling apart. Burke is good for the show, I miss him and hope there is sufficient forgiveness in your hearts to forgive Isaiah’s mistakes. He should have been corrected on those mistakes and how he should have presented his comments but not made to suffer. Greys is suffering because of the injustice done to him. Believe you me, return Isaiah and let whosoever continue to write his part and you will see better days. Forgive.
Ditto to the comments by “Burke lover.” I only started watching the show midway into the 1st seanson because IW was on it. And I have not watched an episode since his departure. I would love to watch the show again and would only do so if Washington returned as Burke. Please bring Washington back as Burke!!!
PLEASE BRING HIM BACK! BURKE & CHRISTIANA MADE THIS SHOW GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THE SHOW BUT IT IS MISSING SOMETHING!!!!!!!!! SAVE YOUR SHOW!!!!!!!!!!! BRING HIM BACK!!!!!!
yes please bring him back!!!!!!!!!!!1
Everybody will make mistakes as you write in Grey’s Anatomy and so did Washington. We may need to give him a chance. Washington made Burke a perfect character in Grey and it can not be instead and C need Burke, a person who can give her energy and support to make her life meaningful. B and C is the only couple I like in Grey and I never watch it any more when Burke left. So please just bring him(Washington) back and give B and C a happy ending.
Burke is a very strong character (thanks to IW) and i surely would like to see him back on the show. it will make an interesting triangle now with owen hunt, christina and burke!
sparks will fly and the ratings will sky rocket.
And No, I dont want the character Burke to be played by some other actor.
Bring Burke back! Grey’s Anatomy is good, but it was so much better when he was on the show! Plus it’d make it really interesting between Owen and Cristina.
I’d be okay if a different actor played him. I just want Burke back!
I think he definitely should come back. the chemistry between him and christina was fantastic and it would surely spice things up in her love life and the entire show.
plus i loved george on the show and im really disappointed now that hes off, and on top of it all, it looks like izzy might get the boot too, which would be horrible, really disheartening and completely unlike her character…i think bringing burke back in would set the rollercoaster in motion again!
and as much as i despise isaiah washington for his shameful comments and bad attitude, he plays burke fabulously. and i (also) loathe when new actors are brought in to play old characters. isaiah washington is burke. and i think its a PERFECT time for that character to pop back in. (im not digging christina w/owen)
I would love to see Washington return as Burke. During the earlier episodes of Grey’s Anatomy there was more passion. Washington and Or’s chemistry on the set was very strong however I didn’t like their final episodes together. I have always wondered if the failed wedding storyline was because of his behavior and to phase him out from the series. I am and was very disappointed by Washington’s actions but we are all human and have said horrible things from time to time. It seems that Hollywood has punished him enough. He hasn’t been seen on screen since the Bionic Woman (2007). If Ms. Rhimes would every consider having him back I hope he would look at this as a “Peaceful blessing”. I am also not very fond of the pairing of Cristina and Owen. Bring back Burke there’s room for him and it would really spice things up. P.S. I hope you all find a really strong character for Miranda’s love interest. Her husband’s character was a very weak man. Miranda needs an equal to her strength and drive. Continue longevity to the show.
I have always felt Burke should come back. I would have liked for him to have attended George O’Malley’s funeral, after all George was Burke’s guy. It was sad not to have him there to pay his respects to George, even if they filmed it like he was standing far away looking on, not wanting everyone to see him there, then have him go up to the gravesite to say his goodbye’s to George. There’s room for more Burke, it would be interesting to see how Cristina would react to him being back at the hospital and her relationship with Owen. Make it real interesting and have Burke married to a woman the complete opposite to Cristina and they have a one year old baby. That would really stir things up a bit.
I strongly feel Washington should return as Burke. The earlier seasons with Burke were so great and his chemistry with Christina was extremely strong. The show isn’t as good now. The original casting of the show seemed to work well, so I believe it’s in the shows best interest to try and keep most of the actors around (if at all possible). Burke’s returnn would keep me watching. This season 6 is becoming boring and I’m losing interest !!
Bringing Burke back would be GREAT! But NOT, I say NOT with another actor. Isaiah IS Burke.
I have ALWAYS loved everything IW has been in. I also has been watching the older episodes that I have already watched, Derek/Meredith were even better then. To me, Iw and Christina were always the most interesting couple, maybe b/c Christina unlike Meredith doesn’t walk around with a sappy forelorn face ALLLL the time. IW and Christina really centered the show..those two loved each other but they were believable as hard studying ambitious doctors. Frankly the scenes where Meredith is in surgery..I don’t find real. NO other actor should play Burke, even though I like Owen ..he is a strong character, I don’t feel his relationship with Christina. I don’t like all the new characters that fill the space of good relationships, they are a waste of an hour. Now alex and Iz..on/off between her budding movie career. The Chief…only story line he gets these days is as a drunk..just great. Bailey..who knows..OH wait! ANOTHER new person joining the show to be her BF..just terrific. The show has became a revolving door of meaningless not note worthy characters, they don’t make me want to sit and watch it..instead I watch SUPERNATURAL..and DVR grey’s. And YES IW did make a mistake…he apologized..and yes he deserves another chance, I think it’s very sad that the person he offended has left the show..not b/c of him. VERY NICE SHOW OF LOYALTY GEORGE!!! TO THE FANS. the fans that lived that drama with you and supported you and wrote letter on your behave..they punished IW and what happened then??? you punished the fans. So yes I miss IW and I want him back : )
I’ve started to lose interest in the show ever since Burke left. I keep reviewing the earlier seasons and I really really wish Burke and Cristina could be back together again!!!
OMG! We need Burke back. His characted adds an element of tension to the show that the other characters can’t bring. He is HOT, sexy, unpredictable, intelligent, accomplished, smart and oh yes did I mention HOT!!!!We need him to spice the show up again. He is the consumate “Alpha-Male”. It’s a “good” show now but it’s not “great” anymore. Make it great again and bring back the Burke-man!