Dr Nico Kim did not leave Grey’s Anatomy, he has instead remained as a recurring guest actor, while his love interest, Levi Schmitt was promoted to series regular.
Grey’s Anatomy is continually pushing the boundaries when it comes to LGBTQI+ visibility within its storytelling.
The first was through the longest running LGBTQI+ character on U.S television, Dr Callie Torres played by Sara Ramirez, and her storyline followed a bisexual woman, who was navigating her sexuality.
In more recent seasons of the popular medical drama, viewers of the show have watched as the first gay relationship between two medical surgeons blooms.
This is the story of Levi Schmitt and Nico Kim, who have continued to explore their relationship after fears that Kim was leaving during the season 16 finale but did not.
Who is Dr Nico Kim?
Dr Nico Kim, played by Alex Landi, is an orthopaedic surgeon who was introduced during season 15 of the series in 2018.
Between season 15 and 16, the viewers watched as Nico, the aloof surgeon broke out of his shell as he and his love interest, Dr Levi Schmitt blossomed and were almost threatened during the season sixteen building up to the season finale.
However, Nico decided to stay on at Grey Sloan and build his relationship with Schmitt. Due to Landi still being a recurring guest actor on the show, fans did not get to see Nico in some episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
Why did Nico leave Grey’s Anatomy?
In his first season as Dr Nico Kim, the focus of the character’s arc was whether or not he and Dr Levi Schmitt, played by Jake Borelli, would come into fruition.
The next season, season 16 focussed on the new couple’s arc as they navigated showing vulnerability (in Nico’s case) in order to formalise their relationship.
Therefore, by the time the season 16 finale came, the cliffhanger was whether Nico would leave Grey Sloan following a traumatic operating experience that had him wanting to start again elsewhere.
However, Nico chose to stay on as part of the Grey Sloan medical team and continue to work on his relationship with Schmitt.
While Nico does not appear in many of the episodes between season 17 and the ongoing eighteenth season, Landi is still very much present as a recurring guest actor reprising his role as Dr Nico Kim.
Why was Alex Landi’s fate on Grey’s Anatomy questioned?
Alex Landi as Dr Nico Kim and Jake Borelli as Dr Levi Schmitt are the first television gay surgeon couple to be introduced on Grey’s Anatomy.
Fans of the medical drama have been invested in the couple’s relationship as they continually navigate their feelings for each other, while also continuing to work on their relationship. Ahead of season 17 of the show, Borelli was promoted to series regular among other actors.
However, Landi was not. This fact opened room for speculation on whether the actor would stay on for season 17 ahead of the season 16 finale, which confirmed his stay.
Why is Alex Landi still a recurring guest actor on Grey’s Anatomy?
Alex Landi has been a recurring guest actor on Grey’s Anatomy since 2018, when he was introduced during the fifteenth season.
Although viewers have formed a relationship with his character, Dr Nico Kim, Landi is still a recurring guest actor, which has been attributed to his role as Henry Lee on Insatiable, and more recently as Bret on the series, Walker.
Landi continues to work on other shows while still reprising his role as Nico Kim.
Will Nico appear in season 18 of Grey’s Anatomy?
When season 18 of Grey’s Anatomy began, Schmitt had moved in with Helm instead of taking Nico up on his offer to move in together.
Ahead of the medical drama series taking its winter mid-season break, Nico had appeared in a few episodes. The last being the Christmas-themed episode, Everyday Is A Holiday (With You).
Should Nico be part of the show following the mid-season break, his arc will most likely focus on supporting Schmitt after causing the death of a patient after he negated the rules of the Webber Method.
Conclusion
During the fifteenth season of the show in 2018, Grey’s Anatomy introduced the first ever gay medical surgeon couple with characters, Dr Nico Kim, played by Alex Landi, and Dr Levi Schmitt, played by Jake Borelli. Since then, for the past four seasons we have watched as the couple matures.
However, the fate of the couple was put into question ahead of the season 16 finale, when it was believed that Alex Landi would leave the show as he was not promoted to series regular similar to his co-actor and love interest in the world of the story. However, Landi is still part of the series as a recurring guest actor.