Grey's Anatomy: Greg Germann Didn't Care If Fans Found Dr. Tom Koracick Abrasive
Most shows have at least one character who viewers are meant to simultaneously love and hate. At Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, the title falls to Dr. Tom Koracick (Greg Germann), an attending neurosurgeon who enters the world of "Grey's Anatomy" in Season 14. With his arrogant persona and determination to be with chief of surgery Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), despite her engagement to Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), Germann understands that some fans might not like Koracick very much ... and he doesn't really care.
Germann said in an interview with Shondaland, "I accept maybe some people might think I'm a bit abrasive, but that's their problem." He added, "And as the actor, I certainly don't read anything because I don't want to know that somebody hates me. It's all a lot of noise that can throw me off as far as what I'm trying to do, so I kind of stay away from that."
Despite Koracick's tough and overly-confident exterior, Germann doesn't think the character is actually a bad guy ... and neither do many "Grey's Anatomy" fans.
Grey's Anatomy viewers enjoy the depth of Dr. Tom Koracick
According to Greg Germann, Dr. Tom Koracick is simply trying his best to stay afloat in life. He's been through a lot, especially regarding the sudden death of his son mere weeks before their favorite holiday, Halloween. Germann told Shondaland, "...there's a part of him that's really struggling to be true to a deeper place in himself and not let the pain or the loss that he's experienced pull him under, whether it's losing a son, or losing Teddy, or potentially losing his life to COVID."
It's because of this, as well as Koracick's tendency to bring humor to the show, that "Grey's Anatomy" fans actually like the character, even if he is a bit abrasive sometimes. Many enjoy the fact that it takes a little while to truly get to know and understand the neurosurgeon, who puts up a snarky façade to hide his internal struggles. On Reddit, u/kydyer said, "Tom grew on me. He showed himself to be teachable despite his giant ego. His humanity was revealed slowly." U/mdgraller agreed and praised Koracick for being one of few on the show to have depth and complexity.
In fact, many were sad to see him go in Season 17, but were thrilled about his return for two episodes (so far) in Season 19.