Everything To Know About Grey's Anatomy Season 19

On May 26, the longest-running primetime medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, notched its 400th episode with the Season 18 finale, and ABC has already renewed the show for Season 19. When announcing its Fall 2022 return, ABC Entertainment President Craig Erwich touted its solid ratings and being “at the top of its game creatively.”

In May, Erwich told Deadline they still “haven’t made any decisions at all” on whether the upcoming season will be the show’s last. Ultimately, he said, the decision to end Grey’s belongs to the “stewards of the franchise”: creator Shonda Rhimes, showrunner Krista Vernoff, and star and executive producer Ellen Pompeo.

Pompeo has committed to play Meredith Grey through Season 19 but has given mixed answers about leaving the show over the years. Chandra Wilson, who plays Miranda Bailey, shut down rumors about the show ending during a May 12 Good Morning America interview, joking that co-host Michael Strahan “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” when he mentioned finale speculation.

Here’s everything to know about Season 19 of Grey's Anatomy.

The Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Premiere Date

On May 17, ABC announced its Fall 2022 schedule. Grey’s will remain in the Thursday 9 p.m. ET time slot, sandwiched between Station 19 and Alaska, a new Hilary Swank-led drama series. On June 16, the network announced the show will return for Season 19 on October 6, 2022.

The Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Cast

Although ABC has yet to release an official Season 19 cast list, Pompeo and Wilson will join fellow original cast member James Pickens Jr. (Richard Webber). However, Pompeo will be stepping back from her role as Meredith, starring in only eight episodes of Season 19, according to Variety. She will continue to narrate throughout Season 19, but Pompeo’s actual screen time will be severely reduced compared to previous seasons. She will still serve as executive producer on the show.

Why is Pompeo stepping back from Grey’s Anatomy? She signed on to star in a forthcoming limited series on Hulu. On August 3, Variety announced the untitled show she’s starring in will focus on a couple adopting and raising “an 8-year-old girl with a rare form of dwarfism.” Since the debut of Grey’s Anatomy in 2005, Pompeo has taken on few roles outside of the show. Fans can only guess how Meredith’s reduced role in Season 19 will impact the storyline, especially now that she’s slated to serve as the interim Chief of Surgery.

While Pompeo’s presence will be minimal, fans can take solace in the likely return of other cast members, including Kevin McKidd (Owen Hunt), Camilla Luddington (Jo Wilson), Kim Raver (Teddy Altman), Caterina Scorsone (Amelia Shepherd), Kelly McCreary (Maggie Pierce), Jake Borelli (Levi Schmitt), Chris Carmack (Atticus “Link” Lincoln), Anthony Hill (Winston Ndugu), and Scott Speedman (Nick Marsh). Also, expect Kate Walsh to return in a recurring role in Season 19 as Dr. Addison Montgomery. Walsh’s character has a multi-episode arc in Season 18, and according to Variety, she will appear again in the third episode of Season 19.

Season 18 marked the exit of actor Richard Flood (Cormac Hayes), and the fate of Debbie Allen’s character (Catherine Fox) is unknown because of her character’s cancer.

Season 18 also added recurring roles for Skylar Astin (Todd Eames) and Rome Flynn (Wendell Ndugu). Flynn’s future as Winston’s brother is uncertain, and Astin is unlikely to return as Jo’s love interest since he’s starring in the new CBS legal drama So Help Me Todd, which will air in the same time slot as Grey’s in the fall. Bailey’s suggestion that new intern Jordan Wright return to Minnesota also leaves actor Greg Tarzan Davis’ future on the show unclear.

Other recurring Season 18 cast members included: E.R. Fightmaster (Kai Bartley), Abigail Spencer (Megan Hunt), Lynn Chen (Michelle Lin), Alex Landi (Nico Kim), Peter Gallagher (David Hamilton), Jaicy Elliot (Taryn Helm), Melissa DuPrey (Sara Ortiz), Zaiver Sinnett (Zander Perez), Jason George (Ben Warren), Stefania Spampinato (Carina DeLuca), and original star BokHee An (Nurse BokHee).

On July 27, Entertainment Weekly confirmed Glee actor Harry Shum Jr. will be joining the cast in the coming season. Shum is signed on to play a character named Daniel "Blue" Kwan. EW confirmed that his character will be a “first-year surgical resident,” who is “sharp-witted, impatient, and brilliant.” It’s unclear at this moment how his character got the nickname “Blue,” but EW reported that “a family crisis” disrupted his career plans, and now “he’s got a lot to prove,” suggesting a dramatic backstory for Shum’s character. Shum is not the only new intern joining the cast: Adelaide Kane, Alexis Floyd, Niko Terho, and Midori Francis will be donning scrubs at Grey Sloan Memorial.

The addition of the new interns to the cast also raises curiosity around the plot of Season 19, as the Season 18 finale saw the end of the hospital’s residency program. It seems like the program might not be ending after all.

The Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 Plot

The events of Season 18’s two-part finale, which several stars teased would be a tearjerker, have teed up storylines for the Fall 2022 premiere. Despite the draw of her beau, Nick, in Minnesota, Meredith will stay in Seattle at Grey Sloan Memorial for Season 19. The finale of Season 18 left a lot up in the air for things at Grey Sloan, including the ending of the hospital’s residency program, the quitting of Miranda Bailey, and the ushering in of Meredith as the interim Chief of Surgery in Bailey’s place.

The fates of other characters are also in the air, including Owen and Teddy, who fled Seattle after being found out for illegally giving veterans drugs to assist them with their death. And with the residency program shut down, Richard’s role at Grey Sloan is unclear, as well as where Bailey will end up now that she’s handed Meredith the reins. The finale of Season 18 also saw the return of former series regulars Jackson and April, who have seemingly rekindled their romance, and the reconnection of Amelia and Kai following their breakup.

Coming into Season 19, things are looking very chaotic for Meredith as the Chief of Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial. With the return of some fan favorites and the introduction of several new residents, things are definitely going to be dramatic and worth watching for fans this season.

This post will be updated as more Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 details become available.