We can probably all agree that this wasn’t television’s best season overall.
Between Hollywood strikes and filming delays, many shows ended up releasing condensed seasons with half as many episodes as normal.
Sadly, Grey’s Anatomy was one of them. But the good news is that the groundbreaking medical drama has been renewed for a 21st season, and we have high hopes that it’ll be a good one.
Originally airing in March of 2005, Grey’s Anatomy has been on the air for a staggering 19 years.
The ABC hit has spawned two wildly popular spinoffs.
From 2007 to 2013, there was Private Practice, which starred Kate Walsh as her beloved Grey’s Anatomy character Addison Forbes-Montgomery, and followed a team of doctors practicing medicine in Los Angeles.
Related: Grey’s Anatomy Round Table: Is There Too Much “Filler” This Season?
Much later, Station 19 premiered in 2018.
This firehouse-based drama brought Ben Warren from Seattle across town to join a team of firefighters.
The show lasted seven seasons and aired its series finale in May of 2024.
As proven by the success of these spinoffs, Grey’s Anatomy has been at the helm of a small-screen universe for nearly two decades.
The show continues to bring in millions of viewers weekly, so it’s no surprise that it’s returning for another season. Here’s everything we know about what to expect.
Where Did Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Leave Off?
Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 10 marked the season finale, and we saw quite a bit of action go down at Grey Sloan.
First, Catherine has seemingly gone off the deep end and become a true villain.
She has apparently fired Meredith and Amelia as well as Owen and Teddy, despite the four of them being some of Grey Sloan’s most accomplished surgeons.
Going against Catherine’s wishes, Meredith and Amelia decided to publish their Alzheimer’s research publicly.
The move undermined the Fox Foundation’s intentions to capitalize on the research, which was sure to have consequences.
Despite having just recently had a discussion about when to have another baby (and even having a momentary pregnancy scare), Jo is pregnant.
She opted not to tell Link yet, so we’ll have to wait for his reaction.
Bailey and the interns went head-to-head with Catherine, threatening to leave the hospital if Lucas was fired. Will Catherine call their bluff, or will Lucas and everyone else get to stay?
After some moderate-to-steamy tension between newcomer Dr. Beltran and fan favorite Amelia Shepherd, Beltran declined Amelia’s invitation for a date and instead started hooking up with Winston.
Fans are not thrilled about that choice and are holding out hope that next season will bring Beltran and Amelia together.
Related: How Important Is a Showrunner to a Series?
Over on Station 19 Season 7 Episode 10, we learned that Ben would be trading in his turnouts for scrubs and heading back to Grey Sloan to finish his surgical residency.
The move is sure to be well-received, especially by Bailey, who could barely function anytime Ben was on a shift.
Lastly, it looks like Webber might actually be hanging up his scrub cap for the last time.
We’ve seen him try to retire before, but this time feels different.
What is the Plot of Grey’s Anatomy Season 21?
So far, few concrete details have been announced, but we know there will be some shakeups.
Firstly, since a couple of key cast members have announced their plans to exit, the writers have some work to do to wrap up their storylines.
Jake Borelli (Levi Schmitt) and Midori Francis (Mika Yasuda) won’t be moving forward with the show much longer, so presumably, the two of them will be carefully written out.
Webber’s retirement is probably going to be a big focus, especially if he has some underlying cognitive issues driving the decision to step down.
Catherine, who is solidly in her villain era, is either going to fly too close to the sun and blow up a lot of professional relationships, or someone will talk some sense into her, and she’ll get a grip on her priorities.
Jo and Link’s surprise pregnancy will be central, and hopefully, this means Carina DeLuca will be joining Ben in the move from Station 19 back to Grey’s Anatomy. Jo will need the best prenatal care, after all.
We’ll also find out what lies ahead for Grey, Hunt, Shepherd, Altman, and Adams, all of whom Catherine has either fired or was about to fire.
It’s probably fair to assume that Grey’s Anatomy will pick up whatever pieces are left of Station 19 and resolve those in-universe so fans aren’t left hanging.
Who Is In the Cast of Grey’s Anatomy Season 21?
We know which cast members are saying their goodbyes, but what about the ones who plan to return?
Related: Grey’s Anatomy’s Top ‘Ships (and What Made Them So Memorable)
So far, the only doctors heading out (that we know of) are Schmitt and Yasuda.
They may be back for a few episodes while their characters get written out, but it won’t be for long.
While that is a huge bummer (and a loss for LGBTQ+ representation on the show), there are still tons of great characters for season 21 to work with.
As of now, we’re expecting to see these folks when the show returns:
Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey (to what extent, we don’t know, since she’s only on the show part-time now anyway)
Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey
James Pickens Jr. as Richard Webber
Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt
Caterina Scorsone as Amelia Shepherd
Camilla Luddington as Jo Wilson
Kim Raver as Teddy Altman
Chris Carmack as Atticus “Link” Lincoln
Anthony Hill as Winston Ndugu
Alexis Floyd as Simone Griffith
Harry Shum Jr. as Benson “Blue” Kwan
Adelaide Kane as Jules Millin
Niko Terho as Lucas Adams
Debbie Allen as Catherine Fox
Jason George as Ben Warren
Scott Speedman as Nick Marsh
Natalie Morales as Monica Beltran
Jaicy Elliot as Taryn Helm
When Will Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Premiere?
So far, we’ve just been told to expect Grey’s to return in the fall.
According to ABC’s new schedule for the 2024-25 season, Grey’s Anatomy will begin airing at 10 p.m. EST.
Related: Did Arizona Robbins’ Return to Grey’s Anatomy Hit Us In the Feels the Way We’d Hoped?
Ryan Murphy’s new drama Doctor Odyssey will take over the 9 p.m. slot, while 9-1-1 will continue to air at 8 p.m.
(Is Ryan Murphy slowly siphoning Thursday nights away from Shonda Rhimes? Time will tell!)
How Many Episodes Will Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Have?
So far, nothing official has come out about the number of expected episodes for next season.
Since it’s a full-length season, we’re estimating that we’ll get somewhere between 18 and 22 episodes, but we won’t know for sure until ABC makes their announcement.
Is There a Trailer for Grey’s Anatomy Season 21?
Since season 20 just wrapped up, there’s no new trailer for next season just yet.
But we’ll be sure to update you as soon as one has been released.
You can catch up on Grey’s Anatomy on Disney+ or Hulu, and stay tuned for any updates we receive about season 21!
How excited are you for the return of TV’s most beloved medical drama? Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!
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Haley Whitmire White is a staff writer for TV Fanatic.
