Yahoo Finance Kate Walsh Is Officially Returning to 'Grey's Anatomy' This Fall and We're Beyond Excited
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So much happened in Grey's Anatomy season 17. Apart from the COVID-19 storyline, fans were shocked nearly every week with surprising character returns, jaw-dropping character exits and nail-biting cliffhangers.
Given all of the major character comebacks — Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), George O'Malley (T.R. Knight), Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) — as well as the heartbreaking farewells — Tom Koracick (Greg Germann), Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) — fans couldn't help but wonder if show writers were throwing in twists and turns to wrap up the series forever.
The answer? No, they weren't. In May, Deadline announced the pickup of Grey's Anatomy for another season, and original cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. are all expected to return. Here's everything we know about Grey's Anatomy season 18 so far, including all the info on the premiere date, cast and more.
When is Grey's Anatomy returning for season 18?
Season 18 of Grey's Anatomy will premiere on ABC starting Thursday, September 30 at 9 p.m. ET. Station 19 will have its season 5 premiere one hour before on ABC the same night.
New Grey's Anatomy episodes will likely air throughout the fall with a season 18 finale in April or May of 2022.
Is there a Grey's Anatomy spinoff coming out around season 18?
Grey's fandom rejoiced when Deadline ran a story in late May quoting ABC Signature President Jonnie Davis appearing to suggest that a new spinoff had been discussed.
"[Showrunner Krista Vernoff] and the team are really digging deep and finding out what that looks like. They are noodling ideas, and I can’t wait to, when we land on what that is to introduce the next phase of Grey’s Anatomy," he said. "We will find the next version that will take it to the next 18 years. We’re working on for right now, and there’s no better brains to figure it out than Krista and [creator Shonda Rhimes]."
That said, Jonnie later issued a statement to Deadline clarifying his remarks:
"There are no conversations about a spinoff of Grey’s Anatomy at this time. We are 100% focused on producing season 18, with the incredible Krista Vernoff at the helm, and the amazing Ellen Pompeo leading our ensemble and co-executive producing. As the leader of ABC Signature, I meant only to convey my support and optimism for Shonda’s brilliant creation."
In other words, it's one big question mark at the moment, but it doesn't sound like any concrete plans have been made just yet.
Will the entire cast return for season 18?
For sure we know that Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. will come back. What's more, several other cast members have signed on for contracts lasting through a potential season 19, as reported by Deadline last July. The list includes Kevin McKidd (who plays Owen Hunt on the show), Camilla Luddington (Jo Wilson) and Kim Raver (Teddy Altman).
Sadly, DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti), Jackson (Jesse Williams) and Tom (Greg Germann) character exits this season mean Grey Sloan is down three doctors heading into season 18.
Perhaps the biggest casting news of all so far is that Kate Walsh is set to come back in the upcoming season to play Addison Forbes Montgomery for a few episodes, per TVLine. Kate herself confirmed the exciting news in an Instagram video in early September.
What's more, Kate Burton will also return in season 18 to reprise her role of Meredith's mother, Dr. Ellis Grey. While Deadline says it's unclear how Ellis will be reintroduced (especially since the character died in season 3), it'll likely be in a dream or flashback sequence, similar to how many characters appeared in season 17.
How can I watch and stream the new season?
Apart from tuning into ABC on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET, folks can download the ABC app to their favorite device or watch new episodes the day after they air on ABC.com.
Grey's Anatomy is also available to watch on ABC via Hulu, Philo, fuboTV, and Netflix subscriptions. You can also purchase individual episodes of Grey's Anatomy for $1.99 each on iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Youtube and Apple TV.
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