‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 20: Premiere Date, Returning Cast Members & All the Latest News

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Every Grey’s Anatomy fan can breathe a sigh of relief. Grey Sloan’s doors are staying open. Grey’s Anatomy will return for season 20. As writers and actors fought for fair deals and went on strike, shows like Grey’s Anatomy were put on hold for months. The cast and crew are back to work, and season 20 will premiere on March 14. Ahead of the show’s return, ABC revealed key details about the 20th season, including one highly-anticipated return.

Grey’s Anatomy premiered on ABC in 2005 and became a pop culture phenomenon. Fans have followed Dr. Meredith Grey and the journeys of other Grey Sloan doctors over the course of nearly two decades. So, what do we know about Grey’s Anatomy season 20? Hollywood Life is breaking down all the latest news.

Is ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Coming Back For Season 20?

Grey’s Anatomy was renewed for season 20, Deadline reported in March 2023. The renewal was revealed as season 19 was still airing. Meg Marinis will be serving as the showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy for season 20. She’ll be taking over for Krista Vernoff, who left her post as showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy and sister series Station 19 at the end of their previous seasons.

The cast of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 19. (ABC)

For months, Grey’s Anatomy fans have wondered if the long-running medical drama would return for season 20 at all after Ellen Pompeo announced that she would no longer be a series regular in season 19. The show continues to be a hit for ABC, so the stories at Grey Sloan will continue to unfold. ABC has not announced if season 20 could be the final season of the show. Grey’s Anatomy remains the longest-running primetime medical drama.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 20 Premiere Date

Grey’s Anatomy season 20 will premiere March 14, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. Usually, Grey’s Anatomy is part of ABC’s fall lineup. Due to the writers’ and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Grey’s Anatomy season 20 was pushed to midseason. The show continues to air on Thursday nights, after 9-1-1 and before Station 19.

On December 29, ABC released the first promo for Grey’s Anatomy season 20. There’s a lot going on this season. Winston declares that Teddy is in “critical condition” after she collapsed in surgery. Meredith returns to Grey Sloan despite now living in Boston.

“How long do I have to wait,” Meredith asks in the promo. Maybe she’s not able to head back to Boston quickly. Meanwhile, Simone and Lucas are going to have to address their hospital hookup. Remember, Simone was supposed to be getting married to Trey. “We need to talk about what happened,” Simone says to Lucas.

Will Ellen Pompeo Return Full Time?

Ellen will reportedly appear in at least 4 episodes of season 2 and possibly more, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ellen recently left Grey’s Anatomy as a series regular in the show’s season 19 midseason premiere. Meredith moved to Boston with her kids so Zola could attend a STEAM Academy.

Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey. (ABC)

Ellen is currently gearing up to work on a new Hulu limited series, which is still in pre-production. She is still an executive producer of Grey’s Anatomy and provides the voiceover in each episode. “I’m so excited. I feel really happy and grateful that the company gave me an opportunity to do something different with my new limited series,” Ellen told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY at the D23 Expo in September 2022.

Ahead of season 19, Ellen signed a one-year deal to continue playing Meredith. She was not expected to have much of an onscreen role in season 20, so we’re grateful to be getting at least 4 episodes with Meredith.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 20 Cast

Ahead of the season 19 finale, Deadline reported that James Pickens Jr., Chandra Wilson, Kevin McKidd, Kim Raver, Camilla Luddington, and Caterina Scorsone were all expected to return for season 20. After season 17, James and Chandra signed new multi-year deals. Chandra and James remain the only two original cast members who are still series regulars. Chris Carmack, Jake Borelli, Anthony Hill, and Scott Speedman are all back for the milestone season as well.

Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins. (Peter “Hopper” Stone/ABC via Getty Images)

During the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, ABC announced that Jessica Capshaw will be returning as a guest star in season 20. Jessica played the beloved Dr. Arizona Robbins from season 5 to season 14. Alex Landi will also return as Dr. Nico Kim. Natalie Morales is joining the cast as Monica Beltran, a pediatric surgeon whose pragmatism and level-headedness have made her one of the best in her field. Her willingness to push boundaries can be admirable and aggravating, but it’s always aimed at providing top-quality care to her patients. Freddy Miyares joins the cast in a recurring role as Dorian, an intelligent, warm, and likable patient who is involved in a serious accident and is struggling with his future.

In November 2023, Chris celebrated being back on set filming season 20. He posted a sweet selfie with Camilla, giving the Jolink fans an early Christmas present. “Back to work,” he captioned the post.

Season 19 featured the introductions of 5 new interns, played by Harry Shum Jr., Adelaide Kane, Alexis Floyd, Niko Terho, and Midori Francis. Deadline reported that ABC “has not yet picked up options on the freshmen but they are all expected to come back.”

What Happened At The End Of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 19?

The Grey’s Anatomy season 19 finale ended on a cliffhanger. After complaining of a toothache all day, Teddy collapsed in the operating room just as she was about to perform emergency surgery on Sam Sutton. In the last moments of the finale, Teddy still didn’t have a pulse and Owen was desperately trying to save her.

Meredith appeared in the season 19 finale as Nick, Amelia, Winston, Richard, Bailey, and Catherine traveled to Boston for the Catherine Fox Award ceremony. Meredith revealed she was completely changing course on her Alzheimer’s research, and they’d been wrong about everything this whole time. Meredith and Nick finally addressed their relationship and admitted they missed each other. Meredith and Nick are back on track!

The new interns of season 19. (ABC)

Link and Jo had a heart-to-heart of their own back in Seattle. Link finally professed his love for Jo, all while standing in the rain. “I love you, and I’m gonna love you forever,” he promised before they shared an epic kiss. Simone also didn’t get married to Trey and had a passionate hookup with Lucas in an on-call room. In a total surprise, Bailey won the Catherine Fox Award after not even being nominated.