Grey's Anatomy Season 19 - What We Know So Far

It's reaching the point where it's becoming difficult to remember a time when "Grey's Anatomy" wasn't on the air. Led by Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey, the Shonda Rhimes-created series follows the personal and professional lives of the medical staff working at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle. Debuting in 2005, the medical drama recently wrapped up its 18th season and is showing no signs of slowing down, with Season 19 of "Grey's Anatomy" already on its way.

Despite earning consistently solid ratings (via TV Series Finale) and launching multiple successful spin-offs, it still remains to be seen exactly how long ABC can keep the show's train running, especially considering Pompeo admitted last year that she was trying to convince the series' producers that it was time to end "Grey's Anatomy" (via Insider). That said, fans can at least rest easy knowing that another season is in the works.

With that in mind, here is everything we know so far about "Grey's Anatomy" Season 19.

Updated June 27, 2022: This article has been updated with new premiere date, cast, and plot information.

ABC gave "Grey's Anatomy" its Season 19 renewal all the way back in early January, but fans of the long-running medical drama had to wait a little over five months to find out when the series will return with new episodes. Fortunately, on June 16, the show's official Twitter account announced that "Grey's Anatomy" Season 19 will premiere on Thursday, October 6. That means "Grey's Anatomy" will stick to its long-held Thursday night time slot.

As of now, it doesn't look like fans have to worry too much about Season 19 of "Grey's Anatomy" being the show's last either. While Ellen Pompeo has expressed her desire to bring the show to a close, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich told The Hollywood Reporter in May that no one involved in the series currently has any plans to bring "Grey's Anatomy" to an end. "We're still kind of on the high of celebrating our 400th episode, which is a landmark achievement in the entire history of television," Erwich said. "The show with Shonda [Rhimes] and Krista [Vernoff] at the helm continues to be incredibly relevant, incredibly entertaining."

The season's premiere date announcement, notably, came several weeks after "Grey's Anatomy" aired its game-changing Season 18 finale. The show's October 6 premiere date also means that fans of the ABC drama will have to wait nearly five months to see how the series plans on resolving its numerous Season 18 cliffhangers.

The "Grey's Anatomy" Season 18 finale infamously ended by throwing several characters' futures on the show into question. That said, fans do know some of the "Grey's Anatomy" cast members that will, indeed, return for its next season.

One of the returning cast members is, of course, Ellen Pompeo. Like any series that has been on the air for several years, "Grey's Anatomy" has gone through its fair share of casting changes, but one of the constants on the show has always been Pompeo's central performance as Dr. Meredith Grey. While the actor's comments about wanting to put "Grey's Anatomy" to rest led fans to wonder whether she would return for Season 19 of the series, it was confirmed when the show was renewed that Pompeo will return to reprise her role as Meredith Grey yet again.

Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. are also expected to return as Miranda Bailey and Richard Webber, respectively. Deadline reported in January that the duo had already signed multi-year deals with ABC that included Season 19 of "Grey's Anatomy." When the show was officially renewed, its creator, Shonda Rhimes, also teased (via People), "I couldn't be more excited that we get to keep telling the stories of Meredith, Bailey, Richard, and all of the other doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial for another season."

As of now, it remains to be seen which of the show's other cast members will return for its new season.

As of this writing, very little has been officially revealed about the plot of "Grey's Anatomy" Season 19. According to ABC, the season "will explore the ever-expanding world of modern medicine through the eyes of beloved returning and new characters." Unfortunately, nothing else about the season's story has been revealed as of yet.

That will likely come as a disappointing update to fans of the show, coming off its cliffhanger-heavy Season 18 finale. The shocking episode in question saw, among other things, Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), and their kids flee the country after it was discovered that Owen had broken the law in order to help some of his fellow veterans. The twist not only came as a shock to viewers but has also led many to question whether or not Teddy and Owen will return for "Grey's Anatomy" Season 19.

With that in mind, while it remains to be seen what the "Grey's Anatomy" creative team decides to do with Teddy and Owen, Raver was recently asked about her character's future by People. In response, Raver told the outlet, "I mean, look, I hope that's not the way we're ending it. There is still a lot to be told with these two. But you never know. ... I just think there are still stories to be told."

In other words, even though it seems unlikely that Teddy and Owen's story has come to an end, fans will have to wait until the show returns later this year to find out what still lies in store for the duo. That said, Raver does think fans have a lot to look forward to when "Grey's Anatomy" returns, telling People, "Season 19 is going to be insane."