Grey’s Anatomy: Everything we know about season 17 (so far)

Grey’s Anatomy season 17 will include the unexpected return of a new character. It will also address the COVID-19 pandemic based on real-world experiences.

It’s only been four months since Grey’s Anatomy last aired live, but it feels like a lifetime.

Production shutdowns across Hollywood have forced fans to rewatch their favorite television shows without new content to look forward to — in some cases, more than once (not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…).

Viewers have had plenty of streamed content to look forward to, but it’s still not quite the same. For fans of medical dramas, things have been a little too quiet. But over the past few weeks, news has started slowly emerging about the future of shows like Grey’s.

The show’s 16th season was forced to end early, and while the season finale wasn’t the worst episode of the season, it did feel incomplete.

Thankfully, season 17 is still definitely happening. Eventually. Someday…

Here’s everything we know about Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 so far.

Grey’s Anatomy season 17: Maggie’s One-Night Stand Isn’t Going Anywhere

Grey’s fans haven’t been too happy with Dr. Maggie Pierce since she arrived at Grey Sloan Memorial.

The past few seasons of the show in particular, in the eyes of many viewers, have painted her as an immature, unlikable, and even desperate character who hasn’t shown any growth despite all the drama she’s endured.

But moving on from Jackson and dealing with the guilt of losing a family member on her own operating table seems to have finally broken Maggie out of her cycle. At the end of the last season, she reunited with a former colleague … and things moved quickly, to say the least.

Winston seemed like he’d show up, show Maggie a good time, and disappear again. But he’s apparently not going anywhere anytime soon. The actor who plays him on the show, Anthony Hill, has been promoted to a series regular starting the upcoming season.

Will Maggie finally fall in love for real? This is something we don’t know for sure … yet.

Most Main Cast Members Are Returning

For a while there, rumors that James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber) would be leaving the show had fans worried for the character’s well-being. It didn’t help that the tail end of season 16 involved Richard developing a mysterious illness that looked like it might lead to a heartbreaking goodbye.

Pickens, as well as Ellen Pompeo and Kelly McCreary, are sticking around, as are most of the main cast that was around at the beginning of last season. Even several actors whose contracts were up for renewal have been confirmed to return in season 17.

The biggest loss we know of so far isn’t new information, but it still stings. After Alex Karev suddenly traveled out of state in the middle of the season — and stayed there — it was finally revealed that Justin Chambers had chosen to leave the show for good.

With one final series of voiceovers in an episode dedicated to Alex’s departure, both Chambers and his character have moved on.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Will Address Coronavirus

We recently heard from Grey’s showrunner Krista Vernoff that season 17 would make COVID-19 part of the show’s storyline.

We don’t know how the show will handle it or how much of the season will focus on it. But we do know there will be a time jump between the end of season 16 and the start of season 17.

We also know the writing team has consulted with real healthcare workers to better reflect their experiences on the show.

“Every year, we have doctors come and tell us their stories, and usually they’re telling their funniest or craziest stories,” Vernoff said during a panel. “This year, it has felt more like therapy.”

Since we don’t know when season 17 will premiere, we’re also unsure when production will begin, though Vernoff’s above comments indicate writers have begun their part of the process. We don’t know what the United States or the world will look like when the show brings talk of the pandemic onto viewers’ screens.

Will it be “too soon” to bring the pandemic into a fictional universe so many use as a means of escape from reality? It’s impossible to tell. Grey’s has never shied away from bringing real-world issues into its storylines, and clearly isn’t holding back with coronavirus.

But by the time we see Dr. Meredith Grey et. al again, maybe it will be just what audiences need. If done right, it could be a unique and powerful way to tell healthcare workers’ stories and raise awareness since the show still has such a huge reach across the country.

For now, though, we’re still contemplating a rewatch. Sixteen seasons could take a while. There’s plenty of time … right?

What do you hope to see on Grey’s Anatomy next season? Tell us in the comments below!