The sixteenth season of the American television medical drama ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into ...

'' was ordered on May 10, 2019, by

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an Television in the United States, American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the Disney General Entertainment Content#Current assets, ...

(ABC). The season premiered on September 26, 2019. The season is produced by

ABC Studios ABC Signature is an American television production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Walt Disney Television, which is part of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Company. ...

, in association with

Shondaland Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer/producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her first s ...

Production Company and Entertainment One Television; the

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

being Krista Vernoff. The season's main storylines include the recently fired Dr. Meredith Grey (

Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her role on ''Grey's Anatomy'' as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances ...

)'s impending trial to fight for her medical license and her on-off again love-life with surgical resident, Andrew DeLuca (

Giacomo Gianniotti Giacomo Keaton Gianniotti (born 19 June 1989) is an Italian-Canadian film and television actor. He studied theater at Humber College and made his acting debut in the Italian television series '' Medicina Generale'' in 2010. He went on to play re ...

), who begins to spiral into bipolar mania.

Alex Karev Alexander Michael Karev, (né Evans), M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Karev ev ...

(

Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He is best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2020. Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High S ...

) and

Richard Webber Richard Webber, M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character from the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actor James Pickens Jr. since the start of the show in 2005 ...

( James Pickens Jr.) also begin working at Pac-North after being fired by Chief

Miranda Bailey Miranda Bailey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series creator and producer Shonda Rhimes, and has been portrayed by actress Chandra Wilson since the ...

( Chandra Wilson). Other storylines include Teddy Altman (

Kim Raver Kimberly Jayne Raver (born March 15, 1969) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for television roles as Dr. Teddy Altman on ABC's medical drama '' Grey's Anatomy'', Kim Zambrano on '' Third Watch'', and Audrey Raines on '' 2 ...

)'s affair with Tom Koracick (

Greg Germann Gregory Andrew Germann ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American actor who is known for playing Richard Fish on the television series '' Ally McBeal'', which earned him a Screen Actors Guild award. He also is known for his roles as Eric "Rico" ...

) in the wake of her engagement to

Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series '' Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series' produ ...

(

Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director. Before playing the role of Dr. Owen Hunt in '' Grey's Anatomy'', for which he is widely known, McKidd appeared as Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's ''Trainspotting'' ...

);

Amelia Shepherd Amelia Frances Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character on the ABC American television '' Grey's Anatomy ''medical drama and the spin-off series ''Private Practice'', portrayed by Caterina Scorsone. In her debut appearance in season three ...

( Caterina Scorsone)'s surprise pregnancy, with the baby's paternity brought into question;

Jackson Avery Jackson Avery, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character in the ABC prime time medical drama, '' Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Jesse Williams. The character was created by series creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes. He was introd ...

( Jesse Williams) and Maggie Pierce ( Kelly McCreary)'s break up; Miranda Bailey's miscarriage; and Jo Karev (

Camilla Luddington Camilla Anne Luddington (born 15 December 1983) is a British actress, best known for her role as Dr. Josephine "Jo" Wilson in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. She is known for voicing Lara Croft in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game ...

)'s emergence from the psychiatric ward after treatment. This is the final season to feature Dr.

, portrayed by

as a series-regular, whose announced departure was made in January 2020. His final physical appearance was the milestone 350th episode "My Shot" in November 2019. Following this, he abruptly left the series. However, Vernoff was able to bring him back for

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...

in a farewell episode, explaining where the character ended up. This episode " Leave a Light On" became the season's most-discussed and analyzed episode, with Chambers' character's departure after 16 years receiving a polarizing response from audiences. However, it drew a ratings upswing, shooting up its best ratings in 6 weeks since its mid-season premiere. It also re-visited

Katherine Heigl Katherine Marie Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role that brought her recognition and a ...

's character,

Izzie Stevens Isobel Katherine Stevens, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda R ...

who departed mid-way through the sixth season. On March 12, 2020, the production of the sixteenth season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. 21 out of the original 25 episode order were completed before production was suspended. On March 27, 2020, it was announced that the twenty-first episode would serve as the season finale. The season finale, which aired on April 9, 2020, ended with 7.33 million viewers, an improvement from the previous season's 5.99 million viewership, and became the first season to not end in May in all of its 15 years.

Episodes

The number in the "No. overall" column refers to the episode's number within the overall series, whereas the number in the "No. in season" column refers to the episode's number within this particular season. "U.S. viewers in millions" refers to the number of Americans in millions who watched the episodes live. Each episode of this season is named after a song.

Cast and characters

Main

as Dr. Meredith Grey *

as Dr.

* Chandra Wilson as Dr.

* James Pickens Jr. as Dr.

as Dr.

* Jesse Williams as Dr.

* Caterina Scorsone as Dr.

as Dr. Jo Karev * Kelly McCreary as Dr. Maggie Pierce *

as Dr. Andrew DeLuca *

as Dr. Teddy Altman *

as Dr. Tom Koracick * Jake Borelli as Dr. Levi Schmitt *

Chris Carmack James Christopher Carmack (born December 22, 1980) is an American actor, singer, and former fashion model. He is known for his roles in three popular television shows—the teen drama series ''The O.C.'' (2003–2004) as Luke Ward, the country ...

as Dr. Atticus "Link" Lincoln

Recurring

Jason George Jason Winston George (born February 9, 1972) is an American actor and model. He is best known for his roles as Michael Bourne on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Sunset Beach'', as J.T. Hunter on the UPN television sitcom '' Eve'', as Dr. Otis Col ...

as Dr. Ben Warren *

Richard Flood Richard Flood (born 29 July 1982) is an Irish actor best known for the character Tommy McConnel in the series ''Crossing Lines,'' James McKay in the series '' Red Rock,'' Ford in the series '' Shameless'', and starred as Dr. Cormac Hayes on ''Gr ...

as Dr. Cormac Hayes *

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...

as Dr. Catherine Fox *

Stefania Spampinato Stefania Spampinato is an Italian actress. She is known for her role in ABC's '' Grey's Anatomy'' and the ''Grey's Anatomy'' spinoff '' Station 19'' as Dr. Carina DeLuca, a Sicilian OB-GYN. Life and career Born in Catania (Sicily), Stefania S ...

as Dr. Carina DeLuca * Alex Blue Davis as Dr. Casey Parker * Jaicy Elliot as Dr. Taryn Helm *

Sophia Ali Sophia Taylor Ramsey Ali is an American actress. She is best known for her work in the MTV romantic comedy series '' Faking It'', the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and '' The Wilds''. Life Ali is Pakistani American. She was born ...

as Dr. Dahlia Qadri *

Alex Landi Alex Landi (born September 28, 1992) is an American actor and model of Korean-Italian descent, best known for his role as Dr. Nico Kim on ABC's ''Grey's Anatomy''. Early life and education Landi was born in New York City. His mother, Nana Landi, ...

as Dr. Nico Kim * Jaina Lee Ortiz as Lt. Andrea "Andy" Herrera * Cleo King as Robin * Devika Parikh as Nancy Klein * Barrett Doss as Victoria "Vic" Hughes * Devin Way as Dr. Blake Simms *

Vivian Nixon Vivian Nichole Nixon (born May 31, 1984) is an American actress and dancer. She played Dr. Hannah Brody in the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' and voices Millie in the adult animated web series ''Helluva Boss''. Early life Born in Miam ...

as Dr. Hannah Brody *

Jasmine Guy Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, director, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Dina in the 1988 film '' School Daze'' and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off '' A Different World ...

as Gemma Larson * Noah Alexander Gerry as Joey Phillips *

Sarah Rafferty Sarah Gray Rafferty (born December 6, 1972) is an American actress, widely known for her role as Donna Paulsen on the USA Network legal drama '' Suits''. Early life and education Rafferty grew up as the youngest of four daughters in the Rivers ...

as Suzanne *

Lindy Booth Lindy Booth (born April 2, 1979) is a Canadian actress. She played Riley Grant on the Disney Channel series ''The Famous Jett Jackson'' (and Agent Hawk in the show-within-a-show ''Silverstone'') and Claudia on '' Relic Hunter'' and A.J. Butterf ...

as Hadley *

Shoshannah Stern Shoshannah Stern (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress and writer. Life and career She was born in Walnut Creek, California, into an observant Jewish and fourth-generation Deaf family, the daughter of Ron Stern and Hedy Marilyn Stern (née U ...

as Dr. Lauren Riley

Notable guests

* Anthony Hill as Dr. Winston Ndugu *

Holly Marie Combs Holly Marie Combs Ryan (born December 3, 1973) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series ''Picket Fences'' (1992–1996), Piper Halliwell in The WB series '' Charmed'' (1998–2006) and ...

as Heidi Peterson *

Alyssa Milano Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress. She has played Samantha Micelli in '' Who's the Boss?'', Jennifer Mancini in '' Melrose Place'', Phoebe Halliwell in '' Charmed'', Billie Cunningham in '' My Name Is Earl'', S ...

as Haylee Peterson *

Hal Linden Hal Linden (born Harold Lipshitz, March 20, 1931) is an American stage and screen actor, television director and musician. Linden began his career as a big band musician and singer in the 1950s. After a stint in the United States Army, he began ...

as Bertram Hollister * Lisa Ann Walter as Shirley Gregory * Granville Ames as Eric Lincoln * Bess Armstrong as Maureen Lincoln * Skyler Shaye as Katie Bryce * Robin Pearson Rose as Patricia Murphy *

Rachel Bay Jones Rachel Bay Jones (born November 8, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She has played the roles of Catherine in the 2013 Broadway revival of '' Pippin'' and Evan Hansen's mother, Heidi Hansen, in ''Dear Evan Hansen''. The latter earned he ...

as Carly *

Miguel Sandoval Miguel Sandoval (born November 16, 1951) is an American actor of film and television. Biography Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began working as a professional actor in 1975 when he joined a mime school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. ...

as Captain Pruitt Herrera * Okieriete Onaodowan as Dean Miller *

Grey Damon Grey Damon (born September 24, 1987) is an American actor, known for his roles in '' Friday Night Lights'', '' The Nine Lives of Chloe King'' and ''Station 19''. He resides in Los Angeles. Beginning with its premiere on May 28, 2015, Damon co-st ...

as LT Jack Gibson * Danielle Savre as Captain Maya Bishop *

James Saito James Tomio Saito (born March 6, 1955) is a Japanese-American actor of stage, motion pictures, and television. Saito is best known as the original Shredder in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', Dr. Chen in the ABC series '' Eli Stone'', Harry Kim ...

as Hershel Roberts *

Denise Dowse Denise Yvonne Dowse (February 21, 1958 – August 13, 2022) was an American actress and director. She was best known for her roles as Mrs. Yvonne Teasley in the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1991–2000), Judge Rebecca Damsen in ' ...

as Lorraine Simms * Ariela Barer as Paula * Beanie Feldstein as Tess Anderson * George Gerdes as Norman Sholman *

Debra Jo Rupp Debra Jo Rupp (born February 24, 1951) is an American actress best known for her roles as Kitty Forman on the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show'' and its sequel series '' That '90s Show'', and Alice Knight-Buffay on the third through fifth seasons o ...

as Jo's Therapist *

Jonathan Cake Jonathan James Cake (born 31 August 1967) is an English actor who has worked on various TV programmes and films. His notable screen roles include Jack Favell in ''Rebecca'' (1997), Oswald Mosley in '' Mosley'' (1997), Japheth in the NBC televisi ...

as Griffin Ford * Crystal McCreary as Sabrina Webber * Zaiver Sinnett as Dr. Zander Perez *

Sherri Saum Sherri Michelle Saum (born October 1, 1974) is an American actress. Saum is best known for her co-lead role as Lena Adams Foster in the Freeform drama series '' The Fosters'' (2013–2018) as well as a subsequent guest star role in its spinoff ...

as Allison Brown * Debra Mooney as Evelyn Hunt * Amanda Payton as Dr. Daphne Lopez

Production

Casting

On May 10, 2019, with the renewal announcement it was revealed that Chris Carmack, Greg Germann and Jake Borelli had been promoted to series-regulars. In October 2019, it was announced that

had been cast as the new head of Pediatric Surgery at Grey Sloan, replacing Karev, who was fired in the previous season. On January 10, 2020, it was announced that

would be leaving the series, with his last episode being the 350th.

Ratings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey's Anatomy (Season 16) * Grey's Anatomy seasons 2019 American television seasons 2020 American television seasons Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic