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 se ...

'' was ordered on May 10, 2019, by

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...

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

ABC Studios ABC Signature is an American television Filmmaking#Production, production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Walt Disney Television, which is part of the List of assets owned by The Walt Disney Company#Disne ...

, 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 th ...

being

Krista Vernoff Krista Vernoff (born October 25, 1971) is an American television screenwriter, executive producer and director. She is best known for running the television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2007–11, 2017–present) and its spin-off ''Station 1 ...

. The season's main storylines include the recently fired Dr.

Meredith Grey Meredith Grey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional and titular 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 pro ...

(

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 Andrew DeLuca, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on ABC in the United States. The character was portrayed by Giacomo Gianniotti. Gianniotti was cast in April 2015 and was promot ...

(

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 rec ...

), who begins to spiral into bipolar mania. Alex Karev (

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 200 ...

(

James Pickens Jr. James Pickens Jr. (born October 26, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Webber on the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and for his supporting role as Deputy Director Alvin Kers ...

) 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 t ...

(

Chandra Wilson Chandra Danette Wilson (born August 27, 1969) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' since 2005, for which she has been nominated for the Emmy ...

). Other storylines include

Teddy Altman Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore (given name), Theodore. It may refer to: People Nickname * Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator * Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olymp ...

(

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 '' 24''. ...

)'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' produc ...

(

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, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, F.A.C.S. is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC American television ''Grey's Anatomy (TV series), Grey's Anatomy ''medical d ...

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

(

Kelly McCreary Kelly J. McCreary (born September 29, 1981) is an American actress, best known for her role on the ABC drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Maggie Pierce, the half-sister of series protagonist Meredith Grey. She joined the series as a guest a ...

)'s break up; Miranda Bailey's miscarriage; and

Jo Karev Josephine “Jo” Brooke Wilson (previously Karev), formerly Brooke Stadler, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. ...

(

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 ga ...

)'s emergence from the psychiatric ward after treatment. This is the final season to feature Dr. Alex Karev, 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#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

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 American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role tha ...

'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 ...

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 The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

. 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.

as Dr. Alex Karev *

as Dr.

* Jesse Williams as Dr.

* Caterina Scorsone as Dr.

as Dr.

as Dr. Tom Koracick *

Jake Borelli Jake Borelli (born May 13, 1991) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Wolfgang on the Nickelodeon comedy series ''The Thundermans'' (2015–2018) and Dr. Levi Schmitt on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2017–present). ...

as Dr.

Levi Schmitt Levi Schmitt, Doctor of Medicine, 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 Television in the United States, United States. The character ...

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 Cole ...

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 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 Spa ...

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 Jaina Lee Ortiz (born Jessica Ortiz; November 20, 1986) is an American actress and dancer. She is known for her starring role as Detective Annalise Villa on the Fox police drama ''Rosewood'' from 2015 to 2017. In 2018, she began starring as lea ...

as Lt. Andrea "Andy" Herrera *

Cleo King Harriet Cleo King is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on television, particularly ''Mike & Molly'' (2010–2016). Early life King was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was the youngest of seven children. She graduated from ...

as Robin *

Devika Parikh Devika Parikh (born November 3, 1966) is an American actress, best known for her recurring role as Bonnie in the NBC political drama series ''The West Wing'' from 1999 to 2003. Life and career Parikh was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and rai ...

as Nancy Klein *

Barrett Doss Barrett Doss (born March 20, 1989) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Victoria Hughes in the ABC action drama series ''Station 19''. Life and career Doss was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Doss's parents divorced wh ...

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. Butterfie ...

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'', Savan ...

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 Elizabeth Key "Bess" Armstrong (born December 11, 1953) is an American film, stage and television actress. She is best known for her roles in films '' The Four Seasons'' (1981), '' High Road to China'' (1983), ''Jaws 3-D'' (1983), and ''Nothing i ...

as Maureen Lincoln *

Skyler Shaye Skyler Anna Shaye (born October 14, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Kylie in '' Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2'' (2004) and as Cloe in '' Bratz: The Movie'' (2007). Early life Skyler Anna Shaye was born on Octob ...

as Katie Bryce *

Robin Pearson Rose Robin Pearson Rose is an American film and television actress. Filmography Film Television References External links * * Robin Pearson Rose
- Geffen Playhouse American film actresses Year of birth missing (living people) L ...

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 her ...

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. H ...

as Captain Pruitt Herrera *

Okieriete Onaodowan Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan ( ; born August 16, 1987) is an American actor and singer known for originating the dual roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the 2015 musical ''Hamilton'' and the role of Dean Miller in the ABC drama and ''G ...

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-sta ...

as LT Jack Gibson *

Danielle Savre Danielle Kathleen Savre (born August 26, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her television roles, such as her lead performances in the 2007 MTV music drama ''Kaya'', the 2016 TLC drama '' Too Close to Home'', and the ABC '' ...

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 i ...

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 Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein (born June 29, 1993) is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring roles in the comedy film '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'' (2016), the comedy-drama film '' Lady Bird'' (2017), and the ...

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 Debra Mooney (born August 28, 1947) is an American character actress, best known for her role as Edna Harper on The WB drama series ''Everwood'' (2002–06). Mooney is also known for her recurring roles in ''Scandal'', ''Grey's Anatomy'' and '' ...

as Evelyn Hunt *

Amanda Payton Amanda Payton is an American actor. She is best known for playing Nina Rudolph on the NBC sitcom '' Trial & Error'', Dr. Alison Parfit on the Sky Comedy/Peacock police comedy-drama '' Code 404'', and Holly in the CBS sitcom '' United States of Al ...

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