The eighteenth 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, 2021, by the

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). It premiered on September 30, 2021, for the 2021–22 broadcast season. The season is produced by

ABC Signature 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. T ...

, 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 Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...

; 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 ...

. This is the first season not to feature Jesse Williams,

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 ...

, and

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" ...

as series regulars since the

seventh Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season e ...

, twelfth, and

sixteenth The 16th century begins with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (Roman numerals, MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (Roman numerals, MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar ...

seasons, respectively. The season marked the return of Kate Walsh as

Addison Montgomery Addison Adrianne Forbes Montgomery, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.C.O.G is a fictional character who appears as a supporting main character on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy,'' and as the protagonist of its spin-off ''Private Practice'' playe ...

for three episodes, after her last appearance on the

season 8 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...

episode "

If/Then ''If/Then'' is a musical with a libretto by Brian Yorkey and a theatrical score by Tom Kitt, directed by Michael Greif. It tells the story of a 38-year-old woman named Elizabeth who moves back to New York City for a fresh start. ''If/Then'' be ...

". On January 10, 2022, ABC renewed the series for a nineteenth season.

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.

Cast and characters

Main

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 ...

as 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 ...

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 ...

as Dr.

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 ...

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 ...

as Dr.

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. ...

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'' ...

as Dr.

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 ...

Caterina Scorsone Caterina Scorsone (born October 16, 1981) is a Canadian-American actress. She is best known for playing Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2010–present) and its spin-offs ''Private Practice'' (2010–2013) and ''St ...

as Dr.

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 ...

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 ...

as Dr. Jo Wilson *

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 at ...

as Dr.

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 ...

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''. ...

as Dr.

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

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 *

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 * Anthony Hill as Dr. Winston Ndugu *

Scott Speedman Robert Scott Speedman (born September 1, 1975) is a British-Canadian actor. He is known for portraying Ben Covington in the coming-of-age drama television series '' Felicity'', Lycan–Vampire hybrid Michael Corvin in the gothic horror–actio ...

as Dr. Nick Marsh

Recurring

Abigail Spencer Abigail Leigh Spencer (born August 4, 1981) is an American actress. She began her career playing Rebecca Tyree on the ABC daytime television soap opera ''All My Children'' (1999–2001) before going on to star in the Lifetime crime drama series, ...

as Dr. Megan Hunt *

Lynn Chen Lynn Chen () is a Taiwanese-American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Vivian Shing in the film ''Saving Face (2004 film), Saving Face'', a role for which she won the "Outstanding Newcomer Award" at the 2006 Asian Excellence Awar ...

as Dr. Michelle Lin *

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 * Melissa DuPrey as Dr. Sara Ortiz * Greg Tarzan Davis as Dr. Jordan Wright *

Peter Gallagher Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series ''The O.C.'' from 2003 to 2007, recurr ...

as Dr. David Hamilton * Jaicy Elliot as Dr. Taryn Helm *

E.R. Fightmaster E. R. Fightmaster (born 1991/1992) is an American non-binary actor, producer and writer. Early life and education Fightmaster grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, attending the Seven Hills School. They then started college at the University of Cinci ...

as Dr. Kai Bartley * Zaiver Sinnett as Dr. Zander Perez * Sylvia Kwan as Dr. Mabel Tseng * Robert I. Mesa as Dr. James Chee * Kate Walsh as Dr.

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 *

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 * Aniela Gumbs as Zola Grey Shepherd *

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 *

Skylar Astin Skylar Astin Lipstein (born September 23, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He became known for portraying Jesse Swanson in the musical films ''Pitch Perfect'' (2012) and ''Pitch Perfect 2'' (2015). He originated the role of Georg in the Broa ...

as Todd Eames *

Rome Flynn Rome Trumain Flynn (born November 25, 1991) is an American actor, model and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of Zende Forrester Dominguez on the CBS daytime drama ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' for which he won the Daytime Emmy Award f ...

as Wendell Ndugu * Kate Burton as Dr. Ellis Grey *

Bianca A. Santos Bianca Alexa Santos (born July 26, 1990) is an American actress known for her roles as Lexi Rivera in the Freeform drama series '' The Fosters'' and as Lucy Velez in the MTV comedy series '' Happyland''. She also starred in the films ''Ouija'' ...

as Kristen Clark * Cedric Sanders as Simon Clark

Notable guests

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 *

as Dr. Tom Koracick *

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. Andy Herrera *

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 *

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 *

Jay Hayden Jonathan Hayden (February 20, 1979), known professionally as Jay Hayden, is an American actor. He is best known for his work in the ABC comedy-drama series '' The Catch'' (2016–17) and the ''Grey's Anatomy'' spinoff ''Station 19'', both produce ...

as Travis Montgomery *

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 ''Gr ...

as Dean Miller * Carlos Miranda as Lt. Theo Ruiz *

LaTanya Richardson Jackson LaTanya Richardson Jackson ( Richardson; born October 21, 1949) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in off-Broadway productions, before playing supporting roles on television and film. Richardson has appeared in films includi ...

as Diane Pierce *

Sarah Drew Sarah Drew is an American actress and director. She played Hannah Rogers in The WB family drama series ''Everwood'' (2004–2006) and Dr. April Kepner in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2009–2018, 2021–2022). Early life Dr ...

as Dr.

April Kepner April Kepner, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC's medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actress Sarah Drew. She was introduced in the episode ...

* Jesse Williams as Dr.

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 ...

Production

Development

On March 25, 2021,

, who serves as the

and

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

of ''Grey's Anatomy'' and ''

Station 19 ''Station 19'' is an American action-drama television series created by Stacy McKee for ABC that premiered on March 22, 2018. It is the second spin-off of ''Grey's Anatomy'' (after ''Private Practice''). Set in Seattle, the series focuses on th ...

'' signed a two-year deal with ABC to remain on both series through a potential nineteenth season. The deal also keeps Trip the Light Productions, Vernoff's production company, attached to the series. Although no longer writing for the series, after her departure from

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in 2017, series creator

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television screenwriter, producer, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', it ...

remains credited as a showrunner and executive producer. When ABC revealed its schedule for the 2021–22 broadcast season it was announced that the series would hold its previous time slot of Thursdays at 9:00 PM ET, with ''Station 19'' serving as a lead-in. ABC announced its holiday programming schedule in October 2021, where it was revealed that the season would contain both a Thanksgiving and Christmas themed episode to air in November and December, respectively. The season finale was also the series four-hundredth episode.

Casting

, and

each signed a three-year contract in July 2020 keeping them attached to the series through a potential nineteenth season to portray Dr.

, Dr. Jo Wilson, and Dr.

, respectively. The series remaining three original actors

, and James Pickens, Jr., who portray Dr.

, Dr.

, and Dr.

, respectively, were all confirmed to be returning for the season. Pompeo signed a one-year contract for her return receiving over per episode and also making her the highest paid actress on broadcast television. Her contract also allows her to retain a producer credit on the series as well as co-executive producer credit on ''Station 19''. Wilson and Pickens reportedly received a significant pay increase from their previous contracts.

, Jesse Williams, and

did not return as series regulars to portray Dr.

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 promoted ...

, Dr.

, and Dr. Tom Koracick, respectively, after departing in the previous season. Meanwhile,

was added to the main cast as Dr. Nick Marsh, a character he had previously portrayed in the fourteenth season as a guest star. Former series regular Kate Walsh, who also headlined her own spin-off series entitled ''

Private Practice Private practice may refer to: *Private sector practice **Practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...

'' from 2007 until 2013, returned to the series in a recurring capacity. Walsh, who portrays the character Dr.

, returned in the third episode, " Hotter Than Hell", and had last guest starred in the eighth season episode "

" in 2012. She then appeared in "

With a Little Help From My Friends "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pe ...

", the episode that immediately followed; and again in

Should I Stay or Should I Go "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash, from their album '' Combat Rock'', written in 1981 and featuring Mick Jones on lead vocals. It was released in 1982 as a double A-sided single alongside " Straight ...

". Despite his departure in the seventeenth season, it was reported that Germann was expected to return in later seasons as a guest star which he later did, reprising his role in " Bottle Up and Explode!" and once more in "

Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

departed as a series regular after the tenth episode of the season, "

Living in a House Divided "Living In A House Divided" is a song by American entertainer Cher, released as the lead single from her album ''Foxy Lady''. The song's lyrics discuss the separation of a couple, as a rather poignant descriptor of Cher's marriage to then-husband, ...

"; Flood was first introduced as a recurring character during the sixteenth season and was promoted to the main cast beginning with the seventeenth. Williams, who previously departed alongside Germann, stated in an interview that he would be open to returning during the season as well. In April 2022 it was confirmed that Williams would return to the series in the

season finale A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to ...

alongside former co-star

. Drew portrayed Dr.

beginning in the sixth season and held the role for nine seasons, eight as a series regular, before departing in the fourteenth season, and briefly returning in the previous season for Williams' departure. The season also featured the return of recurring cast members Kate Burton as Dr. Ellis Grey and

as Dr. Megan Hunt, both of whom last appeared in the fifteenth season. New cast members to the series who were cast in recurring roles for the season include

as Dr. David Hamilton,

as Dr. Michelle Lin, and Greg Tarzan Davis as Dr. Jordan Wright.

, who had guest starred in the season’s second and third episodes as Dr. Kai Bartley, was also promoted to a recurring cast member. Fightmaster and their character Bartley are both

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

, being the first non-binary actor and character on the series.

and

were cast in recurring roles for the second half of the season to portray Todd Eames, an environmental sciences expert, and Wendell Ndugu, the brother of Hill's character, respectively.

and

Cedric Sanders Cedric () is a masculine given name invented by Walter Scott in the 1819 novel ''Ivanhoe''.Sir Walter Scott, Graham Tulloch (ed.), ''Ivanhoe'', vol. 8 of The Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels, Edinburgh University Press, 1998, , "explanator ...

were also cast in recurring roles to portray Kristen and Simon Clark, a "married couple in a dire medical situation," for three episodes of the season.

Reception

Awards and nominations

At the

2nd Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards The 2nd Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards, presented by the Hollywood Critics Association, took place on August 13 and 14, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. It is the second award presentation. The two-night event focused on broadcast and ...

the season received a nomination for Best Broadcast Network Series, Drama. This award was ultimately won by ''

This Is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames. It s ...

''. The season was also awarded

The ReFrame Stamp The ReFrame Stamp for Gender-Balanced Production certification is awarded by ReFrame to corporations and media that show progress toward gender equality and greater representation of women in key roles. History On June 8, 2018, the ReFrame Stam ...

, a certification given to scripted television productions that hire "women or individuals of other underrepresented gender identities/expressions ..in four out of eight key roles including writer, director, producer, lead, co-leads, and department heads."

Viewing figures

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey's Anatomy (Season 18) * Grey's Anatomy seasons 2021 American television seasons 2022 American television seasons