The ninth 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 s ...

'' began airing in the United States on 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) on September 27, 2012, with the season premiere " Going, Going, Gone" and consists of 24 episodes with the season finale "

Perfect Storm A perfect storm is a meteorological event aggravated by a rare combination of circumstances. The term is used by analogy to an unusually severe storm that results from a rare combination of Meteorology, meteorological phenomena. Origin The Oxfor ...

" airing on May 16, 2013. The season was 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 Production Company and The Mark Gordon Company; the showrunners being

Tony Phelan Tony Phelan is an American television screenwriter, producer and director. He is married to television producer and screenwriter Joan Rater. Phelan is best known for his work on ABC's ''Grey's Anatomy'', for which he has been nominated for two Em ...

and

Joan Rater Joan Rater is an American television producer and screenwriter. Her most notable work has been for the medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', for which she has served as writer, producer and supervising producer for over fifty separate episodes. She is ...

. The season was officially released on DVD as a 6-disc box-set under the title of ''Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Ninth Season - Everything Changes'' on August 27, 2013 by

Buena Vista Home Entertainment Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,Lexie Grey Alexandra Caroline Grey, M.D. is a fictional character from ABC's medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actress Chyler Leigh. Created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, the character is first mentioned in season 2 by ...

(

Chyler Leigh Chyler Leigh West (pronounced ; ''née'' Potts), known professionally as Chyler Leigh, is an American actress, singer and model. She is known for portraying Janey Briggs in the comedy film ''Not Another Teen Movie'' (2001), Lexie Grey in the ...

) and upon rescue Mark Sloan (

Eric Dane Eric William Dane (born November 9, 1972) is an American actor. After multiple television roles in the 1990s and 2000s, which included his recurring role as Jason Dean in ''Charmed'', Dane was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan on the ABC medical drama te ...

), who dies after sustaining injuries from the crash.

Derek Shepherd Derek Christopher Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S., also referred to as "McDreamy", is a fictional surgeon from the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey. He made his first appearance in the pilot episode, " A Hard D ...

(

Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fi ...

) finds his surgical career in doubt after badly damaging his hand but Callie Torres (

Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez (; born August 31, 1975) is a Mexican-American actor and singer. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School. ...

) ultimately manages to save his hand. The show's protagonist

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 ...

) deals with the loss of her half-sister Lexie and later discovers that she is pregnant.

Cristina Yang Cristina Yang, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which has aired for over 16 years on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was cr ...

(

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005 ...

) is severely traumatized upon rescue and later decides to take up her fellowship in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Arizona Robbins Arizona Robbins, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by Jessica Capshaw. She was introduced in the show's fifth season as an attending surgeon and the new chief of pediatric su ...

(

Jessica Capshaw Jessica Capshaw (born August 9, 1976) is an American actress known for her roles as Jamie Stringer in ''The Practice'', and as Dr. Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. Early life Capshaw was born on August 9, 1976, in ...

), another survivor of the plane crash, upon return, realizes that her leg had to be amputated to save her life, reacts badly to this, becoming bitter and blaming her wife Callie and her former friend 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 ...

). To prevent the doctors' court case from being thrown out,

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' ...

) decides to divorce Yang, but the two agree to start again. The hospital itself becomes liable for the crash, putting its future in extreme doubt prompting the 4 crash survivors and Torres to purchase the hospital.

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 ...

) marries her partner Ben Warren (

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 ...

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 ...

(

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 D ...

) returns home to

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, but is brought back by Hunt to rejoin the hospital and she restarts her relationship with

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). The season ended with an average of 12.51 million viewers and ranked #26 which was higher than the previous 2 seasons and in the 18-49 key demographic ranked at #10.

won the Favorite TV Drama Actress at the

39th People's Choice Awards The 39th People's Choice Awards ceremony, honoring the best in popular culture for 2012, was held January 9, 2013 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, and was broadcast live on CBS and simulcast over Xbox Live at 9:00 pm EST. The ceremony was ho ...

and the show itself won the Favorite Network TV Drama. It was announced by ABC on May 10, 2013 that the tenth season of ''Grey's Anatomy'' would begin in the fall of 2013.

Episodes

The number in the "No. in series" 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.

* James Pickens Jr. 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 200 ...

as Dr. Callie Torres *

as Dr. Mark Sloan *

as Dr.

* Jesse Williams as Dr.

as Dr.

Recurring

* Camilla Luddington as Dr. Jo Wilson *

Gaius Charles Gaius Charles (born May 2, 1983) is an American actor known for his portrayal of Brian "Smash" Williams in the television drama, ''Friday Night Lights''. He also played Dr. Shane Ross on the ABC medical drama series '' Grey's Anatomy'' and a re ...

as Dr. Shane Ross * Jerrika Hinton as Dr. Stephanie Edwards * Tessa Ferrer as Dr. Leah Murphy *

as Dr. Ben Warren *

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress, singer and voice actor. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of '' Dreamg ...

Adele Webber ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on American Broadcasting Company, ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, ...

Constance Zimmer Constance Zimmer (born October 11, 1970) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for playing Dana Gordon in the television series '' Entourage'' (2005–2011) and Claire Simms in the television series ''Boston Legal'' (2006–2007). Sh ...

as Dr. Alana Cahill *

William Daniels William David Daniels (born March 31, 1927) is an American actor, who is best known for his television roles, notably as Mark Craig in the drama series '' St. Elsewhere'', for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards; the voice of KITT in the t ...

as Dr. Craig Thomas * Debbie Allen as Dr. Catherine Avery *

Justin Bruening Justin Bruening (born September 24, 1979) is an American actor and former fashion model. He was originally discovered at McDonald's in Escondido, California, by Sue Nessel, a scout for Scott Copeland. Within a week, he was shooting photos with Br ...

as Matthew Taylor *

Neve Campbell Neve Adrianne Campbell (born October 3, 1973; ) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in the drama and horror genres. She has appeared on ''People'' magazine's list of "50 Most Beautiful People" twice. Following a series of minor ...

as Lizzie Shepherd *

Sarah Chalke Sarah Louise Christine Chalke (; born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian actress and model. She is known for portraying Elliot Reid on the NBC/ ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'', the second Becky Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'', Stella Zinman on ...

as Casey Hedges *

Tina Majorino Albertina Marie Majorino (; born February 7, 1985) is an American film and television actress. She started her career as a child actor, starring in films such as '' Andre'', '' When a Man Loves a Woman'', ''Waterworld'', and '' Corrina, Corrina' ...

as Dr. Heather Brooks *

Hilarie Burton Hilarie Ros Burton (born July 1, 1982) is an American actress, businesswoman, author and producer. A former host of MTV's ''Total Request Live'', she portrayed Peyton Sawyer on The WB/ CW drama '' One Tree Hill'' for six seasons (2003–2009). Po ...

as Dr. Lauren Boswell * Bianca Taylor as Elena Bailey *

Charles Michael Davis Charles Michael Davis (born December 1, 1984) is an American actor, model, producer, and director. He is best known for his roles as Marcel Gerard on The CW television drama '' The Originals'' (2013–2018) and Zane Anders on the TV Land original ...

as Dr. Jason Myers * Steven Culp as Dr. Darren Parker *

Eddie Jemison Edward Francis Jemison, Jr. (born November 25, 1963) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as Livingston Dell in the '' Ocean's'' film trilogy and Mickey Duka in ''The Punisher'', as well as the television series '' H ...

as Stan Grossberg * Adina Porter as Dr. Ramsey * Nicole Cummins as Paramedic Nicole

Production

Development

''Grey's Anatomy'' was renewed by ABC on May 10, 2012. In June 2012, ABC set the premiere date of ''Grey's Anatomy'' to September 27, 2012, and it would remain in the Thursday 9:00pm timeslot that it has had since the third season. In October 2012, it was reported that this season would have the same episode count as season 8, meaning it would have a total of 24 episodes. Shonda Rhimes revealed that the season 9 finale would not revolve around a 'disaster' episode.

Casting

In May 2012, it was announced that 6 original cast-mates,

, James Pickens, Jr. and

had renewed their contracts for another 2 seasons, as

, Alex Karev,

and

respectively. In July 2012, it was announced that cast member

would not be returning to ''Grey's Anatomy'' as a series-regular, and would leave after 2 episodes to give his character a proper ending. In addition,

requested to be released from her contract to spend more time with her family and her character was killed off in the season 8 finale, while

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 '' ...

also departed from the show following the events of the season 8 finale, having declined the offer of a contract extension. Other series regulars,

, and Jesse Williams all returned to the series as regulars, though Capshaw would not have a major role in the first few episodes because of her maternity leave. Eric Dane - White House Correspondents' Association Dinner - cropped

Eric Dane - White House Correspondents' Association Dinner - cropped

In August 2012, it was announced that Camilla Luddington,

and

had been cast as Jo Wilson, Shane Ross, and Heather Brooks respectively; these characters would be the new interns of Seattle Grace-Mercy West. ''

TVGuide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporate ...

'' later reported that even with all of the recurring cast being added to ''Grey's Anatomy'' for the new season that ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on '' The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The ser ...

'' star Camilla Luddington is the only actress with an option to become a series-regular. In September 2012, it was announced that Jerrika Hinton and Tessa Ferrer had been cast as new interns Stephanie Edwards and Leah Murphy respectively. In August 2012, it was announced that Debbie Allen would reprise her role as Catherine Avery at sometime in series, and she is set to direct the third episode. In September 2012, it was announced that Steven Culp would be cast as a new doctor at a new hospital, and would be known as Dr. Parker. In September 2012, it was announced that

, former ''

Boy Meets World ''Boy Meets World'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and his friends and fami ...

'' star, and

would reprise their roles as Dr. Craig Thomas, and Ben Warren respectively. In September 2012, ''TVLine'' reported that ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...

's'' Andrew Leeds had been cast in a potentially recurring role for the ninth season. In December 2012, ''Wetpaint'' reported that

had been cast in a recurring role as Dr. Cahill and would appear in at least 4 episodes. In November 2012, it was announced that

, known for her role in ''Scream'' (1996), would be cast as one of Derek's sisters. It was not until late November that her role was revealed as Liz Shepherd, a therapist. In November 2012, it was announced that in 2013, someone would die on ''Grey's Anatomy''. ''TVGuide'' then reported that Loretta Devine, who is known as Adele Webber, would be reprising her role for 2 episodes, and that she would be the one to die. In November 2012, ''TVLine'' reported that Nip/Tuck alum Roma Maffia was cast in a recurring role as a member of the hospital board. In December 2012, ''TVLineTVLine'' ''and'' ''

Wetpaint Wetpaint was an Internet company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Function(X). Founded in 2005, Wetpaint both published the website Wetpaint Entertainment, focused on entertainment news, and developed a proprietary technology platform, the Socia ...

'' reported that '' Ringer'' and '' Switched at Birth'' star,

, was cast as a paramedic known as Matt. In January 2013, it was announced that

, Jerrika Hinton and Tessa Ferrer were all given the option to become series-regulars if ''Grey's Anatomy'' were to be renewed.

is set to guest-star in an episode in the spring, as ''TVLine'' reported in January 2013. It was announced by ''E! Online'' on March 29, ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'' alumni

will be cast in a recurring role as a specialist in an investigation going on in the hospital. Her character is to arrive on the twenty-second episode of the season. However, this later turned out to be untrue as Burton ended up portraying a specialist doctor named Lauren Boswell.

Reception

Ratings

''Grey's Anatomy's'' ninth season opened up to 11.73 million viewers with a 4.4/12 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. The viewership for the episode was an 11% increase from the previous season premiere, which was viewed by a total of 10.38 million people. The rating was a 7% increase from the previous season premiere, which received a 4.1/10 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. The Nielsen score additionally registered the show as the week's highest-rated drama in the 18–49 demographic. As of December 2012, "Going, Going, Gone" has served as the season's most-viewed episode. "Run, Baby, Run" is the season's least-viewed episode, with 8.17 million viewers and a 2.9/8 Nielsen rating/share in the 18-49 demographic. At the time, the season finale was the series' lowest-watched season finale with 8.99 million viewers and 3.1 in the 18-49 rating demographci.

Live + SD ratings

Live + 7 Day (DVR) ratings

Critical response

The season received positive reviews with critics praising numerous aspects of the long-running medical drama including the bonds of the characters with each other and its connection with the audience. Robert Bianco of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' noted that after 9 seasons, "There's still life left in ''Grey's''." ''What Culture'' gave a positive review for the season, "''Grey's Anatomy'' has developed into a fine example of how a TV show can mature beyond its initial purpose." ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'' called it "a solid return to form." ''TV Fanatic'' gave a largely positive review to the season, "''Grey's Anatomy'' always knows how to bring the drama and they did not fail in the Season 9." Melissa Maerz of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' also gave a positive response stating, "There's still one good reason to keep watching: Where else can you find such deep friendships between co-workers?" Margaret Lyons of ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...

'' wrote that the first part of the season "has been mostly a downer, thanks in part to a whole bunch of people dying at the beginning of the season and also the shocking lack of interesting romances." '' Examiner.com'' reviewing the season finale wrote, " 'Grey's''delivered yet another epic and emotional season finale that pushes our characters in challenging new directions." The site added, "'

' gets 5 out of 5 stars. This storm brought on all kinds of emotional strife and death that truly tests the seasoned doctors and pushes them to their element. They bond together, guiding each other through the dark and as the dust settles from this mayhem, there are casualties of all kinds. The tragedy that leaves us hanging until next fall is one hell of a thrill ride full to the brim with shocks."

DVD release

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey's Anatomy (Season 9) * 2012 American television seasons 2013 American television seasons Grey's Anatomy seasons