The sixteenth season of the American television medical drama ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'' was ordered on May 10, 2019, by

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...

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

ABC Studios ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio's ...

, 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 and producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her fir ...

Production Company and Entertainment One Television; the

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

being

Krista Vernoff Krista Vernoff (born October 24, 1971) is an American television screenwriter, executive producer and director. She is best known for being the showrunner for ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2007–11, 2017–2023) and its spin-off, ''Station 19'' (2019–202 ...

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

Meredith Grey Meredith Grey M.D., F.A.C.S., (born 1977 or 1978) 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 c ...

(

Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances on ''Forbes'' year-end lists. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a ...

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

Andrew DeLuca Andrea "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, and is portrayed by Giacomo Gianniotti. Gianniotti was cast in April 2015, and his charact ...

( Giacomo Gianniotti), who begins to spiral into bipolar mania.

Alex Karev Alexander Michael "Alex" 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, Ka ...

(

Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005-20). Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High School, South Charleston, and later studi ...

) and

Richard Webber Richard Webber, M.D., Ph.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 series' incepti ...

( 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 long-running medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', created by Shonda Rhimes and portrayed by Chandra Wilson since the series' debut in 2005. Bailey has appeared in 387 episodes across ...

(

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

). Other storylines include

Teddy Altman Theodora Grace "Teddy" Altman, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, and is portrayed by Kim Raver. She was introduced as a recurring cha ...

(

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

)'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" M ...

) in the wake of her engagement to

Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, 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) i ...

(

Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director best known as Dr. Owen Hunt in ''Grey's Anatomy'' and Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting'' (1996). McKidd played Colin in the 2008 film Made of Hono ...

);

Amelia Shepherd Amelia Frances Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC American television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy ''and the series '' Private Practice'', portrayed by Caterina Scorsone. Amelia was introduced in Season 3 of ''Privat ...

(

Caterina Scorsone Caterina Scorsone is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as neurosurgeon Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2010–present) and its spin-offs '' Private Practice'' (2010–2013) and ''Station 19'' (2020– ...

)'s surprise pregnancy, with the baby's paternity brought into question; Jackson Avery ( Jesse Williams) and

Maggie Pierce Margaret "Maggie" Pierce, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a fictional character from the medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), portrayed by Kelly McCreary. Created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, Maggie fi ...

( Kelly McCreary)'s break up; Miranda Bailey's miscarriage; and

Jo Karev Josephine "Jo" Alice Wilson (previously Karev) and 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. The ...

(

Camilla Luddington Camilla Anne Luddington (born 15 December 1983) is an English actress, best known for her role as Dr. Jo Wilson in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. She is also known for voicing Lara Croft in the ''Tomb Raider'' video games and ...

)'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 used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...

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 Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and model. She portrayed Izzie Stevens, Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role that b ...

'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 On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...

. 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. The website

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...

ranked the season #16 on their 2023 ranking of the 19 ''

'' seasons.

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.

* James Pickens Jr. as Dr.

as Dr.

* Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery *

as Dr.

* Kelly McCreary as Dr.

* Giacomo Gianniotti 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'' (2017–2024). Earl ...

as Dr.

Levi Schmitt Levi Schmitt, 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 is portrayed by Jake Borelli. Levi is introduced a ...

Chris Carmack Chris 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 music drama ...

as Dr. Atticus "Link" Lincoln

Recurring

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

as Dr. Ben Warren * Richard Flood as Dr. Cormac Hayes *

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

as Dr. Catherine Fox *

Stefania Spampinato Stefania Spampinato (born 17 July 1982) is an Italian actress. She is best known for starring in the series ABC's ''Grey's Anatomy'' and the ''Grey's Anatomy'' spinoff ''Station 19'' as Dr. Carina DeLuca, an Italian OB-GYN. Life and career ...

as Dr. Carina DeLuca * Alex Blue Davis as Dr. Casey Parker * Jaicy Elliot as Dr. Taryn Helm * Sophia Ali 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'' and '' Station 19''. Early life and education Landi was born in New York City. His ...

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. From 2018 to 2024, she starred as ...

as Lt. Andrea "Andy" Herrera *

Cleo King Cleo King (born August 21, 1962) 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 ...

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 to a G ...

as Nancy Klein *

Barrett Doss Barrett Doss 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 when she was a child, an ...

as Victoria "Vic" Hughes *

Devin Way Devin Way (born May 31, 1992) is an American actor and model. He starred in the Peacock drama series '' Queer as Folk'' and in 2024 joined the cast of BET comedy-drama series, '' Sistas''. Life and career Way was born in Lufkin, Texas, and gradu ...

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 currently voices List of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss characters#Millie, Millie in the a ...

as Dr. Hannah Brody *

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

as Gemma Larson * Noah Alexander Gerry as Joey Phillips *

Sarah Rafferty Sarah Rafferty (born December 6, 1972) is an American actress, best known for her role as Donna Roberta Paulsen on the USA Network legal drama '' Suits'' and for her role as Katherine Walter on the American teen drama ''My Life with the Walter Bo ...

as Suzanne * Lindy Booth as Hadley * Shoshannah Stern 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. Known for her work in television dramas, her career spans over four decades. Combs started her career in the 1980s with small roles on television soap operas a ...

as Heidi Peterson *

Alyssa Milano Alyssa Jayne Milano ( ; born December 19, 1972) is an American actress and activist. She has played Samantha Micelli in '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992), Jennifer Mancini in '' Melrose Place'' (1997–1998), Phoebe Halliwell in '' Charmed'' ...

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 Lisa Ann Walter (born August 3, 1963) is an American actress, comedian, and television producer, best known for her roles as Chessy the housekeeper in the romantic comedy film '' The Parent Trap'' (1998) and Melissa Schemmenti on the ABC mockum ...

as Shirley Gregory * Granville Ames as Eric Lincoln *

Bess Armstrong Elizabeth Key "Bess" Armstrong (born December 11, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' The Four Seasons'' (1981), '' High Road to China'' (1983), ''Jaws 3-D'' (1983), and ''Nothing in Common'' (1986). Armstrong ...

as Maureen Lincoln * Skyler Shaye 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) Livin ...

as Patricia Murphy *

Rachel Bay Jones Rachel Bay Jones 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 an Daytime Emmy Award, ...

as Carly *

Miguel Sandoval Miguel Sandoval (born November 16, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role on the NBC/ CBS drama series '' Medium'' (2005–2011), where he played D.A. Manuel Devalos. Biography Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began wo ...

as Captain Pruitt Herrera *

Okieriete Onaodowan Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan ( ) is an American actor and singer known for his work in musical theatre and television. On stage, he is known for originating the dual roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the 2015 Broadway musical ''Hamil ...

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 in May 2015, Damon co-starr ...

as LT Jack Gibson *

Danielle Savre Danielle Savre (born August 26, 1988) is an American actress. 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 ''Grey's Anatomy'' s ...

as Captain Maya Bishop *

James Saito James Saito is an American actor. Saito is best known as the original Shredder in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', Dr. Chen in the ABC series ''Eli Stone'', Harry Kim in the Netflix film ''Always Be My Maybe'', and Kenji in '' Modern Love''. ...

as Hershel Roberts *

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

as Lorraine Simms *

Isidora Goreshter Isidora Goreshter (born October 24, 1981) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Svetlana on the American TV series '' Shameless'' from seasons 3 to 8. Early life Goreshter was born and raised in Long Beach, California, where s ...

as Paula *

Beanie Feldstein Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein (born June 24, 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. She is best known for her starring role as Kitty Forman in the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) and its Netflix sequel series ''That '90s Show'' (2023–2024). Rupp also ...

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'' (1998), Japheth in the NBC televi ...

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 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 '' The Originals''. Lif ...

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 Richard Flood 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

External links

* {{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