The seventh season of the American television

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

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 ...

'', began airing on September 23, 2010 on the

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), and concluded on May 19, 2011 ending the season with a total of 22 episodes. The season was 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 Production Company and

The Mark Gordon Company The Mark Gordon Company (formerly The Meledandri/Gordon Company) is an American production company owned by Mark Gordon. It is notable for their output, including feature films, like ''Speed'', many of Roland Emmerich's films Gordon produced lik ...

; 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

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television producer and screenwriter, and founder of the production company Shondaland. Inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Rhimes became known ...

and head writer

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 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 #10 on their 2023 ranking of the 19 ''

'' seasons.

Synopsis

The season follows the aftermath of the

season 6 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 tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...

shooting, in which

Derek Shepherd Derek Christopher Shepherd, often referred to as "McDreamy" for his "attractiveness", is a fictional surgeon from the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey. He made his first appearance in the series' pilot ep ...

(

Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and racing driver best known for playing neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–15; 2020–21). He is also known for his leading man romantic film roles, such ...

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 ...

), Reed, and Charles are shot, with a total of 11 people dead.

Cristina Yang Cristina Yang, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which has aired for 20 seasons on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the ...

(

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Rita Wu in ''Arliss (TV series), Arliss'' (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in ''Kill ...

) was the most affected by the shooting, quitting her job. Cristina and Owen later marry with "her person", the show's protagonist

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 ...

), as her maid of honor. Meredith and Derek start a clinical trial for

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

, with Meredith suspecting that

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 ...

's ( James Pickens, Jr.) wife Adele (

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of ''Dreamgirls'' (1981), Gloria Mat ...

) may have the condition.

Arizona Robbins Arizona Robbins, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States, and is portrayed by Jessica Capshaw. She was introduced in the show's fifth sea ...

(

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

) leaves for Africa after getting a grant, leaving

Callie Torres Calliope Iphigenia "Callie" Torres, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the ABC in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portr ...

(

Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez Vargas (; born August 31, 1975) is an American actor. Born in Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved from Mexico to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juillia ...

) despondent. She sleeps with 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 Mark Sloan (Grey's Anatomy), Mark Sloan on ' ...

) and gets pregnant. Arizona returns, confessing her love for Callie. Meredith invalidates the trial by ensuring Adele gets the treatment, only to have Alex find out and tell Hunt, and Meredith responds by kicking Alex out of her house. Derek leaves Meredith with Zola.

Lexie Grey Alexandra Caroline "Lexie" Grey, M.D. 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 Chyler Leigh. She was first mentioned in Season 2 befo ...

(

Chyler Leigh Chyler Leigh West (pronounced ; ''née'' Potts; born April 10, 1982), known professionally as Chyler Leigh, is an American actress, singer and model. She is best known for her roles as Janey Briggs in the comedy film '' Not Another Teen Movie' ...

) decides to give Mark a second chance but later starts a relationship with Jackson Avery ( Jesse Williams).

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 ...

) starts a relationship with Andrew Perkins (

James Tupper James Tupper (born August 4, 1965) is a Canadian actor known for his roles as Jack Slattery on the ABC television series '' Men in Trees'', Dr. Chris Sands on the NBC medical drama series '' Mercy'', and David Clarke on ABC's ''Revenge''. He a ...

), a trauma counselor, but later falls for her patient,

Henry Burton Henry Burton may refer to: * Henry Burton (Conservative politician) (1876–1947), British Conservative MP for Sudbury (1924–1945) * Henry Burton (physician) (1799–1849), English physician * Henry Burton (theologian) (1578–1648), English Puri ...

. This season marks the first appearance of

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– ...

as Derek's sister, Dr. Amelia Shepherd, who becomes a series regular in season 11. The season ended with an average of 11.41 million viewers and was ranked #31 in overall viewership and was #9 in the 18-49 key demographic.

won the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama at the

63rd Primetime Emmy Awards The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in prime time television programming from June 1, 2010, until May 31, 2011, were held on Sunday, September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ...

. The season also garnered 7 nominations at the

37th People's Choice Awards The 37th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2010, were held on January 5, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm ET. Queen Latifah was the host for the fif ...

and also won the Outstanding Drama Series at the

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

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.

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 ...

as Dr.

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 ...

* James Pickens, Jr. as Dr.

as Dr.

as Dr. Mark Sloan *

as Dr.

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 ...

as Dr.

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 ...

as Dr.

Sarah Drew Sarah Drew (born October 1, 1980) is an American actress and director. She played Hannah Rogers in The WB family drama series ''Everwood'' (2004–2006) and April Kepner, Dr. April Kepner in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama se ...

as Dr. April Kepner * Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery *

as Dr.

Recurring

as Dr. Andrew Perkins *

Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian television series ''headLand'' (2005–2006) as Sasha Forbes. She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films in ...

as Dr. Lucy Fields *

Peter MacNicol Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play '' Crimes of the Heart''. His film roles include Galen in '' Dragonslayer'' (1981), Stingo in '' Sophie's Choic ...

as Dr. Robert Stark *

Scott Foley Scott Kellerman Foley (born July 15, 1972) is an American actor, director and producer, who is known for roles on shows such as ''The Unit'', '' Scrubs'', '' Felicity'', and ''Scandal''. In film, he's most known as Roman Bridger in ''Scream 3'' ...

as Henry Burton *

Daniel Sunjata Daniel Sunjata (born Daniel Sunjata Condon; December 30, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Franco Rivera in the FX television series '' Rescue Me''. Early life and education Sunjata was born and raised in Evanston, Illino ...

as Nurse Eli *

as Adele Webber * Jeff Perry as Thatcher Grey * Nicole Cummins as Paramedic Nicole

Notable guests

* Kate Walsh as Dr.

Addison Montgomery Addison Adrianne Forbes Montgomery, Doctor of Medicine, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, F.A.C.S., American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, F.A.C.O.G., previously known as Shepherd, is a fictional character who first ap ...

as Dr.

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 ...

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 * Mark Saul as Dr. Steve Mastow *

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...

as Mary Portman *

Ryan Devlin Ryan Devlin is an American actor. He is known for hosting the initial seasons of '' Are You the One?'', as well as his recurring roles in the television series '' Brothers & Sisters, Cougar Town'', ''Veronica Mars'', '' Big Shots'', ''Jane the ...

as Bill Portman *

Frances Conroy Frances Hardman Conroy (born March 15, 1953) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth Fisher on the television series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), for which she won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a ...

as Eleanor *

Diane Farr Diane Farr (born September 7, 1969) is an American actress, producer, and writer. Her television roles have included FBI agent Megan Reeves in '' Numb3rs'', the firefighter Laura Miles in '' Rescue Me'', and the division chief Sharon Leone in ...

as Laila *

Héctor Elizondo Héctor Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American character actor. He is known for playing Phillip Watters in the television series '' Chicago Hope'' (1994–2000) and Ed Alzate in the television series '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021 ...

as Carlos Torres *

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 Foreman as Nora *

Amber Benson Amber Benson (born January 8, 1977) is an American actress, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1999–2002), and has directed, produced and starred in her o ...

as Corrine Henley *

Jamie Chung Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her appea ...

as Trina * Steven W. Bailey as Joe, the Bartender *

Adam Busch Adam Busch is an American actor best known for starring as Warren Mears on the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. Career Busch was born in East Meadow, New York. He had his first film role in the movie ''Léon: The Professional'' ...

as Fred Wilson *

Marina Sirtis Marina Sirtis (; born 29 March 1955) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Counselor Deanna Troi on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and four ''Star Trek'' feature films, as well as other appearances ...

as Sonya *

Nancy Travis Nancy Ann Travis (born September 21, 1961) is an American actress. She began her career on Off-Broadway theater, before her first leading screen role in the ABC television miniseries ''Harem'' opposite Omar Sharif. Her breakthrough came in 1987, ...

as Allison Baker * L. Scott Caldwell as Alison *

Wilmer Calderon Wilmer Calderon (born May 8, 1975) is a Puerto Rican actor of film and television. He is best known for his role as Diego in the Amazon Prime television series ''Borderline'', Detective Daniel Arias in the police drama series '' Bosch'' and as R ...

as Raul Aranda * Toni Torres as Annette Aranda *

Anthony Keyvan Anthony Keyvan (born 13 August 2000) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Love, Victor'' (2021), ''XO, Kitty'' (2023) and The Rookie. Early life Keyvan was born on August 13, 2000, in Long Beach, California Long Beach i ...

as Miguel Aranda *

Amber Stevens Amber Dawn Stevens West (born ) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Ashleigh Howard in the ABC Family series ''Greek'' (2007–2011)'','' Maxine in the NBC sitcom ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017), and Claire Davis in t ...

as Laurel Pinson *

Candice Patton Candice Patton (born ) is an American actress. She portrayed Iris West-Allen in the 2014 television series ''The Flash''. Early life Patton was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and raised in Plano, Texas. She attended Southern Methodist Univer ...

as Meg Waylon *

Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...

as Gladys

Reception

Ratings

Live + SD ratings

Live + 7 Day (DVR) ratings

Critical response

The reviews to the season were mixed-to-positive. Robert Bianco ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' gave a largely positive review stating, "Happily, it now seems to have landed on solid ground, with its best ensemble and most engaging stories in years, the union of Meredith and Derek strengthened it by pushing them into a more mature place", and praising

's performance:" Cristina, who responded last week with a performance that stands with any you're likely to see." ''The TV Addict'' also lauded the season and wrote, "the seventh season of ABC's genre-defining

is good. Is it "great again"? This would imply that it was great before, a memory I wish I could fondly look back on, but can't. I'll admit to have been taken with the doctors of Seattle Grace in their initial seasons: they had chemistry, gave some nice performances", praising the majority cast including Oh's "powerful performance". Jennifer Armstrong of ''

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

'' also praised the season, "Season 7 hasn't relegated the finale's events to a dramatic stunt; rather, it's reveled in the possibilities of rebuilding life in the wake of tragedy." She added "It's in the shooting's emotional reverberations that the show is regenerating after the past few hit-and-miss seasons." Tom Gliatto writing for ''

People Weekly ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the la ...

'' called the season "satisfying", "Grey has been on long enough now that it has lost much of its erotic sizzle--

McDreamy Derek Christopher Shepherd, often referred to as "McDreamy" for his "attractiveness", is a fictional surgeon from the American Broadcasting Company, ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey. He made his first appe ...

is edging toward McNappy--but the satisfyingly-steady seventh season is a model of a hit that keeps fitting new characters into the blueprint." Renee Scolaro Rathke of ''PopMatters'', reviewing the premiere, gave a mixed review, "Unfortunately, the best bits of the premiere were the flashbacks to the finale, though their impact was watered down considerably in the context of an action-less storyline, filled with Grey's usual rambling pontifications." Verne Gay of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' was rather critical of the season stating, "Unfortunately, they've settled on far-too-easy and facile answers for the most part."

DVD release

References

External links

* {{Grey's Anatomy * 2010 American television seasons 2011 American television seasons Grey's Anatomy seasons