The American medical drama series “Grey’s Anatomy” returns on March 14 for its 20th season after two years of absence from television. The cast is slightly different from the previous season, but the prominent characters remain. However, season 20 will be the first to feature Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) as the recurring character. The actress expressed her desire to experience different roles for the rest of her career, so she decided not to appear regularly in the forthcoming season and remain an executive producer.
The main cast includes Sandra Oh, Patrick Dempsey, Chandra Wilson, Justin Chambers, Katherine Heigl, T.R. Knight, Isaiah Washington, and James Pickens Jr. The only original cast members that remain in season 20 are Chandra Wilson’s Miranda Bailey and Jams Pickens Jr. 's Richard Webber.
Due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, the production of the new season was delayed, leading to a short run of 10 episodes. ABC released the first two episodes on March 14 and March 21, which continue the story from the previous season.
The new season follows the renewed storyline of Meredith, who has to reconsider her plans after going through a hard time. Every character is involved in unexpected incidents: a patient’s death poses a challenge for all the interns, Richard confides in Bailey, and Teddy’s fate is revealed.
The beginning of season 20 gained positive reception, with 5.49 million viewers in total in the first episode. According to the announced schedules, Grey’s Anatomy season 20 will premiere on Thursday every week from 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The audience can also watch the new season on Hulu the next day.