8 Ways Grey’s Anatomy Characters Can Return For Season 20
Grey’s Anatomy is currently preparing for season 20, and the show has already proven that there’s always a way to bring back characters.
Grey’s Anatomy has become known for how it handles the departure of its characters, especially its most popular ones, but luckily, some of them can still return for season 20. Grey’s Anatomy has become one of the longest-running medical dramas in TV history, and it shows no signs of stopping even though its title character, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), has left. Grey’s Anatomy hasn’t been safe from controversies, and some of these have been the result of how the writers have handled the goodbyes of many of its characters.
While not every main character who has left Grey’s Anatomy has been killed, many were written off in ways that didn’t fit their stories or were simply too tragic. Grey’s Anatomy has proven it can bring back any character, even those who have died, as it did during Meredith’s COVID storyline, but there are many others who are still alive that can return at some point. With Grey’s Anatomy preparing for season 20, and with its future beyond that still unclear, it’s a great opportunity for some characters to come back – and here’s who and how can return in Grey’s Anatomy season 20.
8.Cormac Hayes
Cormac Hayes (Richard Flood) was the Head of Pediatric Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and one of Meredith Grey’s love interests. Cormac made his debut in Grey’s Anatomy season 16, when he got a job at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital after working at the Klausman Institute for Medical Research in Zurich, Switzerland. Hayes worked with Cristina Yang, who was key in his getting the job at Grey Sloan.
Once at Grey Sloan, Hayes developed a friendship with Owen Hunt, which was a big part of the reason why he ended up leaving the hospital. In Grey’s Anatomy season 18, Hayes learned that Hunt had been secretly euthanizing veterans, and while he was qualified to do that, he was planning to help veterans that didn’t qualify for the program of assisted death. As this is a felony, Hayes was put in a difficult position, so he chose to leave the hospital instead of ratting on his friend. Now that Owen has paid for what he did, Hayes doesn’t have to hide anymore, so he’s free to return to Grey Sloan to assist the rest of the staff.
7.Alex Karev
Grey’s Anatomy has seen many controversial exits, and Alex Karev’s (Justin Chambers) is one of them. Karev was the Head of Pediatric Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and one of Meredith’s closest friends. Karev was one of the original interns of Grey’s Anatomy, starting his career at the same time as Meredith, Izzie, Cristina, and more, and he’s one of the characters that went through the best character development. Unfortunately, everything that Karev had built came crashing down with his abrupt and out-of-place exit. Alex went to Iowa to supposedly help his mom, but that wasn’t true, and he told his wife, Jo, that he was “going through something” before he stopped answering her calls.
It was later revealed through letters he left for Meredith, Jo, Miranda Bailey, and Richard Webber that he had reconnected with Izzie, and learned that she had twins thanks to frozen embryos. This meant that Izzie’s children were Alex’s, so he decided to move in with them and left Jo and Seattle. Alex Karev’s story was left incomplete, and Grey’s Anatomy season 20 would be a great opportunity to bring him back and address the loose ends in his story, finally giving him the closure he deserves.
6.Cristina Yang
One of the most unforgettable but also slightly controversial exits in Grey’s Anatomy was that of Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Meredith’s best friend and “person”. Cristina stood out from her colleagues for being fiercely competitive, focused, and knowledgeable, but also for having trouble conveying her emotions. One of Cristina’s most emotional moments was her relationship with Preston Burke, who left her on their wedding day. Because of this, it came as a surprise that Burke played a key role in Cristina leaving Grey Sloan.
In Grey’s Anatomy season 10, Burke offered Cristina a job as the head of the hospital he founded in Switzerland, as he was leaving to move with his family. Cristina accepted, and she moved to Zurich to become a researcher, Chief Medical Officer, and Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Klausman Institute for Medical Research. Cristina briefly returned to Seattle for Derek Shepherd’s funeral, but she can make a proper return in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, and the best way to do so is if Richard Webber finally retires this season. The writers of Grey’s Anatomy would surely want to bring the surviving interns from season 1 back to say goodbye to Webber, so it’s a perfect way to bring Cristina Yang back.
5.Arizona Robbins
Another departure that didn’t go well due to how it was handled was that of Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw). Arizona Robbins was the Head of Fetal Surgery and Attending Pediatric Surgeon at Grey Sloan, and she’s best remembered for her complicated relationship with Callie Torres. Following the plane crash that led to Arizona’s leg being amputated by Callie, their relationship deteriorated and they ended up divorcing, but that was only the beginning of a series of problems for both. Arizona and Callie got into a custody battle over their daughter, Sofia, that started when Callie wanted to move to New York with Penny and take Sofia with her.
Arizona eventually won but ended up sharing Sofia with Callie. Some time later, Sofia moved back to Seattle, but she was unhappy as she missed her school, friends, and Callie. Arizona then decided to move to New York so Sofia could be close to her and Callie, and she left Grey’s Anatomy. Arizona hasn’t returned to the series ever since, but Grey Sloan could use her Pediatric expertise, which would be a great excuse to bring her back in season 20 for a couple of episodes.
4.Jackson Avery
Jackson Avery (Jesse Willians) joined Grey Sloan as part of the merger with Mercy West, and became Head of Plastic Surgery. Jackson left Grey’s Anatomy in season 17 when he decided to make a change through his family’s foundation, the Harper Avery Foundation, after experiencing severe racial inequity in medicine. Jackson appeared in Grey’s Anatomy season 19 when Meredith visited him in Boston, and they discussed her desire to cure Alzheimer’s. Jackson assured Meredith she will have unlimited resources at his hospital, and she accepted the offer to move to Boston.
Jackson’s involvement in the foundation and this new link to Meredith and her research, leaves the door wide open for his return in Grey’s Anatomy season 20. In addition to that, Jackson is one of Grey’s Anatomy’s many legacy characters, and his brief returns are a treat to viewers, making his return for a couple of episodes (or even just one) in Grey’s Anatomy season 20 a lot more likely.
3.Maggie Pierce
Although Grey’s Anatomy season 19 saw the departure of Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary), that doesn’t mean she can’t come back for a couple of episodes in season 20. Maggie Pierce was the Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Grey Sloan, and she’s also Meredith’s half-sister, as she’s the daughter of Ellis Grey and Richard Webber. Maggie is married to Winston Ndugu, and at the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 19, they decided to stay married but apart, as Maggie moved to Chicago. It’s through her marriage to Winston that Maggie can return in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, even if not necessarily as part of Grey Sloan’s staff.
2.Addison Montgomery
Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) is another Grey’s Anatomy legacy character that can easily be brought back in season 20. Addison left Grey’s Anatomy in season 3 and starred in her own spinoff series, Private Practice, but she continued to make sporadic appearances in Grey’s Anatomy as she assisted various surgeries over the years. Addison returned briefly in Grey’s Anatomy season 18 and made a proper comeback in season 19 for five episodes, so she could return once more in season 20 to continue to assist the Grey Sloan crew, who can always use her expertise.
1.Meredith Grey
Grey’s Anatomy season 19 was the first one to not have Meredith as the main character throughout the whole season. Meredith made the big decision of moving to Boston to continue her Alzheimer’s research, and it’s this research that can keep bringing her back to Seattle. Meredith’s hunch on the research and coming clean about the goal of her whole research can have big repercussions in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, and given how important this research is not just to Meredith but the series in general, it will continue being a focal point even if Meredith is no longer in Seattle. Ellen Pompeo has confirmed she will return, though not in a main role, so there will be more Meredith Grey for, at least, one more season of Grey’s Anatomy.