'Grey's Anatomy' season 16: Fans are rooting for Kate Walsh's return, but will Sara Ramirez or Sandra Oh come back?
With a mix of relationship woes and critical medical cases, 'Grey's Anatomy' is all set to return with its sixteenth season. Officially the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history, the new season will pick up right where the last one ended. In the new trailer, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) can be seen in an orange jumpsuit with a broomstick. It seems she has taken up community service after being fired from the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
For hard-core fans, there is a piece of delightful news. "I’m trying to get someone back," showrunner Krista Vernoff teased to TVLine at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. "There’s someone I’m hoping will make an appearance this year, [but] it’s a real maybe. I’m trying."
Over the years, the halls of Grey Sloan have seen umpteen actors enter and exit. Going by Vernoff's comment, it is not clear if it is a long-time series cast member or a memorable one-off guest star who will come back. While there has been no official confirmation on who it might be, fans are excited to see their favorite characters on screen and most of them have voted for Kate Walsh — who played Derek Shepherd's estranged wife Dr. Addison Montgomery. Walsh left the show after three seasons to star in her own spin-off.
"Please God let it be Kate Walsh. If anyone thinks it’s Patrick Dempsey is living in fantasy land," one Twitter user wrote, while another one posted: "Addison Montgomery is the only option I will accept." "Bring back Addison @katewalsh my fingers & toes are crossed," another fan wrote and one tweet read: "My bet is Addison or Callie since Sara isn't on MS anymore. Callie doesn't make sense without Sofia & Arizona though."
Another fan favorite is Patrick Dempsey's iconic character Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd himself, who was one of the most charming surgeons on the show. It is said that the actor abruptly resigned as chief in season 7 following the shooting. His character Shepherd died after a tragic car accident in season 11, episode 21 titled 'How to Save a Life', but he did return as McDreamy's ghost in season 15's 'Day of the Dead' episode.
Nevertheless, getting McDreamy back may just be wishful thinking and more realistic guesses would be Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) or Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh). Oh has expressed her love for the former show but she is currently busy filming the third season of 'Killing Eve'. Jessica Capshaw (Arizona Robbins) and Sarah Drew (April Kepner) are some other actors who could possibly be back.
As the first episode premieres on ABC this Thursday on September 26, it will be interesting to see which alumnus actually gets the opportunity to star in the series again.