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Grey's Anatomy is one of the most popular shows because of the genre. Who doesn't love a medical drama with romance? It's also a show that makes you laugh and cry, and since 2005, we've enjoyed every moment of it. The saddest moment is in season 11 when Derek leaves and Meredith has to live without him and raise their three children. Every season has drama and leaves its viewers hooked and wanting more. Well, the show is still going as season 15 will start with a two-hour premiere and fans are ecstatic.
Before we talk about what to expect in the new season, we need to do a recap of season 14. Alex and Jo finally get hitched but before they say "I do," they've got major drama to deal with which will escalate in season 15. Dr. Arizona leaves and moves to New York, and Maggie and Jackson finally kiss after we wondered if something will happen between them. There was also a significant cliffhanger — Teddy's pregnancy. Thankfully we've got season 15 to find out what will happen with Teddy and Owen and the rest of the cast.
Character Changes
In season 14, Dr. Arizona Robbins and Dr. April Kepner left the show because the writers feel reinvention is key to the success of the show. At least the writers replaced them with two characters. Teddy Altman will be coming back as a lead character due to her pregnancy in season 14, and Chris Carmack will be a recurring character in season 15 as an orthopaedic surgeon. All we know is Chris' nickname, which is “Ortho God.” Now that there's no more McDreamy we need a new name. It's unclear what Carmack's character name is or what his role is in the season will be, but we can't wait to find out.
New Storyline For Meredith
Meredith always had romance in her storyline, but in the new season, the writers decided to do something different which will be strange, but it'll be interesting to see a new side to her. Instead of only focusing on romance, viewers will see Meredith's personal arc.
Pompeo hasn't kept quiet about her feelings. "Ellen has spoken very loudly about how she doesn't want all of Meredith's adventures to be romantic ones." Showrunner Krista Vernoff says Meredith will find love, but we don't know who yet.
It's complicated
In the last episode of season 14, Teddy confessed she's pregnant, and it's very likely that's it's Owen's baby, but he's involved with Amelia. Kim Ravers, who plays Teddy, says it'll get complicated because of Owen and Amelia, but she did admit there'll be “fun stories to tell within that triangle story." Vernoff says it won't be a typical love triangle as it'll be different to what happened in the past. It'll be interesting to see what happens and who Owen will end up with.
Meredith's Father Makes A Comeback
Thatcher Grey is back, and it's been 7 years since we saw or last heard about Meredith's father. In the earlier seasons, we knew Thatcher wasn't in Meredith's life, but in season 7, he showed up with abdominal pain. Even though they've got a strained relationship, she still gave Thatcher a part of her liver to save his life. Thatcher's role in the new season is all very secretive for the time being. It could be because Meredith will investigate a medical condition which is close to her family history and background.
It Has A New Theme
Grey's Anatomy does have themes for each season which mainly include drama and heartache, but this yea,r the show is taking a different route. The writers want this season to focus on happy endings. Therefore, the title is, "The Season of Love." Vernoff wants more joy, light, and humor, so there won't be too many dramatic storylines. The theme sounds intriguing, and we wonder what the love part entails. We know Meredith's story involves romance, but it could focus more on Jo and Alex or the love triangle between Teddy, Owen, and Amelia. Vernoff developed the idea after Jo and Alex's wedding in season 14.
There'll Be No Time Warp
The show has previously done a time jump, but according to reports, there'll be no time lapse in the new season. Camilla Luddington, who plays Jo, said there's no massive time jump between the finale of 14 and premier of 15.
"We pick up right where we left off."
Grey's Anatomy typically likes to do time jumps during the premiere of a new season because it sets the tone of the themes and characters. This year, it's different since Teddy's pregnant and they want to show her pregnancy. Plus, we have the whole drama of whether Jo will take her fellowship program.
Season 15 May Not Be The Last
Medical dramas are always a big hit, and the only other medical show like Grey's Anatomy is ER, which also had 15 seasons, but it didn't continue after that. Grey's Anatomy extended its record for a primetime drama, and it appears the show may continue for a while. Ellen is the leading actress, and Shonda Rhimes said it all depends on her.
There may not be an end date for a long time!
Alex And Jo's Future
In episode 24, we got to see Alex and Jo's wedding that we've been waiting forever for. Yes, there was a lot of drama before the couple officially became husband and wife, but that's why we love Grey's Anatomy. The suspense keeps us hooked, and Alex and Jo's drama will continue into season 15 since Justin Chambers and Camilla's contracts were renewed. We don't know their full storyline yet, however. In season 14, we do know Jo was offered a fellowship in Boston and Meredith also offered her a job at Grey Sloan, but we don't know which one she'll choose.
Returning Cast
Ellen Pompeo is the leading actress and there's no sign of her leaving the series anytime soon. Other leading actors sadly left the show such as Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, and Katherine Heigl. Out of the nine originals, four have stayed, Justin has been a regular since season one, and he has no desire to leave. Chandra Wilson, known as Miranda, has also been a character since the beginning and she'll be in season 15 as well. James Pickens, Jr., known as Richard, will also be staying on. Luckily, they never left because it'll be hard saying goodbye to their characters.
Number Of Episodes
Grey's Anatomy premiers on September 27 in the U.S., and it'll be two hours long which is perfect for fans. According to TVLine, season 15 will have 24 episodes just like season 14. Thankfully after season one, it became longer because nine episodes aren't enough. According to IMDB, there are only four episodes so far which means we'll get to enjoy more next year. Season 14 had a mid-season which ended at episode eight and after a long wait, episode nine finally started. Season 15 could have the same format, so be prepared.
Secondary Character Cast Returns
As you know, the four originals are returning, but the characters who came later on the show are also making a comeback in the new episodes. Owen Hunt, played by Kevin McKidd, and Amelia, played by Caterina Scorsone, are coming back because they have a very significant storyline with the love triangle with Teddy. Jesse Simmons, who acts as Jackson, is also returning, Kelly McCreary, who plays Maggie, and Giacomo Gianniotti, who plays Andrew DeLuca, will also reclaim their roles. Maybe we'll find out more about Jackson and Maggie's relationship in the upcoming season since they kissed in the last season.
Scott Speedman Won't Be Returning
Fans were hoping that Nick Marsh would be back, but sadly this isn't the case. We all wanted Nick to come back because of the chemistry between him and Meredith. Nick was a one-time guest, but in that one episode, he managed to make Meredith experience feelings she hasn't felt since Derek. Vernoff said Scott didn't want a recurring character.
There's no hope for Meredith and Nick, but maybe Chris Carmack's new character may be Meredith's new love interest.
Maggie and Jackson's Budding Relationship
In season 14, we got to see Maggie and Jackson kiss, which fans were expecting. Fans aren't too happy about it, though, and have expressed their feelings on Twitter. The pair kissed in an episode after that but weren't officially an couple because of April. April is leaving so there's hope for Jaggie. James Pickens Jr., who plays Maggie's father said,
Sorry haters but this relationship may happen.
Camilla Luddington is Hopeful For Jo
Alex and Jo were a big storyline last year because of the wedding, and they were the primary inspiration for season 15's theme. We know Jo has a work dilemma which will get resolved in the new season. Luddington really wants to find out more about her estranged family.
There aren't much plot secrets revealed, but hopefully, we'll learn more about Jo's family members.
The Baby Saga
We know Teddy is pregnant and we also know there'll be a love triangle, but it's unclear when Teddy will tell Owen. According to McKidd, he'll only find out in the second episode.
Owen also took in a foster child, Leo, and Amelia helped the birth mother, Betty. We can't wait to see how it'll all play out, especially since Teddy comes back into the picture.
Ellen Wants More Medical Facts
The actress has been part of Grey's Anatomy for a very long time which is why she became a producer of the series as well, so she'll have some say in what should be in the show. Grey's Anatomy is a medical drama, but it focuses more on the character's lives instead of the patients or medical storylines. Ellen hopes season 15 will add something different to the mix.
We wonder if Ellen had her way and there'll be more medical occurrences than relationship drama.
Meredith Will Date A lot
Earlier this year, it was still unclear as to whether Meredith will have romance or not. Vernoff said this season would show Meredith as a surgeon and single mother more than previous years, but that there'll still be romance because of the theme.
Pompeo gave fans a sneak peek as to what to expect. “Meredith is going to date, date, date, date, date, just like my friends who are ready to jump back into the dating world do.” It'll be interesting to see Meredith's suitors.
Jo And Alex's Honeymoon
Thankfully, Camilla has revealed a lot about the upcoming season. The next stage is the honeymoon and luckily we'll get to see it.
Luddington said Meredith and Jo might even work together. “She feels like the person she would love to pursue with, because she loved doing things with her, is Meredith." It could mean Jo decides to stay in Seattle and not move to Boston. We're hopeful!
The New Interns
Izzie, Cristina, and George sadly left the series, but since Meredith and Alex aren't interns anymore, we need newbies. Last season, we met the new interns Levi Schmidt, Taryn Helm, Dahlia Qadri, Casey Parker, and Vikram Roy, but they only had small parts and didn't have significant storylines like the other cast mates. It can change, though, as these characters may have a stronger presence in the latest season. To be honest, it would be nice to hear more about the interns and their lives outside of the hospital.
Fans Speculate Which Character Will be next to go
Dr. Richard Webber has been a regular since day one and James Pickens' contract was renewed for season 15. We don't know yet what Dr.Richard's story will entail, but fans speculate that he will be dropped in the new season. It's Grey's Anatomy and there's always someone passing away, but since the new theme focuses on love, there may not be any death. Fans say it's possible since Richard hasn't had a lot of storylines in the recent season. Although Richard said he has no plans of leaving the series, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.
References: Her.ie, Bustle.com, US magazine.com, Entertainment Weekly.com, Tvline.com, Eonline.com, Popsugar.com, Hollywood reporter.com, Digitalspy.com