Grey’s Anatomy’s 21st season hit the 2024 TV schedule last week, promising plenty of drama with the interns’ love lives, the return of more than one former cast member and a big secret between Meredith Grey and Catherine Fox. It was a pretty eventful way to make its 10 p.m. timeslot debut, after being pushed back an hour on Thursdays to accommodate a second ABC medical drama, Doctor Odyssey. Could the move mean steamier stories are ahead? Showrunner Meg Marinis shared her thoughts.
Since its premiere in 2005, Grey’s Anatomy has typically occupied the 8 or 9 p.m. ET timeslot, but this season’s shift to 10 p.m. could give the writers a little more space if they want to turn the heat up on the hospital hookups, as networks generally allow spicier content later in the evening. Meg Marinis was asked if the show would be taking advantage of the opportunity by pushing the boundaries, and she told THR:
This is our first year at 10 p.m. I mean, I’ll push whatever boundaries they’ll let me push. But I’ll say, the show will still be the show. If we can get a few more risqué subject matters or steamy scenes, we’ll do it. But I won’t do it just for the sake of a time slot. We’re Grey’s Anatomy, people will find us wherever we are.
It’s a pretty confident answer from the showrunner, but not a clear yes or no. Meg Marinis is secure in the product that has continued to attract an audience for 21 seasons, so she’s not going to make Grey’s Anatomy more provocative just because she can. Change for the sake of change isn’t the same as progress, after all.
That said, the ABC medical drama has never been afraid to take leaps, break boundaries or try new things, and it's definitely never shied away from sex-centered storylines. I’m excited to see if we might get some racier romance scenes this season, but it’s good to know that we don’t have to worry about any changes in the overall tone.
The later timeslot could be used to their advantage when it comes to the interns, as Jules Millin and Mika Yasuda (Adelaide Kane and Midori Francis, respectively) paid off last season’s flirtations with a kiss that surely raised the temperatures in rooms around the country. Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd) and Lucas Adams (Niko Terho) appear to be back on, as well, after Lucas turned down a job offer in Chicago.
Elsewhere in the episode, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) learned just how bad Catherine Fox’s (Debbie Allen) cancer had gotten, with the Fox Foundation head blackmailing Dr. Grey into keeping that a secret from her husband and son.
Speaking of Jackson Avery, Jesse Williams returned in the Season 21 premiere, and I’m curious to see if and how often he’ll appear again, and if he’s ever going to bring April Kepner (Sarah Drew) with him! Kali Rocha is also back for the first time since Season 4 as Sydney Heron, and viewers saw Ben Warren (Jason George) make his official return to Grey’s Anatomy after Station 19 became a casualty of the 2024 TV cancellations.
Tune in at 10 p.m. ET Thursdays on ABC to see how Meg Marinis takes advantage of her late-night post. Grey’s Anatomy is one of the best shows to binge on Netflix right now, but Season 21 episodes are only available to stream with a Hulu subscription.