Spoiler alert! This story contains major spoilers for Grey’s Anatomy’s November 14 episode “If You Leave.” Episodes can be streamed with a Hulu subscription if you need to catch up.
We knew we were losing some Grey’s Anatomy cast members when the 21st season hit the 2024 TV schedule, but as we bid farewell to Levi Schmitt on Thursday’s emotional episode “If You Leave,” the long-running medical drama surprised us with a couple of unexpected exits. We’re still processing everything as we head into next week’s fall finale, including Levi’s promises to Jo that he would return to visit. Is it true that we’ll see him again? Jake Borelli weighed in on his character’s future, including a pretty great spinoff idea.
Jake Borelli Talks Potential Future Return To Grey’s Anatomy
One of the biggest surprises of the November 14 episode was Levi telling his new boyfriend, hospital chaplain James (Michael Thomas Grant) that he was falling in love with him and asking James to move to Texas with him, rather than try a long-distance relationship. The chaplain immediatly quit his job at the hospital, and just like that, one Grey’s Anatomy’s exit became two. THR asked Jake Borelli if we might see more of them down the road, and the actor was optimistic, saying:
Fingers crossed. I think there’s a lot more story there, so we’ll see absolutely — maybe a spinoff in Texas. I’m pitching very quietly behind the scenes. My working title is Holy Schmitt.
I’m not sure if Jake Borelli really is pitching this spinoff, but it’s actually a genius idea. After Fleabag’s Hot Priest and Nobody Wants This’ Hot Rabbi, Michael Thomas Grant absolutely should lean into the Hot Chaplain of it all. And that title? *chef’s kiss*
Whether or not that pans out, Jake Borelli still sees a future where Levi will be back at Grey Sloan in some capacity, if only to visit his BFF Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) when she gives birth to her twins. He told Deadline:
I’m very hopeful that Levi will come back. I think the audience is interested to see what Levi is up to, I certainly am. He has so many connections to people still at the hospital, like you said, Jo, so I couldn’t imagine the birth of those babies without Levi bending the world to get there.
Spoken like the most devoted godfather! Either way, Jake Borelli’s character got to go out on a super high note, proving how good of a doctor he’s become and (with a little help from a near-death helicopter experience) finding his passion for pediatrics. The actor continued:
We’ll see what [showrunner Meg Marinis] does. I think we also have this wonderful opportunity to have him grow off camera, and then to have him come back at some point and really be this boss that we know he can be. We’ll see what’s in store for the future of the show.
Speaking of the future of the show, Levi and James weren’t the only characters we lost in “If You Leave,” and now we’re left wondering what’s going to happen to Mika Yasuda.
Mika Yasuda Survives The Crash But Suffers A Major Loss
It was announced before Season 21 premiered that Midori Francis was returning just long enough to wrap her storyline, so when her character was in that horrible car wreck in last week’s cliffhanger, I was really worried Mika was going to be killed off. She survived the latest episode (barely), but her sister did not. The injuries that Chloe Yasuda (Julia Rose) suffered on top of the chemotherapy she’d just undergone were too much for her body to take.
We weren’t expecting to lose Chloe so soon, and it’s heartbreaking to know that Mika’s exit from the show is still yet to come. Tune in at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, November 21, on ABC to see if the fall finale answers our questions about Mika, especially in regards to her relationship with Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane).