'Grey's Anatomy': Jesse Williams Set to Return for Seasons 16 and 17

Jesse Williams put an end to weeks of speculation about his future on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. The actor will be back for Seasons 16 and 17 to play Dr. Jackson Avery.

Williams was the only Grey's Anatomy star not signed for the new seasons, and his recent decision to star on Broadway led to some assuming he might be done with the show.

However, he agreed to return although Deadline reports he will only do a "limited number" of episodes for Season 16 because of his stage commitments. It is too early to know exactly how many episodes Williams will appear in.

Williams signed on to star in a revival of Richard Greenberg's Take Me Out for the Second Stage Theater. The production will start on April 2, 2020, with an official opening scheduled for April 23.

Jackson was introduced in Season 6 and has become a fan favorite ever since. In the Season 15 finale, his fate was one of the many cliffhangers. He was seen leaving his car after a fight with girlfriend Maggie (Kelly McCreary) and walking into a shroud of fog. He was not seen again before the episode ended.

"Disappearing Jackson into the fog felt really unexpected and it felt like the beginning [of a new journey]," Grey's showrunner Krista Vernoff told Entertainment Tonight after the finale aired. "It felt a little bit like in the previous scene, we completed our 'season of love' and in the final scene we teased the beginning of next season."

"The fact that Jackson disappeared at one point this season and the fact that he fell suddenly at the end of one act in the finale, both of those things helped mislead," Vernoff continued. "You didn't expect that Jackson was actually going to disappear when he took that walk into the fog. Whereas when characters walk off into the fog on Grey's Anatomy, traditionally you get really worried. But we didn't expect Jackson to disappear again because we played that beat."

In May, ABC made the unprecedented decision to renew Grey's Anatomy for Seasons 16 and 17, with star Ellen Pompeo signed for both. Pompeo reportedly signed on through 2021, adding to her two-year, $20 million contract.

"I keep saying, 'I"m ready to move on and I want to stop the show before the ratings go down,' but the ratings never go down!" Pompeo told TVLine in January. "They go down a little bit, but the fact that we are able to hold our [title as ABC's No. 1 series] is kind [incredible]. It's very cool to have these kind of ratings and be on a hit network show in this landscape."

The Grey's Anatomy spin-off Station 19 was also renewed for its third season. Both shows will be back in the fall.

Photo credit: ABC