‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Ellen Pompeo to Appear in Fewer Episodes for Season 19

Grey’s Anatomy fans are not likely to enjoy the news that series star Ellen Pompeo will appear in fewer episodes for Season 19. According to Deadline, the Meredith Gray actress will only appear in eight episodes of the new season. It s currently unclear exactly how many episodes will be in Season 19, but we speculate that it will be 20 or more, meaning that Pompeo could miss more than half of the season.

The reason that Pompeo is taking a step back from Grey’s Anatomy seems to be due to a forthcoming Hulu series that she is starring in. The show is a limited series inspired by the true story of Ukrainian-born Natalia Grace and her adoptive parents in the United States who alleged that she was actually an adult “sociopath” who was only pretending to be a minor. The true story is similar to the plot of the 2009 horror film Orphan, about a family that adopts a young Russian girl who turns out to be a murderous adult with a hormonal disorder that makes her appear to be a child. However, Grace’s story actually came after the film was released, per Screen Rant.

While fans won’t see as much of Pompeo when the new season of Grey’s Anatomy debuts on Thursday, Oct. 6, there are still a number of storylines left to follow. The Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 finale aired on Thursday, May 26, and the big episode left the fate of several characters in limbo. One of the biggest questions that fans had beforehand was, would this episode find Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) leaving Seattle’s Grey Sloan hospital for good, and we now know the answer. 

We can confidently say that the episode made it clear Meredith had no plans of going anywhere. For now, at least. Many other characters’ futures are not so certain, though. After the teaching hospital was closed, Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) seems to have an unclear role at the medical facility, indicating that he could potentially move on.

Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) are now on the run after Owen’s physician-assisted suicide program was divulged. Finally, following a confrontation with Meredith, Dr. Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) left the hospital, potentially heading back to his home state of Minnesota. At this time, no one from the cast has announced an exit, so fans will just have to tune in next season to see how all these storylines develop.