Mark Your Calendars! Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Is Dropping Sooner Than You Think

Grey’s Anatomy isn’t going anywhere.

The long-running ABC medical drama was renewed for its 22nd season in April 2025, ahead of the finale of season 21. As the drama heads into the latest installment, the producers say its longevity comes down to more than just fan loyalty.

“I still think it’s a really fun show to watch,” executive producer Betsy Beers told Collider in February 2025. “The great thing is, it’s a situation where you can bring people in and people leave, and people come back, and new people come in, and there’s always an engine for new personalities, new conflicts.”

She continued, “The great thing and the sad thing about medicine is it’s always changing, and there are always new cases.”

So what can fans expect when Grey Sloan Memorial opens its doors again? Here’s everything to know about season 22 of the long-running drama.

Will there be a Grey’s Anatomy season 22?

Yes, Grey’s Anatomy has been renewed for a 22nd season. The next installment was confirmed in April 2025 by Deadline. The series holds the record for the longest-running primetime medical drama and the longest-running primetime scripted series on ABC.

The following month, the show’s Instagram account celebrated the latest finale and mentioned the new episodes on Instagram.

“That’s a wrap on Season 21. 💥 We will see you Thursdays this Fall for Season 22!!!!” read the post’s caption.

How did Grey’s Anatomy season 21 end?

The final episode of Grey’s Anatomy’s 21st season was explosive in more ways than one. Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) faced a harrowing case involving a 9-year-old girl named Dylan Gatlin with locked-in syndrome, whose surgery had to be delayed until her brain bleed stabilized.

Desperate to save her daughter, Jenna Gatlin (Piper Perabo) threatened to blow up the hospital unless Amelia intervened. The OR team managed to save Dylan before Jenna could act, though a forgotten valve left the building vulnerable.

In the final moments, an explosion tore through the surgical floor — a chilling parallel to season 13, when Meredith Grey watched the hospital burn from the parking lot. Executive producer and showrunner Meg Marinis told Variety in May 2025 that the callback was no accident.

“In the past, we’ve had people threaten the hospital — we’ve seen Gary Clark in the shooter episode [at the end of Season 6],” she said. “But we were like, ‘What does it look like when a destroyed mom does it?’ So we did a twist on this story and wanted to do a nostalgic ‘Grey’s’ finale where you don’t know who lives and who dies.”

Who is in the Grey’s Anatomy season 22 cast? 

Deadline reported that most of the main cast is set to return for the upcoming season, including Scorsone, Chandra Wilson (who plays Dr. Miranda Bailey), James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber), Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt), Kim Raver (Dr. Teddy Altman) and Camilla Luddington (Dr. Jo Wilson).

Only two series departures have been confirmed for season 22: Jake Borelli, who has played Dr. Levi Schmitt since 2017, and Midori Francis, who played surgical intern Mika Yasuda since 2022.

Marinis told TV Line in September 2024 that fans are “going to see those characters again.”

The fate of Dr. Atticus “Link” Lincoln, played by Chris Carmack since 2018, was left open-ended after his character was caught in an explosion in the season 21 finale. The actor told Woman’s World in June 2025 that “anything can happen.”

“We left Season 21 on a precarious note, especially for my character,” he said. “I don’t know what I can share because I don’t know anything yet. The writers are working on Season 22, and the show has been picked up.”

Carmack cheekily added: “Wait—now that I think about it, I haven’t gotten the call yet saying, ‘See ya in July.’ ”

Is Ellen Pompeo returning for Grey’s Anatomy season 22? 

Pompeo will continue to serve as both an executive producer and the narrator of Grey’s Anatomy in season 22, Deadline reported. However, she’s also expected to reprise the iconic role of Meredith, which she stepped back from in season 20.

It’s unclear to what extent her character will be present during this upcoming installment. In the season 21 finale, Meredith agreed to spend her summers working in the O.R. in exchange for lab space to continue her Alzheimer’s research. This shift may mean more screen time for Pompeo, though she has yet to confirm.

In an April 2025 interview with El País, the actress revealed that she had no plans to leave Grey’s Anatomy completely as it “would make no sense, emotionally or financially.”

“[Grey’s Anatomy] was streamed more than a billion times in 2024,” she said. “The companies that own the show and stream the show make a lot of money from our images and our voices and our faces. If I were to walk away completely, everybody gets to make money from my hard work for 20 years.”

Marinis hasn’t confirmed if Pompeo’s love interest, Dr. Nick Marsh (played by Scott Speedman), will also return for season 22. But she told Deadline in June 2025 that they “love Scott” and the fictional power couple is “still together.”

When is the Grey’s Anatomy season 22 release date?

Season 22 of Grey’s Anatomy will premiere on Oct. 9, 2025, at 10 p.m.

The medical drama’s release date was moved up one week, per Deadline.

Where can I watch Grey’s Anatomy?

All 21 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy are available to stream on Netflix and Hulu.