Over the course of Grey’s Anatomy’s 21 seasons, many characters have come and gone, including Sandra Oh’s Cristina Yang, but the possibility of her return is now higher than ever. Given the nature of the ABC medical drama, doctors filter in and out of Seattle Grace Hospital/Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital quite often. Now, with Grey’s Anatomy in its 21st season, none of the original characters remain, aside from Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey, but even her role is limited. Many have died or moved away, like Cristina at the end of season 10.
Oh’s Cristina was a part of the five original interns at the beginning of Grey’s Anatomy — Meredith, Cristina, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev, and George O’Malley. She remained a series regular until the end of season 10, when Preston Burke offered her his job as the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Klausman Institute for Medical Research in Zurich, Switzerland. With 10 seasons and 220 episodes under her belt, Cristina is a bit of a legend in the Grey’s Anatomy universe. Consequently, her return would be a big deal (to say the least).
Sandra Oh Is Finally Open To Returning As Cristina Yang In Grey’s Anatomy
Oh Always Used To Deny The Possibility Of Playing Cristina Again
After years of insisting that she would never return to Grey’s Anatomy, Sandra Oh has changed her mind (slightly). Instead of adamantly turning down the idea of coming back, the actress is now more open to it. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Oh reflected on her time working on the ABC medical drama and discussed the possibility of reprising her role as Cristina. She said:
“I am glad for the show to use the character as they see fit. Absolutely. The character should still be there to service the story— and so, yay! As for actually physically inhabiting the character of Cristina and coming back…. For the longest time, it has always been a hard no. And it’s just…. I don’t know. I just don’t know. When you finish something, it’s a deep process…. I just cannot tell you…. I can’t stress to you enough how consciously I tried to fully process leaving. I don’t feel the need to revisit, but I also profoundly understand the audience’s love for this character, because I’ve seen it for the past 10 years. That’s the part that makes me just go, hmmm.”
As Oh addressed, she previously always gave a “hard no” as an answer when questioned about her returning to the popular series. After Oh’s Cristina left Grey’s Anatomy in season 10, the actress tried her best to part ways with her character. However, more than a decade after her exit, Oh would consider coming back. Even though Oh doesn’t “feel the need to revisit” Cristina and her story, the chances of her return are greater than ever because she is more uncertain than ever. Cristina’s comeback would never have happened when Oh wasn’t interested in reprising her role. But, now it is.
Grey’s Anatomy’s Recent Character Returns Proves That Cristina Can Easily Come Back
Other Iconic Cast Members Have Returned In Recent Seasons
Since Grey’s Anatomy season 17, the ABC TV series has brought back various memorable characters, meaning Cristina can, too. The season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which, in turn, opened the door for some of the aforementioned returns. While Meredith was in her COVID-induced coma, she dreamed of herself on the beach and encountered many of her loved ones who had died. Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd, T. R. Knight’s George O’Malley, Chyler Leigh’s Lexie Grey, and Eric Dane’s Mark Sloan all showed up next to Meredith on the sand to accompany her while her body was fighting the virus.
With Oh now open to coming back, Grey’s Anatomy must take advantage of this opportunity.
Additionally, Sarah Drew reprised her role as April Kepner in seasons 17 and 18; Kate Walsh returned to play Addison Montgomery in a recurring role in seasons 18 and 19; Jessica Capshaw’s Arizona Robbins appeared in season 20; and Jesse Williams returned as Jackson Avery in the Grey’s Anatomy season 21 premiere. If the writers and producers can figure out ways to bring all these characters back (especially the dead ones), they can easily concoct a storyline that begins with Cristina’s return. With Oh now open to coming back, Grey’s Anatomy must take advantage of this opportunity.
How Can Cristina Yang Come Back To Grey’s Anatomy (And When?)
Cristina Might Return For Meredith
Grey’s Anatomy has kept Cristina and her friendship with Meredith alive, even in Sandra Oh’s absence. Whether through correspondence between the two women or a body double, Cristina is still very much a part of this fictional universe. As a result, it should be easy for the writers and producers to create a scenario that revolves around Cristina’s return in a future Grey’s Anatomy episode (or two). Of course, it would likely have to be related to Meredith, meaning Ellen Pompeo’s involvement is necessary.
Perhaps Meredith needs Cristina’s help with her Alzheimer’s research. Or a tragedy could bring Cristina back to Seattle (this is Grey’s Anatomy, after all). Whatever the case, fans would likely have to wait until Grey’s Anatomy season 22 to see if and/or why Oh reprises her role as Cristina.