Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo says Meredith Grey may return to the show in the future following her exit in season 19. Pompeo has played Meredith as a series regular on Grey’s Anatomy since season 1, but left the show during season 19. In the show, Meredith moved to Boston to research Alzheimer’s with the Catherine Fox Foundation. Pompeo did return for a guest appearance in the season 19 finale, indicating she isn’t gone for good.
Speaking with Variety, Pompeo revealed she may be returning in Grey’s Anatomy season 20 for guest appearances similar to when she showed up at the end of season 19. She elaborated on the story reasons for Meredith’s Grey’s Anatomy exit while discussing how her Alzheimer’s research could bring her back. Check out what Pompeo had to say below:
It’s a little bit of trickery, because I’m not completely gone. Actually, the storyline is very cool. There’s a lot of real research that’s chang ing very rapidly about Alzheimer’s disease and about what they believe is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s pretty controversial. So Meredith’s character left to go to Boston because her daughter needed to go to a special school. I will be making some appearances hopefully next year, if I can find some time.
Will Meredith Return In Grey’s Anatomy Season 20?
Meredith came back for Grey’s Anatomy season 19’s ending, making a breakthrough in her Alzheimer’s research. She also gathered the courage to tell her boyfriend, surgeon Nick Marsh, that she loves him, which she’d been unable to bring herself to do throughout the season. While Meredith is no longer a series regular in Grey’s Anatomy, the end of season 19 established her story is far from over.
Since Pompeo wants to come back to Grey’s Anatomy if she’s able to, the show can continue to check in on Meredith’s life, even if it’s not a focal point of the series. This means Meredith could still be part of major Grey’s Anatomy storylines, even if her presence is minimal. As Meredith continues her Alzheimer’s research in Boston, there’s no doubt her future visits to Grey Sloan Memorial will be significant.
While some have criticized Meredith’s Grey’s Anatomy exit as lackluster, it’s no surprise the show would want to keep Meredith’s story going. Meredith was the original central protagonist of Grey’s Anatomy, so never seeing her again after season 19 would not be satisfying. With her possible return in a few episodes of season 20, it seems Grey’s Anatomy is far from done with giving Meredith more to do, even if she’ll no longer appears on a regular basis.