Grey's Anatomy is getting a casting shakeup with Season 21, with multiple stars confirmed to leave the show in the upcoming episodes. For what it's worth, fans have been assured by series showrunner Meg Marinis that their exits will be handled properly.
Per TVLine, Marinis recently addressed the future of Jake Borelli and Mika Yasuda after their respective actors, Levi Schmitt and Midori Francis, were confirmed to be leaving in Season 21. Marinis teased that Schmitt and Yasuda aren't necessarily leaving the series forever, hinting at guest appearances to come down the road. While not sharing specific details on how their exits will be handled, the showrunner noted, "What I can tell you is that those characters’ story arcs will always honor the characters that we’ve begun."
Season 21 will be coming with some big returns for fans in addition to significant character exits. This includes Jesse Williams returning as Jackson Avery, who left the series as a main cast member back in Season 17. In addition, it's been reported that Jason George will be returning as a series regular as Dr. Ben Warren after his spinoff series, Station 19, came to an end. It's also been confirmed that Kali Rocha will return as Dr. Sydney Heron, a character who hasn't been seen on the series in 17 years.
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"[Kali Rocha's return is] delightful and fun, and if you’re a longtime fan of the show, it is going to be a great, great treat," Marinis also told TVLine. "Kali is fantastic. The second we heard her voice at the table read, we all had big smiles on our faces… You can think about how our doctors in Season 21 will respond to her. Fans will be very satisfied to see her back.”
In a recent interview, per Tell-Tale TV, Rocha said of her exit, “It was a long time ago that I first went on the show, and then very sweetly, they kept bringing me back in different incarnations as Sydney, but in different jobs. And then it just sort of went away with no real explanation. I think they tried to call once, but I was very heavily pregnant, so it wouldn’t have worked, I think, in the storyline. Then I just sort of forgot about it."
Grey's Anatomy Is Still Going Strong After Nearly Two Decades
The series first premiered on ABC in 2005. Shonda Rhymes is the creator of the series, which is still going strong after nearly two decades. Other cast members include Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Kevin McKidd, Caterina Scorsone, Camilla Luddington, Kim Raver, Chris Carmack, Anthony Hill, Alexis Floyd, Harry Shum Jr., Adelaide Kane, and Niko Terho.
The new season of Grey's Anatomypremiered on Sept. 26.
Source: TVLine