Grey's Anatomy season 18 release date: Ellen Pompeo to return to medical drama

The current run delivered a tragic end for Dr Giacomo Gianniotti's character Andrew DeLuca early on, and more recently said an emotional goodbye to both Dr Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and Dr Tom Koracick (Greg Germann).

The former seems to be making a permanent exit, with fresh projects on the horizon after a long 12-year stint on the medical drama, while the latter has been confirmed as returning for a guest spot in the future.

Showrunner Krista Vernoff told Deadline: "Greg Germann is a comic genius and we are so lucky that he brought his talents to our show these last few years. We will miss Greg terribly in the day to day – but we plan to see Tom Koracick again!”

As for the show's future, original stars Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr are confirmed to be returning for at least one more season – with the potential for even more after that, according to ABC boss Craig Erwich.

"Grey’s Anatomy continues to be a ratings juggernaut,” he said at a press briefing. “The fans loved this season. I thought Grey’s Anatomy did a really incredible job this year telling the stories of all the frontline heroes who are fighting the good fight [against] COVID. We will take Grey’s Anatomy for as long as we can."

Read on for all the details we have so far about Grey's Anatomy season 18.

Grey's Anatomy season 18 release date

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Grey's Anatomy season 17 got started slightly later than usual in the United States, premiering in November as opposed to the show's typical late September slot.

It's unclear whether the show will stick to this new timetable or revert back to its former schedule, but either way, we predict Grey's Anatomy season 18 to begin in the US in Autumn/Winter 2021.

Of course, sometimes fans in the UK have to wait a little bit longer for the show to arrive and that was certainly the case with season 17, which finally made it to Sky Witness in April 2021, where it is currently airing weekly (catch up on NOW).

It's likely that the show will remain with the channel for its next season.

How to watch Grey's Anatomy season 18 in the UK

While there are no confirmed details on when Grey's Anatomy season 18 will be available in the UK, it will most likely be broadcast on Sky Witness and NOW, as has been the case for several years now.

In the meantime, if you want to catch up with earlier seasons (or have a marathon rewatch), Grey's Anatomy seasons one through to 16 are available to stream on both Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video (as of May 2021).

Greys Anatomy season 18 cast

Good news! Grey's Anatomy has secured its three remaining original cast members – Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey), Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey) and James Pickens Jr (Richard Webber) – for the upcoming 18th season.

There had been some doubt over whether the trio would reprise their roles once again, but a return was agreed after what Deadline describes as "lengthy" contract negotiations.

ABC has yet to announce the rest of the cast for season 18, but it's quite possible we'll see more from current stars Kevin McKidd, Kim Raver, Camilla Luddington and Caterina Scorsone, among others.

Greg Germann, who has played Dr Tom Koracick on Grey's Anatomy since season 14, will return as a guest star but his time as a series regular has come to an end.

At least two popular actors will not be returning next season: Jesse Williams (Dr Jackson Avery) is moving on to new projects after a 12-year stint on the show, while Giacomo Gianniotti (Dr Andrew DeLuca) has also departed the series.

Is there a trailer for Grey's Anatomy season 18?

There's no trailer for Grey's Anatomy season 18 just yet, but we'll update this page when the first clips arrive.

What happened in Grey's Anatomy season 17?

It's been an emotional season for longtime viewers of Grey's Anatomy as lead character Meredith Grey has been in a coma for much of it, suffering from a severe case of COVID-19.

The writers have prevented the show from becoming too bleak by gifting Meredith with some touching dream sequences as she lay unconscious, which have taken the form of picturesque beach reunions with long-absent friends.

The confirmed return of Ellen Pompeo next season suggests that Meredith will wake up and recover from her illness, after some fans had worried she could succumb to her serious condition.

Meanwhile, in the real world, life at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital remains very busy indeed, with the one of the biggest developments being Jackson Avery's decision to leave the medical facility.

Following recent traumatic events, he now strives to create "real racial equity" in medicine and will move to Boston in order to work towards that goal.

In Jackson's final episode, which aired in May 2021, Grey's also bid farewell to another of its biggest personalities, that being Dr Tom Koracick (played by Greg Germann), who decided to team up with Jackson on his new endeavour.

However, Koracick isn't leaving the medical drama permanently, as showrunner Krista Vernoff has confirmed the character will return as a guest star in the future.

Grey's Anatomy seasons 1-16 are available to stream on Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.