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Ellen Pompeo is back for Grey's Anatomy season 21 (and for more episodes than expected!)

When Ellen Pompeo stepped back from Grey's Anatomy, we were concerned. Fortunately, the series is still going strong, and we will get to see more of Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy season 21 than we initially thought we would.

ByAlexandria Ingham|
GREYÕS ANATOMY - ÒNever Felt So AloneÓ - ItÕs all hands on deck at Grey Sloan when a group of medical students is injured by a floor collapsing at their white coat party. Jo and Link are forced to talk about the future, while Jules confronts Winston about his attitude. THURSDAY, APRIL 11 (9:00-10:01 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Anne Marie Fox) ELLEN POMPEO
GREYÕS ANATOMY - ÒNever Felt So AloneÓ - ItÕs all hands on deck at Grey Sloan when a group of medical students is injured by a floor collapsing at their white coat party. Jo and Link are forced to talk about the future, while Jules confronts Winston about his attitude. THURSDAY, APRIL 11 (9:00-10:01 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Anne Marie Fox) ELLEN POMPEO

We always wondered if there would be a Grey’s Anatomy without Meredith Grey. The show offered a way that it could be done over the last couple of seasons when Ellen Pompeo took a step back.

She will be in Grey’s Anatomy season 21. There is no way she can’t be with the storyline surrounding her Alzheimer’s research. On top of that, we see her in the trailer for the season. It turns out she’ll be in more episodes than we initially expected.

Why did Ellen Pompeo leave Grey’s Anatomy?

Pompeo opted to step back from the series, reducing her appearances to just eight episodes of Grey’s Anatomy season 19. Then in season 20, she was in just four out of the 10 episodes that aired. This was a shortened season due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in the summer of 2023, so it made sense to reduce her inclusion in the show as well.

The initial reason to step back was because she went into the Hulu limited series Natalia. The series has now finished production, and Pompeo has confirmed that she will be back for the 21st season of Grey’s Anatomy.

ELLEN POMPEO in Grey's Anatomy
GREYÕS ANATOMY - ÒIÕll Follow the SunÓ - On MeredithÕs last day at Grey Sloan, the doctors plan a goodbye surprise and Nick confronts her about the future of their relationship. The interns compete to scrub in on a groundbreaking procedure, and Richard asks Teddy an important question. THURSDAY, FEB. 23 (9:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC) ELLEN POMPEO

Pompeo didn’t walk away completely, though. She is still an executive producer on the series, and she narrates the start of every single episode. She’s an important part of the series, but we would love to see her back for more episodes!

We'll see Meredith in at least seven episodes of season 21

We’ll see Meredith in at least seven episodes of the series. The Hollywood Reporter shares that since Natalia has now wrapped production, we could see Pompeo back for more.

It has been clear from the trailer that Meredith would be in the premiere episode of the season. She’s being sued by Catherine Fox for her Alzheimer’s research. When Catherine refused to let Meredith take her research in a different direction, she did it secretly with her sister-in-law Amelia. That has turned out fruitful, but now Catherine has learned the truth. Seeing it’s optimistic, Catherine naturally wants it but she refuses to let Meredith work on it.

Well, do you really think Meredith is going to let Catherine walk all over her? Not a chance, which is the reason for the lawsuit. Who will win out? Catherine has the money, but Meredith is certainly one stubborn woman!

Grey’s Anatomy season 21 premiered on Thursday, Sept. 26. New episodes air every Thursday and stream the following day on Hulu.

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