Grey’s Anatomy has seen a lot of characters come and go in its twenty-two seasons. One character didn’t survive this year’s season finale. The season is just getting started, which means a lot more drama for viewers. The preview for the next episode reveals a fan favorite’s return. Keep reading to find out who is coming back.
Grey’s Anatomy Fans Angry Over Season Premiere Death
Grey’s Anatomy‘s season finales are some of the best in television today. The beloved characters from the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle, Washington, always find themselves in danger. A hospital explosion in the Season 21 finale in May 2025 left several characters in danger.
Fans eagerly awaited the fates of Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson,) Link (Chris Carmack,) and more characters in the blast zone. Only Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Ben Warren (Jason George) were revealed as safe in the Season 21 finale.
The Season 22 premiere in September picked up where the finale left off and revealed the fates of several characters. While many viewers thought Link would be the one killed off, the show went in another direction.
Dr. Monica Beltran (Natalie Morales) was the only one who didn’t survive, and fans still aren’t happy about it. Many viewers called the show out for killing off another LGBTQ+ character.
Fan Favorite Confirmed Back In Preview Video
Things are mostly back to normal in the fictional hospital. One character took a leave of absence in the wake of Dr. Beltran’s death, but it’s business as usual for nearly everyone else. A fan favorite doctor returns to Grey’s Anatomy in the next episode on October 30. The teaser for the upcoming episode shows Dr. Jackson Avery back at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in a tense confrontation with another character.
Jesse Williams played the character for twelve seasons before leaving in 2021. He’s returned several times since then, most recently in Season 21. His return in Season 18 confirmed that Avery was back together with April (Sarah Drew.)
The actor made his Broadway debut in 2022 after leaving the ABC show. He currently stars in Hotel Costiera on Prime Video.
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However, it seems that Avery returns to the hospital solo. The trailer briefly shows him walking (and arguing) with Meredith Grey. Avery took over his family’s foundation after his mother’s illness. He seems to be confronting Meredith over her lack of research on Alzheimer’s disease, a cause she’s championed for years.
Elsewhere in the trailer, Teddy (Kim Raver) shares an intimate moment with Cass (Sophia Bush.) The couple then has an awkward encounter with Teddy’s ex, Owen (Kevin McKidd.)
ABC hasn’t revealed how many episodes Jesse Williams is in this season. Tune in on Thursday, October 30, to find out why Avery is back in Seattle and angry at Meredith.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
