New docs on the block! Grey’s Anatomy will feature a few fresh faces when season 19 premieres this fall — and the residents all have very different backstories.
During the season 18 finale, which aired in May, viewers said goodbye to Grey Sloan’s surgical residents following the shutdown on the teaching program. The new season will see the return of the program, but the aspiring doctors who are learning from Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and her peers will be new.
On July 19, ABC announced the newest cast member: Alexis Floyd. She will portray first-year surgical resident Simone Griffin, who has a complicated history with the hospital, per Deadline.
The Inventing Anna alum, 28, is no stranger to Shonda Rhimes’ TV world, having played Neff on the 2022 miniseries. In fact, Floyd says she welcomes the challenge of coming into the beloved medical drama nearly 20 years after it premiered.
“Grey’s Anatomy, like all of Shonda’s canon, is a genre redefining show that remains masterfully committed to diversity, relevancy and vulnerability,” Floyd told Deadline in July. “Joining the cast in its 19th season is an immeasurable honor, and quite simply, it’s gonna be wicked fun.”
ABC has since added Niko Terho, Midori Francis, Adelaide Kane and Harry Shum Jr. to the roster of newbie residents. They will play Lucas Adams, Mika Yasuda, Jules Millin and Daniel “Blue” Kwan, respectively.
The teaching program shakeup isn’t the only drama awaiting the Grey Sloan workers when season 19 kicks off. Season 18 ended with multiple OG stars questioning their careers. Chandra Wilson’s Miranda Bailey, for example, stepped down as chief of surgery.
James Pickens Jr.’s Richard Webber, for his part, went on a sabbatical after the dismantling of the program, leaving Meredith as the new chief of surgery. While the role is exciting for Meredith, it threw a wrench in the surgeon’s plan to move to Minnesota with Nick (Scott Speedman). The couple’s relationship status is up in the air for now — as is Pompeo’s future as the show’s lead.
While the Old School actress signed on for season 19 in January, she has teased the possibility of the drama continuing without her in the future.
“We’re going to try to keep it going for the young people, not necessarily with me, but keep it going beyond me,” Pompeo, 52, told Entertainment Tonight in May, noting that “continually trying to reinvent the show is the challenge at this point.”
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
Season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy premieres on ABC Thursday, October 6, at 9 p.m. ET.
Scroll down to learn more about the show’s newest residents:
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tr%2FMmp6aspmjsm%2BvzqZmnqakmr%2B1rcinpJ6mpGS9qq%2FTrqmeq1%2Bcv6bF0maYp5mkpLq6edKemKynnmJ%2BennMnpytZaSdsm66xLBkq52jnrGmutOsZJqbpKS%2FtHs%3D