There have been many questions about the fate of Grey’s Anatomy, especially with concerns over budgets. When we learned that Teddy and Owen would be leaving the series during the Season 22 finale, there was a little bit of hope. This would ease off the cast budgets to allow the show to go on.
Variety shared that Grey’s Anatomy Season 23 is officially happening. While this is the big question that we now have an answer to, there are more questions.
Will the Original Grey’s Anatomy Characters Remain?
There are now only three original characters attached to Grey’s, and only two of them are around most of the time. Richard Webber and Miranda Bailey, played by James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson respectively, continue to have major storylines this season, and we’re hoping to see them again! Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, has been physically on the show less, but Meredith is still the one narrating the series.
It’s expected to see the three return, but we don’t know the capacity as of yet. We’ll likely see something similar to what we do now, where Meredith is back for a small number of episodes and Bailey and Webber are seen routinely, but not in every episode.
We know Kim Raver and Kevin McKidd are leaving, but there’s no word on any of the other series regulars just yet. Part of the budget issue is the large ensemble cast, and it’s possible more may have to leave to make it work. Alternatively, the show could keep doing what it does now, where not everyone gets screentime each week.
How Many Episodes Will Be In Grey’s Anatomy Season 23?
We are expecting to see a shorter episode count, but that hasn’t been confirmed as of yet. Recent seasons have been between 18 and 20 episodes, but it’s looking like we’re going to see a further reduction.
This, again, is due to budget restraints. Cutting by just a couple of episodes can save hundreds of thousands in the budget, and it’s a way to help cut costs without laying other people off. The cost of creating TV has gone up at a time when more people wait to watch on streaming platforms, affecting the stability of broadcast networks.
We’re sure to see it remain on Thursday nights to wrap up the TGIT lineup, but we’ll find out more in May 2026 when the Upfronts take place. We won’t get to know when the season will premiere until a little later in the summer, but we’re expecting sometime at the end of September or the start of October 2026.
Grey’s Anatomy airs on Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.
