‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 17 Premiere Reveals a Surprise Appearance
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read until you have watched the season 17 premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
“Grey’s Anatomy” didn’t hold back in its two-hour season premiere Thursday, which was dedicated to frontline healthcare workers.
Patrick Dempsey returned as Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd in a dream sequence, five years after his death shocked fans.
The topical and moving storyline looked at Meredith and Bailey and the other hospital workers battling the coronavirus with a PPE shortage and increasing COVID deaths.
“The most important task we had this season was to honor the reality of this global pandemic and the impact it’s having — particularly on healthcare workers,” said showrunner/EP Krista Vernoff in a statement. “Along with that we had to come up with creative ways to allow our show to still be fun and romantic and provide some escapism. Enter Patrick Dempsey. The beach motif — which will continue beyond the premiere — provided a way for us to live outside the pandemic even for a little while here and there. And Derek’s return provided pure joy for us, for Meredith, and for the fans.
“Season 17 has been a Herculean effort by our cast, our crew, our writers, and our partners at Disney and ABC — and we are proud of it. But our effort is nothing compared to the work of our Frontline healthcare workers to whom this season is dedicated. We hope our show inspires you to wear your masks to protect them and each other. As Derek Shepherd would say, ‘It’s a beautiful day to save lives.'”
Dempsey will return in next week’s episode — watch the promo for the episode “My Happy Ending Above.”
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