Grey’s Anatomy is definitely killing some characters off in season 22 — but the big question is who?
During the May finale of the hit ABC series, Piper Perabo played a mother of a patient who brought a highly flammable acetylene tank into the operating room to force Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) to perform a high-risk surgery to save her daughter. The hostage situation also put interns Simone (Alexis Floyd) and Adams (Niko Terho) at risk, who Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) tried to save before it was too late.
Despite performing the operation successfully, the tank was accidentally opened, which let the flammable contents leak onto the operating floor. The final moments of the finale showed an explosion that only Meredith and Warren (Jason George) officially survived — for now.
Showrunner Meg Marinis wouldn’t confirm who was injured in the blast but she made it clear that almost no one was guaranteed to return for season 22.
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“Well, I feel like a lot of people are probably sitting in operating rooms,” she told The Hollywood Reporter that same month. “So unless you saw them and where they were when that explosion went off, I don’t think we can say anyone is necessarily safe.”
Marinis noted that she spoke with the cast about what to expect, adding, “I’ve had conversations with some of them, but they all know it’s a Grey’s Anatomy cliffhanger and they know every year they never know what to expect. They’re here for it. They like to keep our stories exciting and fresh.”
At the time, no decisions were yet made on who could return – and who wouldn’t.
“But even in the last two seasons with what you saw this year, we had to reduce the cast a little bit [because of industry-wide budget cuts], and everybody has very passionate feelings about their favorite characters,” Marinis shared. “But if we can get the writers upset then we know we’re doing it right. It’s not as satisfying a story if people aren’t upset when someone leaves. It’s supposed to make people upset and sad, so I’m sure there’ll be some arguments. But I’ve been persuaded before to change my mind on things.”
She continued: “I definitely have thoughts. Whether or not those thoughts change, that can always happen. I haven’t put pen to paper yet, but it’ll be very soon that I do.”
Keep scrolling to find out what the cast has teased about who might not return in season 22:
Camilla Luddington
“I have no idea. I have a text chain going on with so many cast members that are like, ‘What do you think?’” Luddington exclusively told Us Weekly in June. “And we — Nobody knows. No one knows, which is terrifying.”
Luddington, who has played Dr. Jo Wilson since season 9, is always worried about her character’s future. “We’ve seen too much, and we know too much,” she continued. “There’s not a single season I’m not worried about.”
In response to fan theory that Luddington’s onscreen husband Chris Carmack’s future could be in danger, she added, “I just hope he’s alive. And if there’s injury — what that is and what that looks like — I have no idea. So I feel like that is on my mind.”
Luddington concluded: “I just hope that my [onscreen] husband is OK. Because she’s gonna need that support and they need it from each other. So I think it’s gonna throw a wrench in things and it’s gonna be a lot. They have two kids and two kids on the way.”
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Chris Carmack
Since Link wasn’t seen outside of the hospital, he is also on the list of possible victims.
“I hope we get to next season, right?” Carmack told Us in May. “I mean, hey, I’m not gonna give anything away.”
One month later, Carmack was still unsure about his future on Grey’s Anatomy. “I don’t know what I can share because I don’t know anything yet,” he told Woman’s World. “Wait — now that I think about it. I haven’t gotten the call yet saying, ‘See ya in July.’”
Harry Shum Jr.
“Hopefully [it is] not me. Then hopefully, it’s some weird thing where it’s in someone’s mind,” Shum Jr., who joined the show in season 19 as Dr. Benson “Blue” Kwan, told Us in June. “I don’t know, but I don’t think that that’s the case. So we’ll see.”
Shum Jr. was concerned about his future on the medical drama.
“When the writers come to say, ‘Hey, I need to talk to you about something,’ it’s always like, ‘Oh, please don’t be that reason.’ But you know, that’s what keeps everyone on their toes. I think that’s why people love it,” he added. “This particular one — everyone that I’ve encountered — even fans that have come up to me and said this one was just a cliffhanger that they haven’t felt before. That is saying a lot. There’s a lot of cliffhangers that they’ve gone through. So it was nice to hear that.”
