Grey's Anatomy boss explains why they brought in the original star for season 17 premiere
Here are spoilers for Grey's Anatomy season 17.
Grey's Anatomy boss Krista Vernoff has explained why she chose to bring back original star Patrick Dempsey in the season 17 premiere.
In a move that no one saw coming, the first episode of the new facility, which aired last night (November 12) in the US, saw Ellen Pompeo's Meredith pass out outside the hospital and have visions of her late husband Derek. Shepherd, who was killed towards the end of season 11.
Now, the showrunner has opened up about why they wanted to bring a little "pure joy" to viewers right now. "The most important task we had this season was to honor the reality of this global pandemic and the impact it is having, especially on healthcare workers," he said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter).
"Along with that, we had to come up with creative ways to allow our show to remain fun and romantic and provide some escapism. Enter Patrick Dempsey.
"The beach motif, which will continue beyond the premiere, gave us a way to live outside of the pandemic, even for a time here and there," Vernoff continued. "And Derek's return was pure joy for us, for Meredith and for the fans."
Elsewhere, she went on to say that the entire season required a "herculean" effort due to the limitations of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and that the cast, crew and writers are "proud" of what they have created.
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"Our effort is nothing compared to the work of our frontline healthcare workers to whom it is dedicated this season," added Vernoff. "We hope our show inspires them to wear their masks to protect themselves and others. As Derek Shepherd would say, 'It's a beautiful day to save lives.'
When asked by Deadline how long Dempsey will stay as season 17 continues, Vernoff said that Derek will appear in scenes other than the one viewers saw in the first episode.
Grey's Anatomy
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"In a weird way, the behind-the-scenes of the show is definitely a parallel to what we need, with the stories we publish. What do we love about the show? We love that the show brings people together," interjected Pompeo.
"We love that the show will hopefully open people's minds, open people's hearts, and I think, in running the show and running the show, if we follow those same principles, if we follow the principles first of love, acceptance, open mind, open heart, forgiveness, all that is, that is Grey's message. "
Grey's Anatomy continues next Thursday (November 19) on ABC in the US It airs on Sky Witness in the UK with select episodes also available on NOW TV and Amazon Prime Video.
