Presumably, Grey’s Anatomy intended for us to spend the summer worrying that Kim Raver was going to be killed off. In the last moments of the Season 19 finale Thursday — read the full recap here — her Teddy Altman collapsed before beginning what was supposed to be life-saving surgery on Sam Sutton (guest star Sam Page).
But shortly before the two-parter kicked off, our sister site Deadline revealed the results of the cast’s Season 20 contract negotiations, and guess what: Raver has re-upped. So we no longer have to fret that Teddy’s spouse Owen Hunt will be unsuccessful in his efforts to resuscitate her and left to raise Leo and Allison alone.
In addition to Raver, Kevin McKidd, who has played Owen since Season 5, Camilla Luddington, who first scrubbed in as Jo Wilson in Season 9, and Private Practice vet Caterina Scorsone, who made her first Grey’s Anatomy appearance as Amelia Shepherd back in Season 7, have also signed on the dotted line.
Thankfully, so have the show’s two remaining OGs, Chandra Wilson, aka Miranda Bailey, and James Pickens Jr., whose recovering alcoholic Richard Webber ended the season with — ruh-roh — a vodka tonic in hand.
At this point, there has been no word as to how involved in Season 20 Ellen Pompeo will be as Meredith Grey. But since the leading lady remains an executive producer — and her character just challenged the traditional approach to curing Alzheimer’s disease — it’s a safe bet that she will pop up again. And again. And… you get the idea.
Are you annoyed that Grey’s Anatomy’s cliffhanger was spoiled? Or did you never really believe that Teddy was a goner in the first place? Hit the comments with your reactions.