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Upcoming Episodes / Appearances

Mar 30- Live with Kelly and Ryan (Harry Shum Jr., syndicated)

Mar 30- Pick Yourself Up (New!, 9pm ABC)

Apr 6- Cowgirls Don’t Cry (New!, 9pm ABC)

Apr 13- Shadow of Your Love (New!, 9pm ABC)

Apr 13- Mama Who Bore Me (New!, 10pm ABC)

May 18- Grey’s Anatomy (Two-hour season finale, Ellen Pompeo returns)

Wednesdays- Devils (Patrick Dempsey, CW)

Thursdays 8pm- Station 19 (Jason George, ABC)

Tuesdays- Supergirl (Chyler Leigh, CW)

Netflix- Firefly Lane (Katherine Heigl)

Hulu- 11.22.63 (T.R. Knight)

Netflix- 13 Reasons Why (Kate Walsh)

Website: Private Practice

DVD- Grey's Anatomy: Season 14

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DVD: Grey's Anatomy: Season 10

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DVD- Grey's Anatomy: Season 8

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News, Rumors and Gossip

‘Firefly Lane’: Trailer For Final Episodes Of Netflix Series Tease Big Reunion

The two lifelong friends had been estranged for awhile after Kate (Sarah Chalke) severed ties following the car accident Tully (Katherine Heigl) got into with Kate and Johnny’s daughter Darah in the car. Kate had a change of heart in the Season 2 midseason finale. After getting diagnosed with cancer, she found herself knocking on Tully’s door, only to miss her by a minute as Tully, heartbroken over the dissolution of their friendship, took off to film a documentary in Antarctica.

The Season 2B trailer starts with a glimpse at Tully’s stay in Antarctica and ends with Tully and Kate’s big reunion. The final episodes of the series, which drop April 27, also will fill in some gaps in earlier time periods, including Kate’s relationship with one-time British boyfriend Theo, who proposes to her in the trailer, as well as Johnny’s first wedding to Kate (and possibly his first proposal too). It also provides some “revealing” Tully-Danny updates.

You can watch the trailer above.

Firefly Lane, which is ending with the current second season, was created by Maggie Friedman based on the book by Kristin Hannah. Friedman serves as executive producer and showrunner. Heigl and Shawn Williamson also executive produce alongside Michael Spiller and Stephanie Germain.

Debbie Allen guests on S.W.A.T. 4/7/23

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Renewed For Season 20 – Will Ellen Pompeo Return?

For the past several years, ABC had renewed Grey’s Anatomy and spinoff Station 19 in tandem. I hear deals for Station 19 are still being worked out and the first responder drama is likely coming back.

After the big sendoff episode for Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey in the midseason premiere, she will be returning for the Season 19 finale of Grey’s Anatomy on May 18. While there is no acting deal for her beyond this season, I hear there is likelihood that she will appear on the show next season. Pompeo remains an executive producer on Grey’s, and provides the voiceover that opens and closes each episode.

In a recent interview, she hinted that she may not be done playing Meredith Grey, and I hear the showrunner change on Grey’s may increase the probability of her reprising her role in Season 20.

The contracts for several other longtime Grey’s cast members are also up this season, I hear, including Kevin McKidd (Owen), Kim Raver (Teddy), Camilla Luddington (Jo) and Caterina Scorsone (Amelia). Producing studio ABC Signature would have to make new deals with any of them to come back.

Grey’s Anatomy is wrapping up a transformational season, with Pompeo stepping back, Kelly McCreary leaving and five new main characters joining the show, played by Harry Shum Jr., Adelaide Kane, Alexis Floyd, Niko Terho, and Midori Francis. The new cast additions have been mostly well received, with most — in not all — expected to be picked up for another season.

Nineteen seasons in, Grey’s Anatomy still ranks as ABC’s #1 entertainment series this season in adults 18-49. It is among the season’s Top 5 highest-rated dramas in the demo (#5-tie). Grey’s Anatomy averages 10.7 million total viewers after 35 days of delayed viewing across linear and digital platforms to rank as ABC’s #1 entertainment series in delayed multi-platform viewing.

Marinis is repped by UTA and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum.

Grey's Anatomy Recap: Did a Shocking Act of Violence Just Kill [Spoiler]?

‘I’VE SEEN THE DESPERATION, I’VE SEEN THE PAIN, I’VE SEEN THE LIVES LOST’ | As “Training Day” began, Bailey coaxed Pru to brush her teeth (with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”), Trey FaceTimed Simone to make wedding plans (no, Griffith; just no), and Owen reveled in the fact that he could once again play doctor without supervision. Wasting no time, he ordered everything in trauma reverted back to his m.o., not Winston’s (even though Winston had bought everyone lunch on Fridays). Meanwhile, the residents groused about the fact that Lucas had forgotten to pay the gas bill — no hot water at Mer’s former house; painful. After Addison arrived on the scene, newly extra (in)famous after a Chicago Tribune article, she, Bailey and Jo welcomed their out-of-state advocacy fellows. At the same time, Maggie urged a young woman named Jessica to accept a lung transplant over a two-lung transplant that wasn’t available, owing to the fact that she’d been waiting for two years to breathe easy. All the while, protesters grew louder and rowdier outside the hospital’s doors.

Post-first commercial break, a guy named Ryan was ambulanced in with blunt force trauma to the chest. (Welcome back, Hunt.) Turned out, Ryan was Jessica’s boyfriend and supposed to donate that much-needed lung to her. At the rate that his condition was declining, though, he might soon have two available, it seemed. Oh dear — it was his lungs that had been injured. Scratch that, then. Alone with Maggie, Nick admitted that he had told Mer that he loved her and she’d pretended that she hadn’t heard him. “She’s complicated,” Pierce said. Mm, that’s one way to put it. While Maggie rode Lucas hard over his prioritizing household issues, Amelia offered him no help. Scrubbing in for surgery, Jules invited Simone to shower at her place. In the O.R., Winston threw a Hail Mary to save Ryan’s lung for later transplant; all the patient had to do was, uh, live. Outside, Lucas confided in Nick how lost he was since Mer had left. He wanted to think that he was there because of his own merits, but… erm. In response, Nick reassured Shep that Mer wouldn’t have accepted him to the program out of sentimentality.

‘YOU MADE ME A PLAYLIST… FOR MY ABORTION?’ | Thanks to the protesters, security wanted to close the clinic. “Stay open, call for backup,” Teddy told Bailey and Addison. Nearby, Mika and Blue treated a young woman who had come in for an abortion. With her: her BFF, who was also pregnant and wanted to be. As Addison marveled at the excellence of the OB/GYN trainees, Bailey encouraged her to come back for monthly sessions. Just then, a brick came flying through the window and knocked Blue to the ground, bleeding! (“Montgomery murders” was written on it.) While Mika was treating Blue, one of the trainees admitted that she’d posted on social media about her plans for the day. She was mortified that she had accidentally directed protesters to Addison and the clinic. Seeing the direction in which the day was going, Bailey explained to the young doctors that the clinic was named after her mom and, like her mom had, they had to help each other up. Just then, the young woman having an abortion announced that her friend’s water had broken.

Shortly, Bailey found Addison crying in a supply closet. “I got a bulletproof vest,” Montgomery admitted. “Clinics are being set on fire… ” Acid is being thrown at doctors. Addison’s cellphone number has been put online. Her family has been terrorized. But “I’m not gonna quit,” Addison assured Miranda. How she was going to go on, however, remained a big question mark. Understandably, she was not doing well. Teddy was large and in charge, however. As clinic patients flooded the hospital since they were unable to get into the clinic, she said that no, they were not closing the ER. As the protesters grew ever louder, the woman in labor became ever more panicked. Bailey calmed her by singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” (What doesn’t that work for? It soon became a full-on sing-along!) Overhearing from the supply closet, Addison appeared to be buoyed. So much so that she pitched in to deliver the baby, who was momentarily stuck.

‘CAN YOU PLEASE QUIET YOUR VOICES SO I CAN HEAR THE ONE IN MY HEAD?’ | As the hour drew to a close, Jessica asked Lucas if she could stick around post-discharge so that she could see Ryan when he came out of surgery. Not only could she, she recalled aloud to him their first kiss. “You changed my life in an instant,” she told him. (How awkward for Simone standing there with Lucas.) Richard congratulated Teddy on making it through a challenging day. Lucas shared a brainstorm with Nick that might help Jessica. In turn, Marsh revealed that he had needed help to become a good doctor, too. He even showed Lucas how to present a case to Maggie in a better way. Between surgeries, Simone told Trey that she wanted to get married asap — like next month, so that her grandma could attend. Owen encouraged Winston not to change specialties after seeing what he pulled off in the O.R. that day. Finally, as the hospital staff was led out by security, the pregnant OB/GYN trainee and Addison were struck by a protester’s car as they talked.

Kelly McCreary Leaving ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ After 9 Seasons As Maggie Pierce

“After nine seasons, I am saying goodbye to Maggie Pierce and her Grey Sloan family,” said McCreary who thanked Grey’s Anatomy creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes, executive producer/showrunner Krista Vernoff, and ABC for the opportunity to be a part of the “legendary television institution” that the long-running medical drama is. “Playing Maggie Pierce has been one of the true joys of my life, and I leave with profound gratitude for every step of this journey. I am excited for this next chapter, and what the future holds.” (You can read McCreary’s farewell message in full below and take a look at her character through the years.)

Like was the case with Pompeo, whose Meredith Grey left Seattle in the midseason premiere, Pierce’s Grey’s exit also has been carefully planned. I hear she approached the producers ahead of time about her desire to leave and pursue other opportunities, which led to Maggie’s Season 19 arc being crafted as the character’s final chapter at Grey Sloan, building toward her upcoming exit. That final storyline has revolved largely around Maggie and Winston’s (Anthony Hill) deepening marital problems.

“Kelly McCreary is a writer’s dream come true; brilliant, nuanced, thoughtful, and kind,” Vernoff said. “We will deeply miss her and her beautifully crafted Dr. Maggie Pierce.”

Known for her perfectionism and drive to be in control, Maggie was introduced in the penultimate episode of Season 10. In a finale bombshell, it was revealed an episode later that Maggie was the biological daughter of Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Meredith’s late mother, Ellis Grey (Kate Burton).

McCreary returned in Season 11, starting off as a recurring and quickly getting promoted to a series regular. She has been a member of the core cast ever since, only taking a short break at the start of Season 18 in the fall of 2021 when she gave birth to her first child with director Pete Chatmon, whom she had met on the set of Grey’s Anatomy.

There has been a lot of heartbreak for Maggie through the years. She was with her mom as she lost her cancer battle, and she also met a cousin who later died on her operating table.

Maggie went through several relationships, most notably with DeLuca and Jackson, until she met Winston, one of her residents at Tufts who followed her to Seattle. They married during Grey’s Covid-themed Season 17, holding two weddings, a smaller one in Meredith’s back yard and a larger one on the beach.

The first signs of trouble for Maggie and Winston came in the Season 18 finale when she questioned whether the two did not marry too quickly without getting to know each other well. He quickly erased her doubts with an emotional speech about their love for each other.

However, Winston’s well-intentioned idea to change specialties and leave cardio in order to protect their marriage soon created a new rift. They have been arguing ever since and famously fought in the attic of Meredith’s house as it got hit by lightning, starting a fire. Even as they pulled off a professional “miracle” by performing successfully a first-of-its-kind risky partial heart transplant surgery on a newborn baby, Winston and Maggie continued to drift apart, which led to her moving in with Amelia and seeking advice from her dad.

At the end of last week’s episode, Maggie tearfully asked Richard how he and Catherine knew that what they were going through “was just a rough patch and it wasn’t something more… malignant.” While Richard was reassuring, the way his words were intertwined with Meredith’s end-of-episode voiceover made the exchange ominous. The scene culminated with Richard saying, “Whatever’s going on, you and Winston have so much love between you that whatever it is, you work through it, I know you will,” followed by Meredith’s line, “Sometimes, despite our schooling and centuries of medical advancement, the disease wins.”

Kelly McCreary on leaving Grey’s Anatomy:

After nine seasons, I am saying goodbye to Maggie Pierce and her Grey Sloan family. It has been a tremendous honor to be a part of such a legendary television institution as Grey’s Anatomy. I will always be grateful to Shonda Rhimes, Krista Vernoff, and ABC for the opportunity, and to the incredible fans for their passionate support. To spend nine years exploring a character inside and out, while reaching a global audience with impactful stories, is a rare gift. It has afforded me an opportunity to collaborate with, learn from, and be inspired by countless brilliant artists both in front of and behind the camera. Playing Maggie Pierce has been one of the true joys of my life and I leave with profound gratitude for every step of this journey. I am excited for this next chapter, and what the future holds.

Ratings: CBS' March Madness Tip-Off and Station 19 Lead Thursday

CBS | Primetime coverage of the NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament averaged 3.2 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating.

ABC | Station 19 (4.2 mil/0.5), Grey’s Anatomy (3.4 mil/0.4) and Alaska Daily (2.9 mil/0.2) all added viewers and were steady in the demo, with Alaska Daily matching its best audience since Episode 2.

FOX | Next Level Chef (1.9 mil/0.4) was steady, while Animal Control (1.4 mil/0.3) and Call Me Kat (1.3 mil/0.3) both ticked up.

Grey's Anatomy Recap: Wiener Takes All — Plus, Rest in Peace, [Spoiler]

In other twists of plot, Lucas and Blue volunteered to pull what just might be the ultimate d–k move, Owen managed to stun Teddy anew (do they even like each other anymore?), and alas, things were looking bleak for Natalia, the patient whose divorce ceremony was the most romantic on record. But those are just the bullet points; read on, and we’ll get into the nitty gritty.

‘HOW IS THAT A FRIEND?’ | As “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” began — sans the Eurythmics song, sadly — Simone was being kept up by the noisy sex that Lucas was having with Kara, an annoying rando from internal medicine, in the next room. At Amelia’s, Maggie was proving to be the most annoying roommate ever. At Richard and Catherine’s, she was undergoing Reiki ahead of her surgery that day. Jo and Levi were bickering over which of them worked harder when in front of them appeared hot nurse Carlos from the residents’ party. Hilariously, Schmitt didn’t want to see him just then because the traveling nurse was under the impression that the erstwhile Glasses was cool. In the chief’s office, Owen revealed to Teddy that he had taken steps to be assessed that very day in hopes of being granted permission to practice medicine again. Since Link’s surgery was cancelled, his interns — Lucas and Blue — were reassigned to Catherine. Natalia seemed to be doing well following last week’s procedure. And Amelia, Simone and Mika treated a woman named Barbara whose sisters were almost gleefully sure that she was next in line to get cancer.

After buttering up Bailey with compliments about her pie, Teddy asked her former boss to supervise Owen. Nope, said Bailey. Busy. Link agreed to babysit Altman’s husband, but Hunt’s first patient didn’t want to have the doctor who killed Tank working on him with a doctor who was on probation. In other words, the assessment was off to a rocky start. Owen’s next patient was in too big a hurry to wait to get treatment — so from rocky to rockier. Luckily (?), into the ER next came a patient in seriously bad shape. Link advised caution, but Owen insisted that there wasn’t time. As the patient was wheeled into surgery following initial treatment, it was impossible to tell whether Hunt’s assessor was impressed or distressed. Later, after telling Bailey that the assessor had seen enough and left, Owen defended his actions. How about instead of yell about everything that he did right, he apologize to his wife already? Jeez, Owen!

‘HOW DOES HE PEE… SIDEWAYS?’ | Treating Gerald, a patient suffering from Peyronie’s disease, Catherine, Lucas, Blue and Levi learned that he had told his wife and loved ones that he was at a conference. Lucas and Blue were horrified to learn that Gerald had “bone in his bone.” So horrified — and amused — that Levi wisely encouraged them to get all of their penis jokes out of the way before they hit the O.R. Alone with Schmitt, Gerald worried aloud that his condition would be permanent. Levi doubted that that would be the case. But based on what the patient had said, the chief resident was sure that his marriage to Gloria could withstand even that turn of events. In the O.R., the surgery proved to be too much for Blue, who fainted. Catherine would’ve bet Lucas would pass out, not Blue, she laughed. (Same, honestly.) Post-surgery, Gerald’s wife showed up to make sure he was OK. She handled all their insurance payments, so he hadn’t covered his tracks as well as he’d thought. She didn’t want Catherine to tell him she’d been there, though; she just wanted to make sure he’d be OK — and he would. The surgery had been a success.

‘WE’LL SEE SUNSETS EVERY DAY’ | Before Natalia’s next surgery, she began coughing up blood. Things turned out to be so dire that Maggie actually called in Winston for a consult. She didn’t like what he had to say, though. There was nothing to be done for the patient but try to alleviate her pain on her way out. Instead of inform Elliot, Natalia pleaded with her doctors to keep him in the dark and let them plan their dream trip. He quickly figured out that something was up. Something bad. “Is she dying?” he asked when he had a moment alone with Jules. Millin didn’t disregard Natalia’s wishes, but by the time Elliot was done talking to Jules, he knew that this would be his ex-wife’s last day. Later, Jules told Richard that she couldn’t believe that they weren’t doing everything they could to save Natalia. Wouldn’t Webber want them to do everything they could if it was his wife? (Foreshadowing.) Living with the fact that sometimes there is nothing you can do, Richard told Jules, is one of the hardest parts of the job. As Natalia’s hours dwindled down to minutes, Elliot described the trip they’d never get to take.

‘HOW DO YOU GET COFFEE FOR A DEAD PERSON?’ | Understandably, Simone and Mika were bewildered by Barbara’s sisters, who brought yet another sibling’s ashes with them. She’d had cancer, too, but died after a fall from a ladder. That didn’t mean that Mika shouldn’t also get her coffee, though. Umm… what? Amusingly, Amelia lied that Barbara had a thready pulse to get rid of her sisters. In case the surgery went south, the patient made Amelia promise not to let her family carry her around in a box. After surgery, Amelia revealed to Barbara and her sibs that she didn’t have cancer. Weird as they were, the sisters “reassured” Barbara that she’d get it eventually. But she didn’t want it, she admitted. At last, Barbara’s sisters admitted they yeah, cancer sucks. Also, that wasn’t their sister in the box — it had been cat litter since the real ashes got lost in Reno!

As the episode drew a close, Owen apologized to Teddy for his many (many!) failings. In turn, Teddy apologized for being angry and tipsy rather than loving and supporting. And by the way, he had passed his evaluation and was cleared to reclaim his post as chief of trauma. While Simone took a call from Trey, Lucas took off with Kara. Levi, high off his surgery with Catherine, realized that he isn’t Glasses anymore, he’s cool, so he walked right over to where Carlos was working and asked him out. At Richard and Catherine’s, he shared his suspicion that something was wrong and she was trying to protect him. “Whatever it is,” he said, “I’m ready to hear it.” At last, his wife revealed that her cancer was progressing. Maggie asked Amelia to stay one more night; after that, she’d move into a hotel. “Just because Meredith moved doesn’t mean anything has changed between us,” Amelia reassured her. “But get your own cereal.” And at the interns’ house, the kids played dressup and painted — kinda just what Jules needed after Natalia’s passing.

Thursday Ratings: Animal Control Dips, Young Sheldon Leads Night

CBS | Young Sheldon (with 7.4 million total viewers and a 0.7 rating) and Ghosts (6.5 mil/0.6) both rose in the demo, while So Help Me Todd (4.5 mil/0.3) and the conclusion of CSI: Vegas‘ Silver Ink Killer arc (3.3 mil/0.3) were steady.

ABC | Station 19 (3.9 mil/0.5) and Grey’s Anatomy (3.2 mil/0.4) both added a handful of eyeballs while steady in the demo. Alaska Daily dipped to an audience low (2.5 mil) while posting its fourth straight 0.2 rating.

FOX | Next Level Chef (1.8 mil/0.3) ticked down, Animal Control (1.3 mil/0.2) saw its first demo decline while sliding in audience for a third straight week, and Call Me Kat (1.2 mil/0.2) was steady.

Grey's Recap: A New Chapter of an Old Romance Tees Up a Devastating Twist

‘TEAM SKYWALKER’ | As “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” began, Mika was decorating for the blowout at the interns’ residence while, upstairs, Simone and Trey were having it out over his lack of support during her last job. Still having it out, in fact. (They’d been at it, it seemed, since he arrived.) Overhearing the fight, Mika reassured Lucas that he still had a shot with Simone. It had not been lost on Yasuda that “you two were seconds away from boning last night.” When Simone and Trey finally talked for a moment rather than yelled, he asked if he’d waited too long to come after her and try to make things right. Dodging the question, she said that she just wanted to have fun at the party… but was soon admitting that she’d missed him, too, and kissing him. (Hurry, Lucas. Hurry.)

As the bash got underway, Taryn encouraged Levi to get laid. But it looked more and more like she might get lucky instead. (Hi, Mika!) By and by, Trey lost more ground with Simone by dissing the new friends that she considered “my people” and dissing Grey Sloan’s residency program. She was still steamed over that when Lucas pleaded his case, telling her how perfect she was in a lovely, heartfelt way. Simone was so moved that clothes were coming off before the commercial break. “Baby, I’m sorry for what I said,” Trey pleaded from the other side of the door. “I’ll be better.” Aw, damn. The unwitting c–k-block worked. “If you love him,” Lucas advised as he re-dressed, “you should fight for him.” Did she love him? Her non-answer was answer enough for the obviously better choice. To add insult to injury, she wanted to check behind the door to see that Trey was gone before leaving the bedroom. “Now you can say you’re sorry,” Lucas huffed. Damn — so close!

Downstairs, as Trey stole away Simone, Mika took Taryn to see the hole in the roof. Outside, Levi was approached by a traveling nurse named Carlos. Flirtatious from the get-go, he’d even brought his own drinks. “I work way too hard to drink whatever surgical interns can afford.” Later, Simone admitted that she’d spent so many nights waiting for Trey to show up on her doorstep. “What changed?” he asked. “Nothing,” she said. (Ugh! Simone!) In response, Trey got down on one knee and re-proposed to her as a devastated Lucas looked on. (Go get some of Carlos’ better beer, man.)

‘I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE PICKED UP MORE WINE’ | At Owen and Teddy’s, she was chagrinned to learn as Ben and Bailey were on their way over that Allison had bitten Pru again. When Altman and Hunt’s guests arrived, the tension was thick. “She’s exhausted after one day of doing the job that we did for years,” Owen cracked to Bailey. Eventually, conversation skirted the biting issue… but Teddy quickly steered it away. “Can you help me in the kitchen?” Teddy asked. “Can’t,” Owen cracked. “Don’t have a license.” Over dinner, as Bailey asked if Teddy had looked over the resumés for a new chief of trauma, Owen was shocked to learn that his wife wasn’t hiring an interim chief but a permanent one. “This is a business decision,” she said, “so deal with it.” When the couple launched into a performance of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Bailey hollered at them to get help — and told Ben to get the pie she’d brought.

‘DON’T KILL ANYONE’ | Hearing about the Ivor Lewis procedure for which Blue would be scrubbing in with Maggie the following morning, Jules got herself added to the O.R. — if she wasn’t tired after her overnight shift. But long before surgery could begin on patient Natalia, she suffered a grand mal seizure, and Amelia discovered that she needed a different procedure, urgently and immedlately. When Blue and Jules brought Natalia and husband Elliot the consent form, Kwan asked how deep in debt the couple was. Hearing how bad off they were, Blue suggested that they divorce — Natalia might qualify for more insurance, and it might protect what few assets they have from the medical bills that were piling up. Hearing this, Maggie chewed out Blue. Before, the patient’s brain was bleeding. “Now her brain is bleeding, and she’s arguing with her husband.” Alone with Elliot, Jules advised him that if he loved his wife enough to marry her, he could love her enough to divorce her. Not only did Elliot agree to the tactic, he and Natalia had the most romantic, heartbreaking “breakup” ceremony ever. (If there had even been any before.) Since Maggie uninvited Blue from the surgery, despite the fact that his idea had been brilliant, only Jules was in the O.R. when Amelia operated. (Knock wood, it looked like Natalia might make it… at least through this first procedure.)

‘MY ANXIETY HOVERS AROUND AN EIGHT WHEN I’M NOT IN LABOR’ | In other developments, Amelia made plans for a visit from Kai. (Boy, has that relationship been moved to the back of the back burner.) After Amelia dropped Scout with Link, who had been egged by some Tank fans, he and Jo tended to a pregnant woman whose wife was N/A as she went into labor. As the episode drew to a close, Bailey, alone with Ben, called him on the resentment she’d been sensing from him. What was it about? They’d been doing so well before she went back to work, he confessed. But she was prioritizing their family, she argued. To be continued… Rather than let Lucas grieve what could have been, Mika pumped up a jam and got him dancing with her and Taryn while, outside, Levi made out with Carlos. Catching Blue bringing Elliot breakfast, Maggie barked at him anew, prompting him to explain what his family had been through when his mother was dying. Off that interaction, Maggie asked Richard how he knew that his and Catherine’s rough patch was only a patch. There had still been love underneath it all, he said, adding that he was sure that his daughter and Winston would work through their issues. As Jo marveled at how wonderful Link had been all night and pondered how Amelia had given him up, his babymama said that he hadn’t been right for her… but maybe he was right for Jo.

General Hospital: Chandra Wilson Returns for Nurses Ball — First Photos

TVLine has learned exclusively that Willson will reprise her role as WXPC fashion editor Sydney Val Jean at the upcoming Nurses Ball. On top of that, we have a handful of first-look photos from the glam gala, featuring Wilson and some GH favorites.

This marks “GH superfan” Wilson’s fourth appearance on the long-running daytime serial, and her second as Sydney.

The return of the Nurses Ball is but one part of GH‘s 60th anniversary celebration, which kicks off Wednesday, March 29 with a special episode honoring the late Sonya Eddy (who played head nurse Epiphany Johnson from 2006 until her passing last December).

Then, during the week of April 3, GH brings back the beloved Nurses Ball, a (fictional) charity gala dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness. Famously abundant with red-carpet fashion and musical performances from the citizens of Port Charles, the must-see event debuted in June 1994 (where it was co-chaired by Lucy Coe and Bobbie Jones) and has been held 15 times since, but not since August 2020.

The anniversary festivities will then continue as “icons of Port Charles unite to stop a legendary threat from the past,” at revealed at this year’s TCA winter press tour. Additionally, Daytime Emmy winner Jane Elliot is set to reprise her role as the legendary Tracy Quartermaine in April.

General Hospital debuted April 1, 1963. To honor its upcoming 60-year milestone, ABC on Friday, March 31 will present the cast and crew with a stage dedication on the Prospect Studios lot, permanently commemorating the show’s legacy and serving as a reminder of the history that has been made in that very spot.

'Grey's Anatomy' Star Isaiah Washington Retires From Acting, Blames 'Haters'

The former Grey's Anatomy star took to Twitter to make the announcement, explaining that past criticism of his character played a part in his decision.

Washington said, "Those who have been Following/Witnessing my journey here on T---ter since 2011 all know that I have fought the good fight, but it seems that the haters, provocateurs and the Useful Idiots have won."

He continued, "I'm no longer interested in the back and forth regarding a 'color construct' that keeps us human beings divided nor am I interested in politics or anything vitriolic."

As you may recall, Washington was fired from his role as Preston Burke in Grey's Anatomy in 2007 after making anti-gay remarks to his costar T.R. Knight on set and repeating them at the Golden Globe Awards that year. He later apologized and said he would seek help, admitting there "are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul."

Washington says his future plans included traveling around the country "before it falls into Socialism and then Communism."

His upcoming film, Corsicana, will be his final onscreen performance.

Ratings: Alaska Daily Returns Steady, Independence Ends on Low Note

ABC | Station 19 (3.8 million total viewers and a 0.5 demo rating, per Nielsen finals) was steady, while Grey’s Anatomy (3.1 mil/0.4) matched its audience low and also dipped in the demo. Back from a three-and-a-half month break (!), Alaska Daily (2.8 mil/0.2) was right on part with its fall finale (2.5 mil/0.2) and its fall averages (2.9 mil/0.2).

CBS | Young Sheldon (7.6 mil/0.6) was steady in the demo, Ghosts (6.5 mil/0.5) and Todd (4.6 mil/0.3) dipped, and CSI: Vegas (3.2 mil/0.3) ticked up.

THE CW | Walker (620K/0.1) hit an audience low, while fellow “bubble” drama Walker Independence (441K/0.0) matched lows with its finale.

FOX | Next Level Chef (2 mil/0.4), Animal Control (1.5 mil/0.3) and Call Me Kat (1.2 mil/0.2) were all steady.

Grey's Anatomy Recap: Which Pairing Was Dealt a Blast From the Past?

‘THE HOSPITAL NEEDS THIS’ | As “All Star” began, Simone, Lucas and Mika put a fresh coat of paint on Mer’s their house and drew names for the biggest bedroom. Simone got it, but there was still the matter of the second-best bedroom to be settled. Link was fretting to Jo about the Tank, aka the Seahawk whose career was going to be in his hands in the O.R. Teddy bought until 6 pm to tell Richard whether she was accepting the chief position. The chill between Maggie and Winston was so palpable, Amelia all but wondered whether the AC was up too high in the hospital. And when a fellow stumbled into the E.R. not having taken a crap for… too long, Levi suggested that he reduce his stress, prompting the man to reply, in essence, that he was full of s–t. Surgery, Schmitt said, was going to be their last option to clean him out. Before that happened, Mika told Lucas that she’d give the guy an enema in exchange for the other good room. Success! “I feel like I lost 10 pounds,” the patient said after taking a dump at last.

Nearby, a pregnant woman named Sierra told Jules that she’d been spotting for days. An ultrasound was ordered to discover the cause of the bleeding. Jo later reported that her pregnancy was progressing just fine; she only had to avoid stress. Easier said than done. It seemed like her childcare wasn’t going to be available for her two kids. Later, Sierra shared with Jules that she hadn’t been trying to get pregnant again; she just didn’t like the way the pill made her feel, so she and her husband used condoms and, well, one broke. After the first two kids, Sierra had been so overwhelmed, it had gotten really dark. Pills for postpartum hadn’t helped. It was so bad that she’d felt like she couldn’t breathe. She’d actually been relieved when she’d started spotting. By and by, she asked Jules how much an abortion cost, and the doc called for a consult. When Jo returned, she explained to the patient how an abortion would work. Sierra wanted to stay alive, to be OK for her kids. So Jo would perform the procedure with Jules assisting. As soon as it was over, Sierra reassured herself, “I’m OK, I’m OK.” And she was.

‘EYES FORWARD’ | After everyone took turns posing for selfies with the Tank, Simone told the rising star that she’d had a similar injury back when she’d been a competitive ice skater in college. In turn, he explained why it was so important that he keep playing: He wanted to bring his family over from Haiti and finally get them all back together. “What happens if it doesn’t work and I’m back bagging groceries?” he wondered. As if there wasn’t enough pressure to go around, the Tank’s mother ordered Simone and Blue over cellphone to “take care of my baby.” Before the procedure started, Jo swung by to lend Link moral support and remind him that he’d never folded before; he wasn’t going to start now.

During surgery, Link explained that the Tank at best had a six-year career ahead of him — that was average, based on the stress to players’ knees. “Let’s hope he’s better than average,” Link added. After the seemingly successful operation, the gallery gave Link, Blue and Simone a standing ovation. But before they could call Tank’s mom, oops. He started coding. What the what? He needs an emergency embolectomy, Winston advised. So back to surgery, the Tank was rolled. In the O.R., Tank crashed yet again. “Eyes forward,” Simone whispered, recalling the saying Tank and his mom had used. The docs took turns desperately trying to revive Tank, but he was down for the count. Winston offered to walk out first, stall the press. But Link would do it himself. The press just sees stats and dollar signs, he said. The Tank was just a kid doing what he loved. And now he was gone. “That’s on me.”

‘THIS SEEMS LIKE A ONE-PARENT JOB; LET’S MAKE THIS ONE YOU’ | Meanwhile, Owen tried to convince Teddy to take the chief job, if only because he’d get to be trauma chief again if she did. Just then, they were paged to the nursery — Allison had bitten Pru, apparently. Discussing the position with Bailey, Teddy learned that the pay bump was more of a nudge and not worth the complaints and paperwork. Miranda advised Altman to “ask for the moon and the planets and Pluto.” In turn, Teddy went to Richard and listed her demands, from an assistant to an additional three weeks off to double the pay increase on offer. Hmm, in that case, Richard was going to need some time himself to think over the decision. Later, he informed Teddy that he’d decided to take the job himself. Suddenly, she was willing to renegotiate. As Bailey spied on their talk, Amelia interrupted to announce that she wanted to be considered for the chief position. “You have got to be kidding me,” Teddy exclaimed.

As Maggie went over her notes from the partial heart transplant, she wondered why she had written down “socks.” Winston would probably know, Amelia pointed out, but Maggie wasn’t willing to ask her husband. The silent treatment wasn’t going to make the hard parts of their marriage easier, Amelia said, it was only going to make them last longer. When Owen asked Winston how things were going, he reminded Hunt that the last advice he’d given had blown up in his face. It was Winston’s own fault, though, he said; he should’ve known better than to take advice from Owen. (Amen!) As the episode drew to a close, Jo complimented Jules on her ability to connect with a patient. The resident was stunned. She had grown up “a little left of normal” and hadn’t had anyone compliment her work before. Well, “you saved that woman’s life today,” Jo said. Nearby, since Amelia’s list of chiefly demands was even more over-the-top than Teddy’s, Richard said that he couldn’t consider her interest since he’d already offered the post to Altman, most of whose demands he met. “You’re welcome,” Amelia told Teddy afterward. “Bailey sent me in here. I don’t wanna be chief.”

‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?’ | After losing Tank, a despondent Simon told Blue that she’d offered to call the patient’s mom for Link. Blue would make the call with her. He knew firsthand that there was no right way to say those words. Outside, Maggie told Winston that she’d heard about Tank and was sorry. If her husband wanted, he could send him the intro to the paper on the partial heart transplant as a distraction. Wrong suggestion, per Winston. Once again, they fought over their difference of opinion. And at least he agreed with her on one thing: “Not everyone can be resuscitated.” Or everything… like their marriage. In the elevator, Simone kissed Lucas. Ah, and minutes after Teddy became chief, she learned from Owen that the press was saying that Link had killed the Tank. The ortho doc, meanwhile, was drinking and blaming himself and half-listening as Jo assured him that what happened could have happened to anyone. He went to kiss her, and she pulled away. (Oh, these two!) As he turned to go, she pulled him back, and they hit the couch holding one another. Finally, when Simone and Lucas got home, they were surprised to find waiting for her… her ex-fiancé Trey, with flowers and an apparently keen interest in kissing and making up. Who’s this dude? he asked. Lucas? Um, “he’s my roommate,” Simone said. Man, that was a fast trip to the friend zone!

‘The Way Home’ Picked Up For Second Season By Hallmark Channel

The drama that stars Andie MacDowell and Chyler Leigh has been a ratings winner since premiering Jan. 15, regularly topping Bravo’s Real Housewives of Potomac, TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, and HGTV’s Home Town on Sunday nights. It ranks as the No. 1 most-watched program on Sundays among households, P2+, W18+ and P18+ on a L+SD basis.

The audience has also increased throughout the season among women and younger viewers (+54% with W25-54, +42% with P25-54, +59% with W18-49 and +34% with P18-49). On a L+3 basis through Feb. 19, The Way Home is the No. 2 most-watched program overall with HHs, P2+, W18+ and P18+, second only to Hallmark’s own original movie.

“The press and our audience have enthusiastically embraced The Way Home from the first episode making the decision to renew the series an easy one,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, Executive Vice President, Programming, Hallmark Media. “We’re thrilled to be able to continue the journey of the Landry family and can’t wait for fans to see what’s next.”

“Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke and Marly Reed have created a rich, textured story filled with heart and mixed with intrigue that’s proven to be a winning combination,” added Laurie Ferneau, Senior Vice President, Development, Hallmark Media. “Season two is sure to bring more drama and mystery as the Landry family’s history is revealed.”

The series follows three generations of Landry women who embark on a journey to find their way back to each other while learning important lessons about their family’s past. The cast of the multigenerational family drama includes MacDowell (Maid), Leigh (Supergirl), Evan Williams (Blonde), Sadie Laflamme-Snow (The Apprentice), Alex Hook (I Am Frankie), Al Mukadam (Pretty Hard Cases, The Detail), Jefferson Brown (Masters of Romance, Slasher) and David Webster (Luckiest Girl Alive, In the Dark).

The Way Home is executive produced by Marly Reed, Arnie Zipursky and Lauren MacKinlay for Neshama Entertainment; Larry Grimaldi, Hannah Pillemer and Fernando Szew for MarVista Entertainment; and Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke, MacDowell and Leigh.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Adds William Martinez to Cast

In last week’s episode, Simone, one of Season 19’s new class of surgical interns, entered into a situationship with Lucas (Niko Terho). Their courtship is complicated, though, by the fact that they’re now both living in Meredith’s old house, along with fellow intern Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis) — fixing it up after a fire nearly destroyed it. Trey will be coming along to make that incipient romance even knottier, presumably.

In the logline for this week’s episode, furnished by ABC, the Trey character is alluded to. “Teddy makes a challenging decision,” it reads. “Meanwhile, Maggie and Winston aren’t on speaking terms and Link leans on Jo for emotional support as he preps for a surgery on a well-known athlete. Simone and Lucas are surprised by an unlikely visitor.”

Martinez has recently been in Netflix’s “Kaleidoscope,” and has also appeared in “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” “FBI” and “The Blacklist,” and will soon be seen in the upcoming film “Sweetly Salted.” According to his official biography, Martinez’s family is from the Dominican Republic, he was born in New York City and “he hopes to work in films/series that tackle diversity and advocate for Latino actors.” He’s represented by Silver Lining Entertainment and DGRW.

“Grey’s Anatomy” is currently in its 19th season on ABC.

Ratings: SVU Tops Thursday, Grey's Flat With Meredith's Goodbye Episode

NBC | Law & Order (with 4.6 million total viewers and a 0.5 demo rating) and Organized Crime (3.6 mil/0.5) were steady in the demo, while SVU (4.9 mil/0.6) dipped.

ABC | Back from a 3-1/2 month break, Station 19 (3.9 mil/0.5) and Grey’s Anatomy (3.5 mil/0.5) each dropped a handful of eyeballs while steady in the demo.

THE CW | Walker (680K/0.1) slipped to its second-smallest audience of the season, while Independence Guest-Starring Jared Padalecki (450K/0.1) was steady.

FOX | Next Level Chef (2 mil/0.4) was steady, Animal Control (1.6 mil/0.3) lost some viewers vs. its debut but held steady in the demo, and Call Me Kat (1.3 mil/0.2) dipped.

Grey's Anatomy Recap: She's Outta There

‘I’LL PROBABLY BE BACK NEXT WEEK’ | As “I’ll Follow the Sun” began, the residents competed to see which of them would be allowed to scrub in on the groundbreaking partial heart transplant that Maggie and Winston were going to perform on baby Arlo. Mika, already having a s–t day, owing to her house/van being towed, quickly became frustrated by her less-than-stellar stitching and ran to Joe’s to get a tutorial from Helm. (Hello, sparks!) When Arlo’s mom got cold feet, it was Amelia, recalling her experience with ill-fated Christopher, that changed her mind.

After Maggie and Winston pulled off a miracle in the O.R., the marrieds finally talked about their fight in the midseason finale (recapped here). Apparently, in the two weeks that had passed on screen, he’d been waiting for an apology for her remark that she didn’t respect his willingness to change specialties to save their marriage. But at this point, he realized that no “I’m sorry” was forthcoming. What’s more, he realized that over the course of their relationship, he’d overlooked his wife’s coldness, an aspect of her personality that he didn’t respect.

‘I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS DAY’ | Speaking of couples at a crossroads, Meredith and Nick also had it out. He was mad that she hadn’t returned his call. She was mad that he hadn’t said “I love you” back to her. He was mad that she’d decided to move without talking to him. She was mad that he’d sent such mixed signals that she’d thought it was OK to decide to move without talking to him. In disbelief that his (ex?) girlfriend was blaming him for the state of their relationship, he stormed off in a huff. (Oh, children — please!)

Thankfully (?), Mer and Nick soon had a more pressing issue to resolve: Kids-book author Tessa was back and bleeding out. Lucas wanted to fight to send her to the O.R. immediately but didn’t for fear of what others would think. As a result, she later died on the operating table. Afterwards, Meredith made her feelings as plain as she could. “I want you in my life if you want to be in my life,” she told Nick. “But if I have to choose, I pick me, I pick my kids, and I pick what’s best for us, and I am not going to beg you to love me.” Well said, Mer. Later, licking her wounds with Simone, the intern was able to cheer Mer up by revealing that Tessa had saved her last book on a thumb drive.

‘THIS PLACE WON’T BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU’ | In other developments, Teddy pitched herself hard to Richard as a potential new chief. Then, when he offered her the job, she asked to think about it. (D’oh!) Jules traded Blue the story of why she feared babies for another hookup. And while the staff of Grey Sloan made toasts to Meredith and ate bar-mitzvah cake (thanks to a bakery screw-up), Taryn poured out some whiskey and candor for Nick at Joe’s. The gist of her scolding: Meredith is amazing and for some reason loves him, and if he blows it, he’s an idiot.

Off Helm’s lecture, Nick tried to make it to the airport in time for a cinematic reunion with Mer. When it became clear that he would be too late, he phoned to say that he loved her, and she… pretended that she couldn’t quite hear him. (D’oh!) As the hour drew to a close, Maggie asked to spend the night at Amelia’s new place, and Lucas and Simone both showed up at Mer’s smokehouse — Amelia had invited him to stay there, and Mer had invited her. The temptation to hook up was there, but Simone, who’d only recently been engaged, didn’t want to put Lucas through a rebound — especially not now that they were roomies.

A third wheel was on the way, anyway: Maggie had invited Mika to stay at the house, too. Sure, it had a hole in the attic, but there was no beating the rent.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: How Meredith Bid Farewell To Seattle Amid Heartache & Hope And Set Up Series’ Future

Titled “I’ll Follow the Sun,” the episode, written by outgoing Grey’s Anatomy executive producer/showrunner Krista Vernoff and directed by the series’ executive producer/director Debbie Allen, marked Pompeo’s last as a full-time cast member. She is leaving to do a Hulu limited series and other projects — but will return for the Season 19 finale and could appear beyond that if the show is renewed for Season 20, which is fully expected, as Deadline reported.

Meredith’s last day in Seattle featured a heartwarming moment when Maggie and Winston performed successfully a first-of-its-kind risky partial heart transplant surgery on a newborn baby, and the surgical staff later gathered together to see Meredith off with a toast and heartfelt speeches.

But the day was mostly filled with heartbreak — for Maggie and Winston, who, shortly after “taking in the miracle,” had another bitter fight over their future, for Lucas, who was beating himself up over not pushing harder to save a patient, and for Meredith. She got to perform one last surgery when famous author Tessa Hobbes (Patricia Richardson) who had undergone a Whipple in the previous episode, was back with sharp pain after lifting groceries and was rushed into the OR with a massive internal bleeding. Meredith and Nick teamed up on the surgery but could not save Tessa who died on the operating table.

The star-crossed lovers could not save their relationship either. Nick first walked into Meredith’s office to confront her about not returning his call and planning to move across country without speaking with him. Meredith brought up an earlier office encounter where she told Nick “I love you” and he didn’t say it back, blaming his desire to take things slowly for not consulting with him when she made the decision to move to Boston. Feeling that Meredith was making their falling-out his fault, Nick stormed out.

After more teasing by Meredith about a woman living alone who is set in her ways and is hard to change and ask for help while she and Nick were reviewing Tessa’s CT scan, the two found themselves alone immediately following Tessa’s death.

“I hate this day, I hate everything about this day,” Nick said, to which Meredith replied, “Me too.”

Nick tried to explain why he was taking things slow: “I’m a transplant surgeon, I’m trained to wait.”

But Meredith was not having it. “I want you in my life if you want to be in my life but if I have to choose, I’m going to pick me, I pick my kids, and I pick what’s best for us, and I’m not going to beg you to love me,” she shot back.

The last act of the episode played like a romcom trope — Nick sitting at a bar, with a sidekick — in this case surgical-resident-turned-bartender Taryn — telling him what a fool he is and urging him to go get his girl.

He obliged and rushed to the hospital to only be told that Meredith had left for the airport. He followed her there but his mission was thwarted by traffic so he ended up calling Meredith when she and her kids had already boarded the plane.

“I love you. I fell in love with you the first day I met you, I fell in love with you the second day I met you, and I’ve loved you every minute of every day that I’ve known you,” Nick blurted out to dead silence on the other end.

Meredith clearly heard every word but opted for a cold, “I can’t quite hear you. We are about to take off. I’ll call you when we get settled,” before hanging up.

A despondent Nick sitting in his car may be the last we see of Scott Speedman, at least for the time being. But Grey’s Anatomy could take a page out of its own playbook and give fans a Meredith-Nick update when Pompeo returns in the Season 19 finale.

Last season, Grey’s veteran Jesse Williams also departed as a series regular in midseason as Jackson’s potential new romance with ex April was up in the air. Williams, along with Sarah Drew, then returned as guest stars in the Season 18 finale where they confirmed that Jackson and April have rekindled their relationship by kissing in the Grey Sloan elevator.

In another possible nod to the Grey’s pilot, whose first scene was in Meredith’s house where she woke up after a one-night stand with Derek, tonight’s episode wrapped at the same house, with Lucas, Simone and Mika all moving in, giving the ending a passing of the baton feel.

What’s more, the traditional end-of-episode montage featured mostly the five new interns introduced this season. Mika, as well as Lucas and Simone who have been fighting off their physical attraction, became roommates in Meredith’s partially burnt-down house, which is steeped in Grey’s lore, while Benson and Jules had a steamy encounter in a dark hospital office, another longstanding Grey’s tradition. There is also the fact that, in addition to her multiple rendezvous with Nick, Meredith’s only one-on-one scene in the episode was with Simone, as the freshmen are being positioned as a new backbone of the series, which is preparing for a future without its title character.

During the montage, Meredith was reading Tessa’s final book, “Tessa and the Rising Sun”, to her kids on the plane after a thumb drive with the manuscript was found in Tessa’s purse. The reading replaced the traditional Grey’s Anatomy end-of-episode voiceover. And while it was written by Tessa, the excerpt very much applies to Meredith.

“I’ve flown rockets and slayed dragons, I’ve saved lives and I’ve had my life saved. I’ve been through broken bones and a broken home and the death of people I love but I’m still here,” it went. “I’ve had adventures that most people only dream about and I’ve had losses that I still dream about, and if there is one thing I’ve learned in all my adventures, is that there is no such thing as a life lived happily ever after, unless the happily means simply that we are still alive, that the sun is rising on another day because with every sunrise comes the possibility of happiness and also the possibility of heartache. And sometimes, it’s all rolled up together.”

Tessa’s book, Meredith’s Seattle chapter and Pompeo’s 18-year run as Grey’s Anatomy‘s star all came to an end on a hopeful note: “As long as the sun rises on your life, there will be new dragons to slay. So the end of my story is not any kind of ever after, because I’m still alive, I’m still here, and the sun still rises on my life.”

Melissa George To Star In ‘The Hurt Unit’ ABC Pilot

The Hurt Unit follows a highly skilled team of trauma surgeons and nurses led by Danny (McKenzie), a self-made surgeon, who race into the field to treat the patients who won’t make it to the hospital in time. When the sick and the injured can’t get to the ER, the Hurt Unit (Hospital Urgent Response Team) brings the ER to them.

George will play Dr. Ashcroft, the Head of Psychiatry and Deputy Chief of Administration at Nashville’s City South Hospital. In that latter capacity she gets into frequent and epic clashes with Dr. Danny Marsh (MxKenzie). A brilliant and intuitive psychotherapist, Rachel plays a crucial role in the ongoing care of the badly traumatized patients of the Hurt Unit — and on occasion, in counseling the deeply flawed doctors themselves.

In addition to McKenzie, George joins previously cast series regulars Michelle Ortiz, Augustus Prew and Jaime Lee Kirchner who play members of the unit. Glenn and Webb executive produce the ABC Signature pilot.

This marks George’s return to ABC where she did a major arc on another medical drama, stalwart Grey’s Anatomy. She also headlined the NBC medical drama Heartbeat. George is coming off a starring role opposite Justin Theroux in Mosquito Coast, which ran on Apple TV+ for two seasons, reuniting with the actor she first worked with on David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. She also can be seen in the movie De Son Vivant opposite Catherine Deneuve, which premiered at Cannes this year. George is repped by Gersh, Inspire Entertainment and attorney Mitch Smelkinson at GGSSC.

Patrick Dempsey Circling Starring Role In Eli Roth’s Feature Version Of His ‘Grindhouse’ Trailer ‘Thanksgiving’

Spyglass had no comment.

The Thanksgiving trailer presented the gory teaser about a pseudo movie in which a slasher makes his own carving board out of the inhabitants of a Massachusetts town that makes a big annual fuss over the annual turkey day. One of the pivotal scenes involved Roth himself, separated from his head while in the throes of passion with a date in a convertible. It was popular enough that plans formulated to make a feature-length blood feast with Roth at the helm, but 15 years has passed since the original Grindhouse release and you could be forgiven for thinking that Thanksgiving was never coming.

While the rest of the ensemble is expected to be a bunch of rising stars, Roth wanted a face front and center and thought Dempsey would be perfect given its not the typical role you usually see the former Greys Anatomy star in.

Dempsey was most recently seen in the Disney+ sequel Disenchanted, reprising his role opposite Amy Adams. He can be seen next in Michael Mann’s Ferrari starring Adam Driver.

He is repped by UTA and Burstein Company.

Firefly Lane Returns Early

Originally set to stream on Thursday, June 8, the series will now return on Thursday, April 27. Star Katherine Heigl revealed the change in an Instagram post.

Based on the novel of the same name by bestselling author Kristin Hannah, Firefly Lane charts Tully (Heigl) and Kate’s (Sarah Chalke) friendship over a 30-year period. The ensemble also includes Ben Lawson, Beau Garrett, Ali Skovbye, Roan Curtis and Yael Yurman, while India de Beaufort (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Greg Germann (Grey’s Anatomy), Jolene Purdy (Orange Is the New Black) and Ignacio Serricchio (Lost in Space) are among the Season 2 additions.

Nickelodeon’s Kids‘ Choice Award Nominations

FAVORITE VOICE FROM AN ANIMATED MOVIE (FEMALE)
Awkwafina (Tarantula, The Bad Guys)
Keke Palmer (Izzy Hawthorne, Lightyear)
Salma Hayek (Kitty Softpaws, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish)
Sandra Oh (Ming, Turning Red)
Selena Gomez (Mavis, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania)
Taraji P. Henson (Belle Bottom, Minions: The Rise of Gru).

Is Justin Chambers Returning to Grey's Anatomy? We Have the Answer

The actor appeared to tease a potential comeback on Instagram Tuesday, sharing a photo of a Grey’s-adorned coffee mug above the caption, “A fresh cup of Grey’s.”

But a Grey’s insider maintains that Alex is not checking back in to Grey Sloan Memorial. “There’s no truth to the rumor,” the source insists.

Save for a small role in Paramount+’s limited series The Offer, Chambers has maintained a fairly low profile since departing Grey’s amid controversy. The actor’s last episode aired in November 2019, but viewers were not aware it was his swan song until his exit was announced publicly two months later. Chambers later returned, but only in a voiceover capacity, for his send-off installment in March 2020, which revealed that Alex had left his wife Jo and reunited with ex Izzie, who’d had his children.

“There’s no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that’s defined so much of my life for the past 15 years,” Chambers said back then in a statement. “For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time. As I move on from Grey’s Anatomy, I want to thank the ABC family, Shonda Rhimes, original cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, and the rest of the amazing cast and crew, both past and present, and, of course, the fans for an extraordinary ride.”

Josh Duhamel defends Katherine Heigl’s reputation: She had ‘bad moments’

“She’s awesome … she’s great,” the actor, who worked with Heigl in 2010’s “Life As We Know It” and 2011’s “New Year’s Eve,” said Sunday on Barstool Sports’ “Chicks in the Office” podcast.

“She probably said some things that she wishes she could’ve taken back, but my experience, on and off screen with her, was awesome.”

Duhamel, 50, added that he feels Heigl, 44, may have been mischaracterized due to a few isolated incidents.

“I think that’s probably what happened to Katie is that, you know, she had a couple bad moments and that’s what everybody wants to just — that’s her label now, and it’s not really fair,” the “Shotgun Wedding” star concluded.

Heigl has been accused of being “difficult” for criticizing projects she had worked on.

After starring in Judd Apatow’s box office hit “Knocked Up,” the Washington, DC-born actress insinuated that the rom-com was sexist.

“It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys,” she told Vanity Fair in 2008.

“It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I’m playing such a bitch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you’re portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie.”

That same year, Heigl withdrew her name from the 2008 Emmys list of TV contenders for her role as Izzie Stevens in “Grey’s Anatomy,” explaining to the LA Times at the time that she did “not feel that I was given material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination.”

The move was considered a slight to creator Shonda Rhimes.

In 2014, Heigl expressed regret over some of her decisions.

“I’ve made mistakes and unwittingly or carelessly spoken or acted but I always try to make any wrong right,” the “Ugly Truth” star said in a Q&A at the time.

“That doesn’t mean I won’t stand up for myself by drawing boundaries and asking to be treated kindly and respectfully,” she continued, “but I don’t do that with any rude or unkind intentions, just with the same strength and honestly I think every one of us is entitled to.”

Then in 2016, Heigl confessed to Howard Stern that she actually ended up having to go to therapy because of her bad reputation.

“I was really struggling with it, and how not to take it all really personally, and not to feel there’s something really deeply wrong with me,” the “Firefly Lane” star previously told the radio host.

Duhamel is not the only actor to come to his co-star’s defense, though. “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo recently praised Heigl for speaking up for herself.

“I remember Heigl said something on a talk show about the insane hours we were working — and she was 100 percent right,” the TV star, 53, said on her podcast, “Tell Me With Ellen Pompeo,” in April 2022.

“Had she said that today, she’d be a complete hero, but she’s ahead of her time. [She] made a statement about our crazy hours and, of course, let’s slam a woman and call her ungrateful.”

Krista Vernoff Departing As ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ & ‘Station 19’ Showrunner

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be entrusted to run Grey’s Anatomy for the past six years and Station 19 for the last four,” Vernoff said in a statement to Deadline. “The passion of the dedicated fandoms and the impact that these shows have on hearts and minds cannot be overstated. The amount of talent in these two extraordinary casts and these two brilliant writers rooms is beyond measure — and these crews work magic week after week.”

After working on the first seven seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, rising to head writer and executive producer, Vernoff returned to the medical drama as executive producer and showrunner at the start of Season 14 in 2017 and has led the show’s recent resurgence.

Since adding Station 19 to her purview in 2019, Vernoff has strengthened the two series’ ties, building an integrated universe highlighted by frequent crossovers. In the first season after Vernoff took over Station 19, the drama improved its year-over-year ratings by double digits, a virtually impossible task amid steadily declining linear viewership.

“Krista Vernoff has poured her heart and soul into Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, and her voice has been pivotal to the success of these beloved series,” said Craig Erwich, President, ABC Entertainment, Hulu & Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals. “It takes a formidable leader to run two shows simultaneously and Krista has done so effortlessly. Her creative force has left an indelible mark and thanks to her, our viewers will continue to be invested in these dynamic and cherished characters for many years to come.”

After creator, executive producer and original showrunner Shonda Rhimes, who remains a creative force on the hugely popular series, Vernoff has been arguably the most influential writer-producer on Grey’s Anatomy over its 19-season run to date. She was behind the dream beach motif during the Covid-themed Season 17, which brought back several beloved Grey’s characters, led by Patrick Dempsey’s Derek, and put the series back in the center of the cultural zeitgeist.

“Krista’s creativity, vision and dedicated leadership have allowed Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 to continue to flourish,” Rhimes said. “I am incredibly grateful to her for all her hard work. She will always remain part of the Shondaland family.”

Vernoff also acknowledged her mentor and the companies behind the series. “I will be forever grateful to Shonda Rhimes for her trust and to Disney and ABC for their support,” she said.

The writer-producer has been under an overall deal at Grey’s and Station 19 studio ABC Signature since she returned to Grey’s five and a half years ago and will continue to develop through her company Trip the Light Productions, with several projects already in the works, including one at Hulu, I hear.

The succession plan for Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 is still being finalized, with deals currently being hammered out contingent on the shows getting renewed for next season, which is considered a safe bet based on their performance.

I hear Grey’s Anatomy veteran Meg Marinis, who has been on the show since the very beginning, rising from a researcher all the way to executive producer, is tipped to succeed Vernoff as showrunner on the medical drama.

Fellow Grey’s Anatomy exec producer Zoanne Clack, MD, MPH, who had added executive producer and head writer duties on spinoff Station 19 under Vernoff, would become co-showrunner of the first-responders drama, sources said. I hear she would share the role with The Fosters and Good Trouble co-creator Peter Paige, co-showrunner on the mothership series and showrunner on the spinoff, who has done a stint on Station 19 as a consulting producer.

This would mark the second promotion in six months for Clack. She joined Station 19 in August amid an upheaval in the series’ writers room following an incident involving racial slur use by a racist character in a draft of an outline which exposed long-simmering racial issues on the show. At the time, Clack also remained an executive producer on Grey’s.

This marks the second big Grey’s Anatomy departure this season; star/executive producer Ellen Pompeo is bidding farewell as a full-time cast member in the Feb. 23 midseason premiere episode, “I’ll Follow the Sun” which was written by Vernoff. Pompeo will return for the Season 19 finale, which also will mark Vernoff’s final Grey’s episode — at least for now, as the showrunner is not ruling out a second return.

“The last time I left Grey’s Anatomy, I was gone for seven seasons and the show was still going when Shonda called me to run it,” she said. “So I’m not saying goodbye because that would be too bitter sweet. I’m saying ‘See you in seven seasons.’”

Great American Family Sets Premiere Date For Lori Loughlin Rom-Com ‘Fall Into Winter’

It’s Loughlin’s first rom-com role since serving time behind bars in 2020 for the college admissions scandal. She last appeared on GAF in When Hope Calls Christmas, which premiered on the network, December, 2021.

In Fall Into Winter, life quickly changes for Kerry (Loughlin) as she is suddenly forced to work alongside former nemesis, Brooks (Tupper), an old friend of her brother’swho unexpectedly buys out half of Kerry’s family-owned confectionery business.

Fall Into Winter is executive produced by Brad Krevoy, Susie Belzberg Krevoy, Amy Krell, Lorenzo Nardini, Lori Loughlin, TW Peacocke, Micheline Blais. David Anselmo produces for HP Into Winter Productions, Inc. Fall IntoWinter is written by Cara J. Russell. Supervising Producers are James Mou and Kelly Martin.

NAACP Image Awards Nominations

Katherine Heigl 'betrayed and confused' by backlash

The 44-year-old actress was criticized in the late aughts for her vocal complaints about the gruelling working conditions on Grey’s Anatomy and for branding her comedy Knocked Up “sexist”.

She admitted she was “confused” as to why her remarks were taken so badly and regrets subsequently issuing multiple apologies.

“I’m not the only person in the industry who’s had ups and downs…,” she told the February issue of Red magazine.

“But it’s like as soon as things were going too well, there was this need to say, ‘Slow down there – let’s humble her.’ I felt betrayed; I felt confused, wondering, ‘How could they turn on me so quickly? I’m just trying to entertain people.’

“I kept apologizing, which I now realize just kept giving the whole thing a heartbeat. I thought self-flagellation in front of everybody would make them happy, but actually it made me weaker in people’s eyes and made me feel weak. I now think that one apology was enough.”

The Firefly Lane actress has vowed to keep speaking out about important issues but has learned there are some subjects she should keep private.

“I will always stand up for things I believe in…,” she said. “But I also know that airing dirty laundry is not necessary and will just fuel gossip.

“For example, I’ll continue to take a hard stand about long working hours for cast and crew on movie sets, because it’s not good for people’s mental or physical health. I’m not going to apologize for that stance, and I don’t really care if people agree with me or not.

“I’ll also keep talking about animal rights, because that’s something I’m passionate about.

“But if it’s a personal matter – if I’ve had a problem with somebody in a work capacity – I’ve learned to keep that a little more private.”

And Heigl has grown to understand she shouldn’t pay attention to what other people think of her.

“My father used to say, ‘Don’t read the good reviews if you won’t read the bad.’ I now understand his point. Whether they hate you or love you, it doesn’t matter.

“You have to know who you are; you can’t depend on public opinion for your self-esteem.”

‘Grey’s Anatomy‘: More Details About Meredith’s Seattle Farewell Revealed, New Promo For Ellen Pompeo’s Last Episode As Series Regular Released

In the episode, written by Grey’s executive producer/showrunner Krista Vernoff and directed by series’ executive producer Debbie Allen, it’s Meredith’s last day at Grey Sloan Memorial and the doctors plan a goodbye surprise, while Nick confronts her about the future of their relationship. Elsewhere, the interns compete to scrub in on Maggie and Winston’s groundbreaking partial heart transplant procedure, and Richard asks Teddy an important question.

“Sometimes change is good, sometimes change is everything,” Meredith says in the voiceover for the promo.

And when she is toasted by her colleagues on her final day at the hospital, she deadpans, “You know I probably will be back next week.”

There isn’t much revealed about what else happens to Meredith on her “big last day” but from the smiles on both her and Nick’s (Scott Speedman) faces as they walk away from each other — she with a carryon, he with a backpack — it is clear that whatever confrontation they have ends pretty amicably. (This may be the last we see of Nick as Speedman, a series regular last season, is recurring this season.)

It has been revealed on the show in the last two episodes that Meredith has decided to move with her children to Boston, which has become a Grey’s outpost, with Jackson, April and Koracick all there. Meredith accepted a job offer by Jackson to work on Alzheimer’s research.

As Deadline revealed in August, Pompeo is scaling back her on-screen presence on Grey’s Anatomy this season to eight episodes as she segues to doing new projects, starting with a Hulu limited series which she is starring in and executive producing.

Pompeo is expected to return for Grey’s Anatomy‘s Season 19 finale. She remains an executive producer and will provide the voiceover narration for all episodes this season. Like other prominent former cast members, including Jesse Williams (Jackson), Pompeo could continue to make appearances on the series beyond this season, I hear. She may also continue to do the series’ voiceover.

In anticipation of Pompeo’s departure as Grey’s title character, the series this fall introduced a new group of interns in its biggest cast infusion to date. The move, which has been received well by fans, makes a record 20th season of TV’s longest-running medical drama likely. On Grey’s studio ABC Signature’s agenda, along with closing a renewal with ABC, is making new deals with a number of actors on the show whose contracts are up at the end of this season, including the last remaining original cast members, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr.

Grey’s Anatomy stars Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Wilson as Miranda Bailey, Pickens Jr. as Richard Webber, Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt, Caterina Scorsone as Amelia Shepherd, Camilla Luddington as Jo Wilson, Kelly McCreary as Maggie Pierce, Kim Raver as Teddy Altman, Jake Borelli as Levi Schmitt, Chris Carmack as Atticus “Link” Lincoln, Anthony Hill as Winston Ndugu, Alexis Floyd as Simone Griffith, Harry Shum Jr. as Benson “Blue” Kwan, Adelaide Kane as Jules Millin, Midori Francis as Mika Yasuda, Niko Terho as Lucas Adams and Speedman as Nick Marsh.

The series was created and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes. Vernoff serves as showrunner and executive producer. Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Allen, Meg Marinis, Zoanne Clack and Pompeo are executive producers.

Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart spark reconciliation rumors 5 years after split

The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum and “Jawbreaker” star took a trip to Cabo with their kids and stayed close as they disembarked from a boat.

As the pair made their way back to the dock, Dane could be seen either keeping his arm around Gayheart or holding her hand.

The “Marley & Me” actor, 50, and Gayheart, 51, also grabbed lunch aboard the vessel, where Dane opted to dine shirtless while his maybe-estranged wife wore a T-shirt over her bathing suit.

The duo have been sparking “Are they or aren’t they?” questions since the summer when they enjoyed a family vacation to Europe.

The actress shared an Instagram photo in August with a silly shot of Dane with daughters Billie, 12, and Georgia, 11.

“This is us, family vacay 2022. #familia #travel #goodtimes #moretocome #eurodanes,” Gayheart captioned the post.

Gayheart and Dane married in October 2004 and started their family six years later. The former model filed for divorce from the “Burlesque” actor in February 2018.

She cited irreconcilable differences for the split, asking for spousal support as well as joint legal and physical custody of their daughters.

“After 14 years together we have decided that ending our marriage is the best decision for our family,” she and the actor wrote in a joint statement at the time.

“We will continue our friendship and work as a team to co-parent our two beautiful girls as they are the most important thing in the world to us.”

In July of the following year, Gayheart spoke to People about her family of four’s “new normal.”

“We are doing our best to co-parent and maintain a family even though we’re not married,” she explained. “Legally we’re still married, but separated. And I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it.”

Grey's Anatomy's Mer Is Called Out on Her Way to the Exit

Still peeved about Grey’s decision to leave Seattle for the sake of daughter Zola — without so much as mentioning to him that she was thinking about doing so — Nick confronts his on-again/off-again significant other. Elsewhere in the episode, as you can see in the exclusive image above, Mer and new resident Simone have a heart-to-heart and really let their emotions out. And the competition among the interns heats up as Maggie prepares to perform a never-before-done partial heart transplant; whichever of the rookies fares the most impressively in practice will get to scrub in with her.

As previously reported, original cast member Ellen Pompeo is stepping down as a series regular to pursue other interests (hence, the need for Mer’s move). But despite the fact that the actress “is a powerhouse, and Meredith is iconic,” as showrunner Krista Vernoff put it when speaking with TVLine this fall, the show has “always had a tremendous cast of actors who can carry any amount of the story.

“So while we will desperately miss Ellen and Meredith,” she added, “I think there’s a lot of story to tell” for other characters.

Former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Writer Elisabeth Finch Admits “I’ve Never Had Any Form Of Cancer” In New Interview

Finch admitted to The Ankler that she never had “any form of cancer,” nor did her older brother Eric commit suicide — another lie she perpetuated while writing for the ABC drama. Her brother is actually alive and working in Florida as a doctor.

“I know it’s absolutely wrong what I did,” she said. “I lied and there’s no excuse for it. But there’s context for it. The best way I can explain it is when you experience a level of trauma a lot of people adopt a maladaptive coping mechanism. Some people drink to hide or forget things. Drug addicts try to alter their reality. Some people cut. I lied. That was my coping and my way to feel safe and seen and heard.”

In March, The Ankler questioned Finch’s medical history and some of her past claims like how she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, how she lost a kidney and part of her leg but was then misdiagnosed, and how she had endured verbal and sexual abuse by a male director while writing for The Vampire Diaries. Before Disney could launch an investigation, Finch made the decision to leave the drama and check herself into an Arizona facility.

Since then, Finch told The Ankler that not only has her wife left her but family members have disowned her and she’s no longer allowed to see the children she helped to raise. Her days are apparently filled with unanswered emails and meetings with a therapist.

“I wish I had a grid that would show who’s not talking to me because they can’t [legally],” she said. “Who’s not talking to me because they don’t know what to say. Who’s not talking to me because they’re pissed off. And then who’s sitting there waiting for me to reach out. I have no clue … it’s been a very quiet, very sad time. There were people who, when your article came out, were immediately very, very nasty on text. Family and friends who called me a monster and a fraud and said that’s all I’ll ever be known for and soon more truth would come out.”

Finch claims her lies started during the 2007 Writers Strike, when she hurt her knee while hiking. She ended up getting knee-replacement surgery. “Everyone was so amazing and so wonderful leading up to all the surgeries,” she told The Ankler. “They were so supportive. And then I got my knee replacement. It was one hell of a recovery period and then it was dead quiet because everyone naturally was like Yay! You’re healed. But it was dead quiet. And I had no support and went back to my old maladaptive coping mechanism — I lied and made something up because I needed support and attention and that’s the way I went after it. That’s where that lie started — in that silence.”

Besides writing for Grey’s, Finch was a prolific freelancer who shared her personal medical stories with outlets like Elle, The Hollywood Reporter and the Shondaland website. Her previous credits include Vampire Diaries, No Ordinary Family and True Blood. She joined Grey’s Anatomy in 2015.

People’s Choice Award Winners

THE FEMALE TV STAR OF 2022: Ellen Pompeo

‘Abbott Elementary’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘The Mandalorian’ & ‘Yellowstone’ Set For PaleyFest 40th Anniversary

The Paley Center for Media revealed that 2023’s event will return to the Dolby Theatre between March 31 and April 4.

The ABC comedy and medical drama, Star Wars spinoff series and Paramount Network cowboy series will be joined by a full lineup of panels, to be announced on January 17, when ticket sales will also kick off.

Last year, which was the first in-person event to be held in three years, featured conversations with the casts of This Is Us, Black-ish, Ghosts and NCIS among others.

“We are thrilled to announce the first selections for the 40th anniversary of PaleyFest,” said Maureen J. Reidy, The Paley Center for Media’s President and CEO. “PaleyFest features the leading talent and creative minds from today’s top TV shows, and we are delighted to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with our Members and passionate TV fans. We thank our friends at Citi and the William S. Paley Foundation for their continued support of this iconic festival as it enters its 40th anniversary of celebrating the best of television.”

Katherine Heigl was ‘afraid’ daughter Naleigh ‘didn’t love’ her as a working mom

The actress recalled on “The View” Monday that just three days after she and her husband, Josh Kelley, adopted the then-9-month-old from South Korea in 2009, she had to get on a plane to film the ABC medical drama in Atlanta.

“I never saw that baby,” she said. “I was at work with three triplets who were playing my goddaughter, and I spent more time with them than I did with my new daughter.”

Heigl, 44, shared that Naleigh, now 14, “bonded” with Kelley, 42, but did not get as much personal time with her at first.

“I was always afraid that I had missed that opportunity to really bond with her and that she didn’t love me — in that moment,” she admitted.

The Emmy winner explained that she initially thought she could juggle being a present mom and having a flourishing career.

Despite the initial difficulties of being a first-time mother, Heigl wanted to further expand her family, telling Gala magazine in 2010 that she and Kelley “would love to have a second child, adopted or biological.”

“We’re not ruling it out,” she added at the time.

The couple, who married in 2007, went on to adopt another daughter, Adalaide, now 10, in 2012. The “27 Dresses” star then gave birth to a son, Joshua Jr., now 5, in 2017.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Ellen Pompeo Reassures Fans She’ll Be Back Ahead Of Her Exit As Full-Time Cast Member

Pompeo said she is “eternally grateful and humbled by the love and support” fans have shown for her and her character Meredith Grey for 19 seasons. “You know the show must go on and I’ll definitely be back to visit,” she wrote on Instagram.

As Deadline revealed in August, Pompeo is scaling back her on-screen presence on Grey’s Anatomy this season to eight episodes. Her Feb. 23 farewell as a core cast member, aptly titled “I’ll Follow the Sun” and written by Grey’s Anatomy executive producer/showrunner Krista Vernoff, is Episode 7. Pompeo, who is segueing to a Hulu limited series which she is starring in and executive producing, is expected to return for Grey’s Anatomy‘s Season 19 finale.

She remains an executive producer and will provide the voiceover narration for all episodes this season. In the Nov. 10 fall finale, Meredith announced her departure from Grey Sloan in an email.

Thursday Ratings: Station 19, Grey's Audiences Rise With Fall Finales

Per Nielsen finals….

ABC | With their fall finale crossover, Station 19 (4 mil/0.5) drew its second-best audience of the season/was steady in the demo, while Grey’s Anatomy (3.7 mil/0.5) nearly tied a season high in audience/rose in the demo. A broadcast sampling of Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt legal drama drew 1.8 mil and a 0.2 at 10 pm.

CBS | Young Sheldon (7.1 mil/0.6), Ghosts (6.6 mil/0.6), So Help Me Todd (4.4 mil/0.3) and CSI: Vegas (3.5 mil/0.3) all added viewers and held steady in the demo.

NBC | Law & Order (4 mil/0.4), SVU (4 mil/0.5) and Organized Crime (2.9 mil/0.4) were all steady.

THE CW | Walker (770K/0.1) added a few eyeballs, while Independence (470K/0.1) lost some.

FOX | Hell’s Kitchen (1.9 mil/0.4) and Call Me Kat (1.1 mil/0.2) both dipped, while Flatch (850K/0.2) was steady.

‘Grey’s Anatomy‘ Sets Date For Ellen Pompeo’s Farewell Episode As Full-Time Cast Member – What’s Next For Meredith & ABC Series?

For those following Meredith’s (Pompeo) storyline this season, that won’t be a surprise since she made the decision to move to Boston in last week’s episode after Zola fell in love with a school there and Jackson offered Meredith a job working on Alzheimer’s research.

As Deadline revealed in August, Pompeo is scaling back her on-screen presence on Grey’s Anatomy this season to eight episodes. Her Feb. 23 farewell as a core cast member, aptly titled “I’ll Follow the Sun” and written by Grey’s Anatomy executive producer/showrunner Krista Vernoff, is Episode 7. Pompeo, who is segueing to a Hulu limited series which she is starring in and executive producing, is expected to return for Grey’s Anatomy‘s Season 19 finale.

She remains an executive producer and will provide the voiceover narration for all episodes this season. In anticipation of Pompeo’s departure as Grey’s title character, the series this fall introduced a new group of interns in its biggest cast infusion to date.

The creative overhaul seems to be paying off, with the new characters receiving largely warm reception by fans, making a record 20th season of TV’s longest-running medical drama likely. According to sources, renewal talks have not started yet but are expected to soon.

Like other prominent former cast members, including Jesse Williams (Jackson), Pompeo could continue to make appearances on the series beyond this season, I hear.

In tonight’s fall finale, Meredith announced her departure from Grey Sloan in an email. Understandably, her making the decision without consulting Nick upset him so he would not commit when Richard asked him whether he can count on him staying in Seattle. (Given the fact that Scott Speedman, who plays Nick, is not a series regular this season, the decision is pretty obvious.)

To make Meredith’s move even more permanent, her house burned to the ground with only the post-it she and Derek wrote their vows on surviving.

Still, no one was hurt and Meredith wrapped her last day at Grey Sloan in high spirits, being toasted by all her colleagues.

Grey's Fall Finale Recap: Thunderbolts and Lightning, Very, Very Frightening

‘YOU WILL SEE GNARLY INJURIES’ | As “Thunderstruck” began, Meredith sent an email to her Grey Sloan colleagues announcing that she was leaving. How was Nick taking the news? They weren’t talking about it, Mer informed Amelia and Maggie. Lucas and Simone turned up their chemistry to 11. (Sue me — I already love them). And Link reminded Jo that women don’t just need abortions during nice weather, so she still had to go to work at the clinic. Unfortunately, once she arrived, she learned that bureaucracy had brought the wheels of progress to a halt, and the clinic couldn’t open yet. Elsewhere, annoyed that Lucas had yet to tell his fellow residents that they are not sleeping together, Amelia hauled him in front of his classmates and forced him to confess that he’s a Shepherd. “We are not now and have never been having sex,” she clarified. Er, “with each other.” Though the interns feared that Mer’s departure would mean the end of the residency program, Nick assured them that that was not the case — they, not any one surgeon, were the program.

Shortly, into the E.R. came Jonathan, the TV reporter whose helicopter had been struck by lightning on Station 19, leaving him in such bad shape that he had to be transported to the hospital in the extracted chair from the chopper. When the patient apologized to wife Paola for resenting the fact that she’d wanted him to give up his dream of being a war correspondent for her, a light bulb seemed to go on over Teddy’s head. Was Owen about to get freed from the doghouse? After Teddy and Owen reported to Paola that Jonathan was going to pull through, Mika told Altman that watching her in action had restored her faith that she could be anything. Teddy was a “badass boss lady surgeon, and I want to be you when I grow up.”

As Mer got autographs for her kids from a children’s book author named Tessa who had pancreatitis, Mer passed on obtaining one for herself — she already had the writer’s Jane Hancock from when she was a youngster. (Tessa was a Seattle legend, doncha know?) Before scrubbing in on Tessa’s whipple procedure, Simone asked Lucas if he felt better now that his deep, dark secret was out. Not so much better as different, he replied. (Of course, the point of the scene was really how well-prepared for the whipple she was. That, and them going from flirty to flirtier.) Ahead of the surgery, Nick gave Lucas a pep talk and assured him that he was good enough to make a name for himself. In the O.R., Nick encouraged Lucas, Mer was more cautious. She decided that Adams was too pooped to perform and replaced him with Simone. And that was just the beginning of the drama in that O.R.

‘WHEN SHE LEAVES, THIS PLACE WILL FEEL IT’ | When Richard approached Nick to ask whether he, along with Mer, would be leaving, her boyfriend admitted that he didn’t know. He struggled with figuring out how to answer questions with her. “She’s worth it,” Richard told him. Was she, though? Mer hadn’t even told Nick that Lucas was a Shepherd. When the couple argued/talked at last, Nick marveled at the position in which she’d put him. He didn’t even know how to fight for them and hated the idea of deserting his class of residents. In other developments, Jo, pitching in in the pit, gave Levi a hard time about his little bit of power having gone to his head. Jules delighted in outsmarting Blue when he asked for a consult. Later, they bonded, revealing a whole lot more about their pasts than one ordinarily would with just a one-night stand.

At Mer’s, Winston showed up to help Maggie pack for her sister — and to ruin her plan to avoid him and any discussion of his changing specialties. As far as he was concerned, though, the decision was made. He was going to take part in Grey Sloan’s vascular surgery fellowship. “If we keep working together, we’re not gonna make it. I love cardio,” Winston said, “but I love you more.” This was not the answer that Maggie wanted. She didn’t know if she respected it, even. While Winston absorbed that blow, the house was struck by lightning! Shortly, back at Grey Sloan, Bailey received a call from Ben, and Richard interrupted Nick and Mer’s operation on Tessa to tell Grey that there was a fire at her house. Off she went, to find her home in flames but the kids OK. At day’s end, Jo, Bailey and Carina were at last able to open the clinic (which was named for Miranda’s late mom, Elena). In the locker room, Simone reported to Lucas that Tessa was OK. But all he wanted to do was beat himself up over his failing in the O.R. As they argued, he impulsively kissed her, but she couldn’t go there. Um, why? Curiouser and curiouser. And at Mer’s, at least saved from the blaze were her and Derek’s Post-It’d vows.

‘The Sympathizer’: Sandra Oh Among Three Cast In HBO & A24’s Drama Series Adaptation

The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States.

Described as a “blistering exploration of identity and America, a gripping spy novel and a powerful story of love and friendship,” the novel is hailed as a new classic of war fiction and has been compared to the works of Kafka, Orwell, and le Carré.

Oh will play Ms. Sofia Mori, a liberated feminist who in the midst of a love triangle begins to awaken to the complexity of her own Asian American identity.

Chinh portrays the Major’s Mother. Homesick for Vietnam, she doesn’t find an easy fit with her new circumstances, in contrast to her son who has jumped in feet first.

Nguyen is Madame, the General’s wife and elegant and commanding matriarch who’s desperate to keep her daughter modest and her husband from unraveling as they restart their lives as refugees.

They join Downey Jr., who is set to play multiple supporting roles as the main antagonists, all of whom represent a different arm of the American establishment. Main cast also includes Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le and Alan Trong.

The series is currently in production, with filming in Los Angeles and Thailand.

Oldboy director Park Chan-wook is on board as co-showrunner, along with Don McKellar, and also will direct the series. Park and McKellar will also exec produce along with Downey, Susan Downey and Amanda Burrell for Team Downey. Niv Fichman will also exec produce through Rhombus Media as will Kim Ly. The series is a co-production between HBO, A24 and Rhombus Media in association with Cinetic Media and Moho Film. Jennifer Venditti is casting director.

Oh recently wrapped the fourth and final season of the Emmy-winning series Killing Eve. She was also recently seen starring in the Netflix dramedy series The Chair and voiced characters in Amazon’s Invincible and Netflix’s The Sandman. She is repped by UTA, Principal Entertainment LA and Hansen Jacobson Teller.

Chinh is a Vietnamese-American actress with six decades of international credits from Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, China, and Canada. She came to the U.S. under the sponsorship of actress Tippi Hedren, who helped her gain employment in Hollywood. Chinh is best known in the U.S. for her appearances in M*A*S*H and Dynasty. Chinh is repped by Allen Edelman Management.

Vietnamese-American actress Nguyen is best known for co-hosting Vietnam’s popular variety show Paris by Night. She is the youngest daughter of South Vietnam’s former Prime Minister and Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky. Nguyen is repped by Prestigious Powerhouse Agency.

Debbie Allen Interview Series ‘Hello’ Shopped By Scott Koondel’s Sox Entertainment

Hello, which has been acquired by Scott Koondel’s Sox Entertainment, features Allen in one-on-one conversations with top artists, authors, writers and directors. The list of guests so far include Shonda Rhimes, Phylicia Rashad, Tyler Perry, Ava DuVernay, Whoopi Goldberg and Stevie Wonder, with additional episodes to be taped.

The hourlong show, described as informative, inspiring, sometimes painful and laugh-out-loud funny, is being shopped to streaming platforms.

“Hello is a series of interviews in which the iconic talent Debbie Allen has a intimate conversation with another entertainment icon,” said Koondel. “I’m thrilled for Sox Entertainment to distribute this phenomenal series as we now enter the talk genre at the highest level of talent.”

Former top CBS executive Koondel launched his company with Judith Sheindlin’ Judy Justice at Amazon Freevee and recently added a second court show with Sheindlin at the streamer, Tribunal.

Most Disney Shows, Including ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ & ‘9-1-1’, Drop Covid Vaccine Requirement After Company Lifts Mandate On U.S. Productions

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher revealed the development in a TikTok video captioned “@disney pulls the plug on vaccine mandates! Way to go Mickey!!!!”

“I must applaud Disney for taking the position not to vaccine mandate their sets any longer,” Drescher said.

Disney, as well as Netflix, were the biggest studios to implement a blanket policy on their U.S.-based productions last year, mandating vaccinations for everyone working in “Zone A,” which consists of the actors and those who come in close proximity to them.

Netflix has not returned an email from Deadline seeking comment but I hear the company dropped the mandate awhile ago. The other major U.S. studios have had their vaccine requirements on a show-by-show basis.

The return-to-work protocols agreed upon by the Hollywood unions and major studios and extended multiple times give producers “the option to implement mandatory vaccination policies for casts and crew in Zone A on a production-by-production basis.”

Virtually all U.S.-produced Disney series adopted the mandate last year, which led to several high-profile cast member exits, including Emilio Estevez from Disney+’s Mighty Ducks, Rockmond Dunbar from Fox’s 9-1-1 (He ended up suing Disney) and Steve Burton & Ingo Rademacher from ABC’s General Hospital.

Donald Lee Harris Dies: Production Designer On ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘The Office’ & Many Other Shows Was 78

Harris began his Grey’s Anatomy stint with Season 3 in 2006 and stayed with the show through the Season 11 final in 2015, spanning more than 200 episodes of the ABC hospital drama. His most recent gig was on the 2016-21 ABC sitcom American Housewife, working on all of its 103 episodes.

“He rarely let anything ruffle his feathers, and was appreciated for his incredible design acumen, calm and kind demeanor,” Harris’ last agent, Amanda Pecora-Sutphen, said in a social media post (read it in full below). “He would simply say, “OK, fine” when last-minute changes would have had anyone else ripping their hair out. He loved designing and his passion will undoubtedly live on through his work. … Donald’s design skills have informed future generations of designers, and inspired those who worked alongside him."

Harris began his career in the 1970s, first in the art department for an episode of hit variety series Donny & Marie and then as an art director on films including Flesh Gordon — in which he got his only acting credit — and Swap Meet. He served in that role for other 1980s pics such as Movers & Shakers and Aloha Summer and got his first production designer credits on a pair of mid-’80s TV movies and the features Can’t Buy Me Love and World Gone Wild.

As PD, he worked mostly on telefilm and miniseries — including Babe Ruth, Billy the Kid and Love, Lies & Murder — before landing his first series gig with the 1991-92 NBC sci-fi drama Eerie, Indiana. Harris continued to work mostly on TV movies through the ’90s before landing the production designer job on Fox’s Malcolm in the Middle, which helped usher in the wave of single-camera comedies on broadcast TV, in 2000. He would work on the series throughout its seven-season run.

“Donald Lee Harris was one of the most creative, patient and diligent artists I’ve ever known,” Malcolm in the Middle creator Linwood Boomer said in a statement to Deadline. “Two decades ago, he showed everyone in television how great single-camera comedies could look. Everyone who’s worked with him will miss him terribly.”

He left that gig to work as PD on the six-episode first season of NBC comedy The Office. His next job was Grey’s Anatomy.

In 2016, Harris served as production designer on the short-lived 2016 Fox comedy Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life. He then joined American Housewife as production designer for its 2016 pilot and stayed through that Katy Mixon-led series through its finale.

“Donald was an amazing production designer. Extremely talented and unflappable. And he was an amazing person. Kind, smart and funny,” said Kenny Schwartz, who served as executive producer/co-showrunner on the ABC comedy alongside Rick Wiener. “After the pilot of American Housewife, Donald said he was going to retire. Rick and I coaxed him into staying for its entire 5 year run. We would have been lost without him.”

Harris is survived by his wife, Laurie Harris, and children Travis and Vanessa. A memorial will be held Dec. 4, with more details to come.

Here is the full text of Pecora-Sutphen’s tribute to Harris:

It’s with a very heavy heart that I share the news of an immense loss in the creative world. Production Designer, Husband, Father, Friend & BRILLIANT mind, Donald Lee Harris passed away yesterday surrounded by his loving family after his heroic battle with cancer came to a close.

I personally had the pleasure of working with Donald on my very first job in the film industry, “Grey’s Anatomy”. He rarely let anything ruffle his feathers & I not only admired his design, I was always struck by his calm & kind demeanor. He would simply say, “ok fine” when last minute changes would have had anyone want to rip their hair out.

Years later, I had the esteemed pleasure of working with Donald as his agent. I will never forget how it felt getting to work alongside someone I had so admired early in my career. He LOVED designing & his passion will undoubtedly live on through his work. From “Can’t Buy Me Love” to “Malcolm in the Middle” to “The Office” & “American Housewife” and everything in between, Donald’s design speaks not only to future generations of designers, but to those who worked alongside him. Even more, those who invited his work into their homes, while creating quality time with their families enjoying their favorite TV series or feature film. Those of us who come from the world of entertainment, often forget how these seemingly simple moments in time create a sense of cherished remembrance. As we age, we can often recall fond childhood memories, sitting amongst family in front of the television with a shared a bowl of popcorn. There is something universal about the moments where we allow ourselves to be swept away from daily stress & responsibilities, and into a world created for that stillness… a world in which our imaginations can run wild. While being a highly stressful career path that stretches far beyond Hollywood glam & red carpet attire, there aren’t many professions in which creating another world is the entire essence of the job description… Donald dedicated his life to doing just that. He created fabulous “worlds” for our enjoyment, while still raising a family & creating a beautiful home & life alongside his beautiful wife, best friend & soulmate, Laurie.

I was outside admiring an incredible sunset last evening when I heard the news… the weight of this immeasurable loss while unbearable, also made me take pause & give gratitude for those who cross our paths, making enormous impacts along the way. I realized in that moment, the sunset which was radiant with pink hues & moody blues would be the image I would hold in my heart & mind when honoring Donald’s memory. The infinite New Mexico skies, the ever-changing beauty, the vibrant palette, all part of the set we call “life”. When I asked Donald’s family if there was a picture I could share with this tribute, I received this perfect representation of the kind & thoughtful man I had the pleasure of calling “friend”. It beautifully captures his nature as well as his passage over the rainbow. Rest in Peace Dear Friend.

Ratings: As World Series Hits New Highs, Walker Independence Rises

Opposite the well-watched Fall Classique, all but one (1) show ceded viewers….

CBS | Young Sheldon (6.7 mil/0.5) dipped but still landed in a three-way tie for the nightly demo win (amongst non-sports fare). Ghosts (6 mil/0.5), So Help Me Todd (3.9 mil/0.3) and CSI: Vegas (3.1 mil/0.3) were all steady in the demo.

ABC | Station 19 (3.5 mil/0.4), Grey’s Anatomy (3.1 mil/0.4) and Alaska Daily (2.6 mil/0.2) all dipped.

NBC | Law & Order (3.6 mil/0.4), SVU (3.7 mil/0.5) and Organized Crime (2.9 mil/0.4) all dipped.

THE CW | Walker (772K/0.1) dropped a handful of eyeballs, while scrappy Walker Independence (556K/0.1) ticked up in both measures.

Grey's Recap: The Doctors Are Out… of Town — Plus, Is [Spoiler] Dying?

‘TWO MILLIMETERS IS NOT WORTH THIS CONVERSATION’ | As “When I Get to the Border” began, Meredith and Zola were touring Brookline Steam Academy in Boston. (Zola was not impressed but agreed to spend the day shadowing a student, anyway). Elsewhere in town, Catherine fibbed to Jackson that she and Koracick were working on a project. Once the coconspirators had taken off, Jackson and Mer reunited, and she revealed what Zola was going through. If only Grey could cure Alzheimer’s, then she could ease her daughter’s anxiety. Why not do that? Jackson suggested. In no time, they were talking seriously about Mer possibly doing exactly that. Look what she had done for Parkinson’s! Plus, Grey working to cure the disease that killed her mother is a story — it would get the foundation funding. No go, Mer said. Zola had been through enough and had to be her focus. Fine. “But I’m not gonna give up on this, not entirely,” Jackson said. Later, he shared with Mer that spending time with his father a couple of years ago had, in a roundabout way, led him to his current life. Maybe that was why Mer was staying up nights researching Alzheimer’s for Zola — she wasn’t having a breakdown but a breakthrough. Wouldn’t seeing her mom try inspire Zola?

Meanwhile, Tom reported to Catherine that her tumor was two millimeters bigger than in her last scans. No longer in remission, she needed more treatment, and she needed to let her son and husband in on what was going on, Tom argued. In response, Catherine reminded him whose name was on the building. Besides, she was getting help, she insisted. She had an acupuncturist and a medicine man, and neither of them made her sick. “This is my cancer, my choice,” she said. Later, Tom started in on Catherine anew. But she was grateful that she wasn’t in an oncology ward. Whatever time she had, she wanted to spend it living. If she was going to be in a hospital, she was going to be in one as a doctor. And what about when her loved ones find out she spent all that time lying? She was protecting her privacy and peace, she said.

‘WHAT DO I KNOW, I’M JUST THE CHAUFFEUR?’ | At the same time as all that was going on, Bailey and Addison made tracks to Washington to visit Miranda’s first-year college roommate Cynthia, who ran a clinic there. Cynthia was thrilled that they were coming; the abortion protesters who greeted them, terrifyingly less so. Inside, Bailey and Addison began making progress seeing patients… only to have their pile of to-be-seen patients’ files grow even faster than they could work their way through it. Soon, “the medical Thelma and Louise” were on the road again to reach a patient named Susan in Idaho with an ectopic pregnancy attached to her C-section scar. Sadly, Susan reported that her 5-year-old only wanted one thing for her birthday: a sister. Oh dear… suddenly, Susan started hemorrhaging. To keep her from bleeding out, Addison basically inflated a balloon inside her. That bought the doctors some time… but could it possibly be enough? Dead ahead was traffic at a standstill. Susan was desperate to stay alive so that she could watch her little girl grow up. “I’m not ready to go,” she sobbed. And right on cue, her heart stopped beating. Bailey and Addison performed CPR on the side of the road, but alas, their efforts were in vain. The lawmakers should be made to come out there, Addison cried, and see the carnage that they had wrought. How were she and Bailey supposed to be doctors under these conditions? “I am infuriated! Women’s lives are on the line, and our hands that are trained to help them… are tied!”

‘I WONDER WHAT OTHER KINDS OF FAVORS HE DOES FOR HER’ | At Grey Sloan, Lucas balked at how many familial tasks Amelia had given him — including taking Scout to daycare. But she cheerfully informed him that she’d ask any competent resident to drop off her kid for her. (Hilariously, Scout seemed to call Lucas Dada in front of his peers.) Later, Lucas got a 911 text — about the tot. What was the accident? The kind that happened… in a kid’s pants. As Adams bought Scout replacement clothes, he was caught by his fellow residents, furthering their certainty that he and Amelia were sleeping together. Later, Blue assured Amelia that her and Lucas’ secret was safe. She was surprised that he knew. Only when Blue started suggesting that he had skills outside the O.R. did she begin to catch on. Then Lucas finally explained what his peers thought to Amelia. Gads, she couldn’t have people think that she was having sex with her nephew. “Fix it!” she told him.

‘IF THIS IS THE FUTURE, IT’S BLEAK’ | In the episode’s last few moments, Bailey shared that she had miscarried and needed a DNC because the miscarriage was incomplete. So she wanted to prepare healthcare professionals at Grey Sloan to help, lest the next generation not be trained. Addison wanted to help, too — and not just in L.A. “I know I can make a difference.” In particular, in the places where women were having to cross state lines for care. Reassuring Addison that Susan’s death wasn’t on her, Bailey realized that what they had needed was Ben’s no-longer-in-use PRT. Back at Grey Sloan, Lucas reminded Amelia that he’d only asked her not to blow his cover. He’d always been the loser of the Shepherds, he wanted to try to succeed not as a Shepherd. Unmoved, she gave him three days to set the record straight. In Boston, Zola worried about what would happen if they moved and she still had panic attacks. That kind of concern was Mom’s domain, Grey assured her. Plus, Jackson had offered her a job. In that case, Zola was all in — she loved Brookline. “I’m in,” Mer texted Jackson. “We’re moving to Boston.” Maybe eventually she’d also let Nick know?

Presenters at ‘The 56th Annual CMA Awards’

This year’s CMA Awards presenters include two-time World Series Champ, MVP and Los Angeles Dodgers Star Mookie Betts; CMA Musical Event of the Year nominee this year, BRELAND; from the much-anticipated upcoming limited series, “George & Tammy,” Academy Award® winner Jessica Chastain; two-time CMA nominee this year, Jordan Davis; Apple TV’s “Amber Brown” and Lifetime’s “Reindeer Games Homecoming,” Sarah Drew; Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” star Cole Hauser; multiplatinum and award-winning songwriter/artist Tyler Hubbard; five-time GRAMMY® winner, Country Music Hall of Fame Member and half of the legendary duo The Judds, Wynonna Judd; CMA Vocal Group of the Year nominee this year, Lady A; CBS’s “Young Sheldon” and ABC’s “Big Sky: Deadly Trails” actor Rex Linn; multiple CMA Award-winning band and Vocal Group of the Year nominee this year, Little Big Town; CMA New Artist of the Year nominee this year, Parker McCollum; six-time CMA Awards winner and Country Music Hall of Fame member, Reba McEntire; stars of the hit HGTV shows “HomeTown” and “HomeTown Takeover,” Ben and Erin Napier; 55-year Grand Ole Opry member with over 5,000 performances and the third female Country artist to win a GRAMMY, Jeannie Seely; from the much-anticipated upcoming limited series, “George & Tammy,” Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon; and six-time CMA nominee this year, Lainey Wilson.

With unforgettable solo performances, never-before-seen collaborations and special tributes from some of the biggest names in music, “The 56th Annual CMA Awards” is a must-see event. Artists taking the CMA Awards stage include Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Brandy Clark, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Combs, Caylee Hammack, HARDY, Cody Johnson, Elle King, Marcus King, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Ashley McBryde, Reba McEntire, John Osborne, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Katy Perry, Pillbox Patti, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, The Black Keys, The War and Treaty, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and Zac Brown Band.

“The 56th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer; Alan Carter is the director, and Jon Macks is the head writer.

Firefly Lane Trailer: Kate and Tully Are Friends Until the End in Final Season

In the preview embedded above, Sarah Chalke and Katherine Heigl’s BFFs navigate everything from new professional endeavors (Tully’s making a documentary!) to complicated romances (Kate and Johnny aren’t really over, right?). And it seems their long friendship with one another might hit a few snags, too, if the 1:40-ish mark of the trailer is any indication.

Netflix announced in October that Firefly Lane would conclude with Season 2. The 16 new episodes will be released in two parts, with nine arriving on Friday, Dec. 2, and the final seven dropping in 2023.

Based on the novel of the same name by bestselling author Kristin Hannah, Firefly Lane charts Tully and Kate’s friendship over a 30-year period. The ensemble also includes Ben Lawson, Beau Garrett, Ali Skovbye, Roan Curtis and Yael Yurman, while India de Beaufort (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Greg Germann (Grey’s Anatomy), Jolene Purdy (Orange Is the New Black) and Ignacio Serricchio (Lost in Space) are among the Season 2 additions.

‘Disenchanted’ Trailer: Amy Adams’ Princess Giselle Heads To The Suburbs In Disney+ Sequel

Disenchanted picks up ten years after Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) wed the cynical New York attorney Robert (Patrick Dempsey). Over the course of time, Giselle has grown disillusioned with life in the city, so she and Robert move their growing family to the sleepy suburban community of Monroeville in search of a more fairy tale life. But unfortunately, it isn’t the quick fix she had hoped for. Suburbia has a whole new set of rules and a local queen bee, Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), who makes Giselle feel more out of place than ever. Frustrated that her happily ever after hasn’t been so easy to find, she turns to the magic of Andalasia for help, accidentally transforming the entire town into a real-life fairy tale and placing her family’s future happiness in jeopardy. Now, Giselle is in a race against time to reverse the spell and determine what happily ever after truly means to her and her family.

Disenchanted will also see the return of Enchanted cast member James Marsden, along with the introduction of actors including Gabriella Baldacchino, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Jayma Mays. More information on the pic directed by Adam Shankman can be found below. Watch today’s new trailer above.

Sandra Oh, Ann Marie Fleming Reunite On Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Can I Get A Witness’, One Of Four New Titles On Mongrel International’s AFM Slate

The project, which is in development, is among four new features being launched at the American Film Market this week by Canadian sales outfit Mongrel International, a division of Toronto-based independent film distributor Mongrel Media.

Set in the near future, the film unfolds in a reality where, in order to save the planet, “death is everyone’s job”, with 50-year-olds making the sacrifice, while teenage artists have to document it.

Fleming and Oh previously collaborated on the award-winning 2016 animated feature Window Horses. Producers on the new project are Eric Mussolum and Jayme Pfahl.

Mongrel will also launch sales on two other projects in development: Jason Lapeyre’s crime thriller Stealing Is Bad starring Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) and Kevin Pollak (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and Sam McGlynn’s 1989, a prequel to the Fubar cult hits.

Stealing Is Bad revolves around an ambitious teenager who teams up with a middle-aged ex-convict to pull off a heist at the fast-food restaurant where they work. Juliette Hagopian produces.

1989 is billed as a prequel to the 2002 cult film Fubar, set against the world of heavy metal fandom, and its sequel Fubar 2. Dave Lawrence, one of the headbanging protagonists of the original is blasted back to 1989.

Paul Spence, who co-created the Fubar franchise, takes writing credits, with McGlynn directing. Spence produces with Kyle Irving.

Further new additions to the slate include the completed horror thriller Hands That Bind by Kyle Armstrong.

The drama unfolds in a struggling farming community hit by mysterious occurrences such as cattle mutilations, drought, a missing teenager, paranoia, and unexplained lights in the sky.

The cast features Paul Sparks (House of Cards), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Will Oldham (A Ghost Story) and Nicholas Campbell (Goon) and it is produced by Blake McWilliam.

World rights for all territories are available, except Canada, where Mongrel Media will distribute.

“Our 2022 AFM lineup is an eclectic mix of genre with highly original storytelling,” said Andrew Frank, co-president of Canadian distributor Mongrel Media, who is overseeing sales at AFM on behalf of Mongrel International.

“We know how critical cast is in the marketplace, and our three films in development already have key cast attached. Our finished film, Hands That Bind, has a stellar cast with Bruce Dern and Paul Sparks.”

Ratings: Ghosts and Walker Audiences Eye Season Highs, L&O Trio Dip

CBS | Young Sheldon (with 6.6 million total viewers and a 0.5 rating) actually dipped in the demo week-to-week, while Ghosts‘ Halloween episode (6.4 mil/0.5), So Help Me Todd (4.5 mil/0.3) and CSI: Vegas (3.4 mil/0.3) were all steady. Audience-wise, Ghosts is looking at its best overnight tally since Jan. 20.

ABC | Station 19 (4 mil/0.5) and Alaska Daily (3.1 mil/0.3) both ticked up, while Grey’s Anatomy (3.6 mil/0.5) was steady.

THE CW | Pending maybe-possible small adjustment due to a smidgen of sports preemptions, Walker (807K/0.1) is currently up 16 percent in audience to a season high, while Walker Independence (545K/0.0) also added eyeballs.

NBC | Back from a one-week break, Law & Order (4 mil/0.4), SVU (4.3 mil/0.5) and Organized Crime (3.1 mil/0.4) were all down a tick in the demo.

FOX | Hell’s Kitchen (2.3 mil/0.5), Welcome to Flatch (1.3 mil/0.3) and Call Me Kat (1.7 mil/0.3) were all up sharply — preemptions, anyone…?

‘A Man In Full’: Jerrika Hinton Joins Cast Of Netflix Limited Series

In A Man in Full, when Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker (Daniels) faces sudden bankruptcy, political and business interests collide as he defends his empire from those attempting to capitalize on his fall from grace.

Hinton will play Henrietta White. Henrietta guides her husband, Roger (Aml Ameen), though a moment of soul-searching to protect what’s best for their family.

Kelley serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner, with King directing three episodes and exec producing as part of her first-look deal with Netflix via her Royal Ties production company. Matthew Tinker also executive produces.

Hinton stars in Amazon’s conspiracy thriller drama series Hunters from Monkeypaw Productions. She previously recurred on M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ thriller Servant and was a series regular on HBO’s drama Here and Now. Hinton is repped by Paradigm and Trademark Talent.

Grey's Recap: Abra-Cadavers — Plus, a Big Hint About Mer's Imminent Exit

‘I ALREADY HATE THIS’ | As the episode began, Richard wheeled in a cart full of pumpkins on which the interns were to practice their carving skills. Hilariously, this was Mika’s worst fear — she had pumpkinphobia. She was even scared of pumpkin bread. Luckily, Nick soon scored enough actual bodies for them to Ginsu instead. On Link’s cancer-versary, he invited Jo to dinner and a foot rub. Alas, she had to work. So he was going to find a sexy-nurse date on Tinder instead. The first patients of the night were a couple of teens who’d taken LSD and jumped off a roof into a pool. Well, toward a pool, anyway — only one of the flying idiots hit the water. Still high as a kite after making a splash, the boy snuck out of the ER and leapt off an ambulance right onto poor Jo while she was dealing with a patient in labor. So much for Link’s sexy nurse. When the kids’ fathers showed up, they busied themselves with a shouting match over which youngster had given the other drugs. They were so loud that Bailey had to intervene — parenting is hard enough, she told them. They couldn’t turn on each other.

In Owen’s trauma training session with the cadavers, Winston upped the stakes by offering a chance to scrub in with him to whichever intern demonstrated the most impressive technique. While the residents fumbled, Winston confided in Owen that Maggie had taken to commenting on pretty much everything that he did — from his cases to the way he heats water. To raise Winston’s spirits, Owen suggested that they terrorize the interns a bit. After the “patient died,” Jules, whose parents were donating their bodies to science, was horrified to learn that Owen had stabbed all of the cadavers for the purposes of the newbies’ training. But how else would they learn? During round two, Winston remarked that observing the interns was like “watching kids stick their fingers into electrical sockets.” (Interesting reveal: Blue had no father. OK.) This time, the residents saved the “patient.” Who won the chance to scrub in? Well, they’d all contributed, Lucas noted. Could they all scrub in? Sure. Before leaving, Owen encouraged Winston not to let resentment take over his marriage. His solution? Considering leaving cardio to save their relationship.

‘I’M A LOT SCARIER WITHOUT THE SHEET’ | At Meredith’s, Amelia encouraged her sister-in-law and Nick to go enjoy a romantic evening. She’d babysit the kiddos while Zola was at a sleepover. Instead of take his girlfriend to his place, though, Nick got them a fancy hotel room. In which they seemed to spend most of their time drinking champagne and talking about Zola. Relating to the child’s situation, Nick told a story about how his mom had bought an RV to show him the whole wide world in which no one knew that he was the kid whose father had left him. So… road trip for Mer and Zola? Anyway, just then, the poor kid called in tears, and off Mer and Nick went to pick her up. She’d been trying to go to sleep, and all she could think about was her mom and her aunt and Alzheimer’s. It would get better, Mom promised. Even if they had to find her a school outside of Seattle. Ah, is that how Ellen Pompeo will leave after a few more episodes?

‘WHO DOES ALL THE WORK, STACY? ME!’ | After campaigning to be chief resident, Levi buckled under the pressure of the job and barked at a nurse in front of Richard. Naturally, Webber pulled him aside. “Can you just say the thing I need to hear?” an impatient Schmitt asked. “Take a break,” Richard replied. Levi couldn’t, though — if he “took a break” and someone else died, he wouldn’t be able to come back from that. Later, Richard went to the bar to ask Helm to come back to work. No dice. She’d be leaving her bartending job with $800 that very night. In the episode’s last few minutes, Richard told Levi that he’d failed him and his class. Webber was going to ask all the attendings to pick up the slack left when they lost the last class of interns.

‘TONIGHT WAS ENOUGH TO MAKE ME DREAD LETTING MY KIDS GROW UP’ | In surgery with Maggie, Simone’s phone beeped and beeped. (Uh-oh, I thought. Grandma?) Nonetheless, the kid who missed the swimming pool pulled through. After the incident in the O.R., Maggie asked Simone what was up — Pierce knew that Griffith was the intern to watch. So what happened? Simone had been a model resident in the gig she was asked to leave after finally voicing concerns about racial issues. That was why her phone had been going off: A video of her losing her ish — and understandably, after the mistreatment she’d received — had gone viral, and she had been trying to get it taken down. Later, Simone shared with her peers that she was the resident in the video. Finally, as the hour drew to a close, Teddy and Link commiserated over how one stupid impulse could ruin your life at any stage of the game. “I’m kinda crazy about Jo,” he blurted out. It hadn’t been an option… then it was… and now? “I blew it,” he said. “Just keep sleeping with other women until those feelings pass,” she advised. Don’t let what happened to her and Owen happen to him and Jo. Off that convo, Teddy found Owen sleeping in the lounge and reminded him of how he’d managed to give her several holidays in one while they were deployed. It was a sweet moment… during which he dozed back off.

Shonda Rhimes Would Love To Bring Back ‘Private Practice’

While promoting her new Bridgerton book this week, the uber-producer told Good Morning America that she wouldn’t mind revisiting Private Practice. She was asked by the hosts to name one of her popular shows from ABC that she’d love to bring back.

“I miss my Scandal family so badly that I would come back with them at any point, but I actually feel like we didn’t finish telling our stories on Private Practice,” Rhimes said. “We had so many more stories we could tell … I just felt like we had so much more to say with those characters and so much further to go, and that also felt like a show that had endless possibility where you are learning and seeing things happen at the same things happen medically.”

Launched in 2007, Private Practice featured Kate Walsh as Addison — a character that was introduced in the first season on Grey’s Anatomy. Her character is a gynecological and neonatal surgeon and, as MerDer fans know, she was once married to Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). Private Practice lasted until 2013.

Walsh’s popularity with Grey‘s fans, however, never waned: She has returned repeatedly to the action at Grey Sloan.

Rhimes left ABC in 2017 for a multi-million dollar deal at Netflix, which also covered her production company Shondaland and her producing partner Betsy Beers. It was extended in 2021.

People’s Choice Award Nominees

Voting for the 2022 People’s Choice Awards runs today (Oct 26) through Wednesday, November 9 at 11:59 pm ET. Fans can either vote online at http://www.votepca.com or on Twitter.

Show of 2022
Abbott Elementary
Better Call Saul
Grey’s Anatomy
House of the Dragon
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Saturday Night Live
Stranger Things
This Is Us

Drama Show of 2022
Better Call Saul
Cobra Kai
Euphoria
Grey’s Anatomy
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Ozark
The Walking Dead
This Is Us

Female TV Star of 2022
Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
Ellen Pompeo – Grey’s Anatomy
Kristen Bell – The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan – Never Have I Ever
Mandy Moore – This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building

Drama TV Star of 2022
Ellen Pompeo – Grey’s Anatomy
Jason Bateman – Ozark
Mandy Moore – This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Norman Reedus – The Walking Dead
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us
Sydney Sweeney – Euphoria
Zendaya – Euphoria

Jesse Williams To Join Season 3 Of ‘Only Murders In The Building’

Williams is an activist/actor/entrepreneur and former high school teacher. He earned a Tony Award nomination in his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning revival of Take Me Out this year and will next be seen in Your Place or Mine with Reese Witherspoon, as well as in his return to Broadway for the newly extended run of Take Me Out.

Williams spent 12 seasons playing Dr. Jackson Avery on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and has appeared in TV and films including The Cabin in the Woods, Little Fires Everywhere, Brooklyn’s Finest and the Paramount action comedy Secret Headquarters with Owen Wilson.

Williams executive produced the 2021 Oscar-winning short film Two Distant Strangers and served as both senior producer and correspondent alongside Norman Lear for their Epix docuseries America Divided. Williams is a partner and board member of the No. 1 scholarship app in the world, Scholly, which has matched students with more than $100 million to date. He also is co-founder of both BLeBRiTY and Ebroji mobile apps and executive producer of Question Bridge: Black Males, a transmedia art installation in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s permanent collection. He sits on the board of directors for both Advancement Project and Harry Belafonte’s arts and social justice organization Sankofa.org.

Williams is repped by CAA, Entertainment 360 and André Des Rochers of Granderson Des Rochers.

Only Murders in the Building, produced by 20th Television, racked up 17 Emmy nominations this past season and won three. The series hails from co-creators and writers Martin and John Hoffman, who executive produce along with Short, Gomez, This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal.

Ratings: Young Sheldon, Ghosts Lead Thursday; Fox Sitcom Audiences Grow

With NBC’s Law & Order shows in rerun mode….

CBS | Young Sheldon (with 6.5 million total viewers and a 0.5 demo rating), Ghosts (5.9 mil/0.5) and So Help Me Todd (4.2 mil/0.3) all dipped, while CSI: Vegas (3.6 mil/0.3) rose to a season high in audience and was steady in the demo.

ABC | Station 19 (3.8 mil/0.4) and Grey’s Anatomy (3.5 mil/0.4) both ticked up in audience while hitting all-time demo lows. Alaska Daily (2.9 mil/0.2) ticked down in both measures.

THE CW | Walker (702K/0.1) added some eyeballs, while Walker Independence (528K/0.1) dropped some.

FOX | Hell’s Kitchen (2.1 mil/0.4), Welcome to Flatch (1.2 mil/0.2) and Call Me Kat (1.5 mil/0.2) were all steady in the demo, with the sitcoms both (conspicuously?) surging to season highs in audience.

REINDEER GAMES HOMECOMING (Lifetime) 11/12/22

Grey's Recap: Learn, Baby! Learn!

’YOU’RE GETTING PAID TO TALK ABOUT SEX TODAY’ | As “Let’s Talk About Sex” began, Lucas skateboarded to Grey Sloan, Amelia struggled to find a way to get to see long-distance love Kai, only to discover that they were already in Seattle (surprise!), and Zola came to the hospital with Meredith rather than go to school (as the youngster was still having panic attacks). Nearby, Bailey turned up at her old stomping grounds, having been given permission by Nick to use the interns in the sex-ed project that she and Jo had mounted in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. When Addison, in town to work with Bailey and Jo, crossed paths with Lucas, she warmly greeted him as Shep… before he discreetly made it clear that she wasn’t supposed to acknowledge that he was Derek’s nephew. From the get-go, the interns tried to make excuses not to participate — and that was before they found out that they wouldn’t just be speaking to a video camera, they’d be speaking to a roomful of real kids. As the interns bombed reading from Jo’s script, one of the teenage girls fled from the room and admitted to Addison that she was late. Back in the auditorium, another girl keeled over in pain.

While Jules got the kids’ attention by explaining where the clitoris is, and Blue shared why the pullout method was so ineffective, Girl No. 2 turned out to have a giant cyst. Called in to the O.R., Addison tasked Levi with reassuring Girl No. 1 as she waited for test results. So he had to be the person who confirmed for her that yes, she’d gotten pregnant after the first time she ever had sex. But at least he was able to explain that they could give her pills to medically abort so long as they’d caught the pregnancy early enough. (They had.) Eventually, Jules recruited Owen and Teddy, of all couples, to teach the youngsters about consent. The interns also schooled the kids on how different actual sex was from porn sex. (Spoiler alert: very.)

‘I’M A VERY HAPPY PERSON, HE’S JUST BITTER AND BROKEN’ | Though Lucas supported Bailey, Jo and Addison’s project, he needed more pit time, so he volunteered to help Teddy (especially since Owen was worse than useless to her at present). Soon, he was assigned by Levi to help Joyce (aka Simone’s grandmother) find her daughter, who she believed was giving birth that day. (As we already knew, Simone’s mother died at Seattle Grace giving birth to her.) Soon enough, Joyce said that if her daughter had a girl, she’d be named Simone. Lightbulb moment for Lucas. Then, in a horrifying moment, Simone had to tell her grandmother again that her mom had died. Meredith to the rescue. (Well, insofar as she could help, what with not being able to resurrect Simone’s mom.) Griffith wasn’t sure that she could handle her grandmother’s condition. But Grey assured her that as she’d had to be with Ellis, Griffith could be with her grandmother. After Mer suggested that letting Joyce live in her reality might be the kindest option (as opposed to telling her over and over that her daughter has died), Simone went ahead and played her mom for Joyce. (Heartbreaking stuff.) Later, Simone thanked Lucas for staying with her grandma all day and asked him not to tell anyone about her condition. If he could keep his lips zipped, Simone added, she wouldn’t reveal that he was a Shepherd — yeah, she’d figured it out after he’d been so weird with “Aunt Addie.”

‘TEN YEARS OF TRAINING, AND I’M BASICALLY PLAYING A VIDEO GAME’ | Bored with her homework, Zola snuck out of Mer’s office in search of a surgery to watch but wound up being intercepted by Nick, who showed her cool gadgetry in his lab. Did he always know that he wanted to be a doctor? she asked. No, not until his mom had died. When Kai came in, they were impressed by Zola’s cognitive abilities on neurological tests that were lying around. So was Nick, who called in Amelia and Maggie to see how brilliant Zola is. When Mer arrived on the scene, ticked that her daughter had taken these tests without her consent, Maggie and Kai suggested that Zola’s genius might be what was sparking the panic attacks.

‘WHAT ARE WE POINTING AT?’ | As the hour neared its conclusion, the docs all busted out dance moves for the sex-ed reel. (Glee vet Harry Shum Jr. was, of course, killer.) When Richard asked Bailey when they’d see her again, she suggested… tomorrow. Given that there was a humanitarian crisis going on, she wanted to open the clinic again to protect reproductive rights and work as an attending the rest of the time. “That’s my best and final offer,” she said. Natch, Webber accepted it. Zola’s brilliance sparked memories in Maggie of her own childhood; she couldn’t believe that she hadn’t noticed it in her niece. What had helped Maggie? Amelia asked. A child therapist had given her coping tools. Zola would get her tools, Amelia promised. Richard invited Addison to dinner, but she wanted to work. After Roe v. Wade, she felt “erased.” He encouraged her to live, too, and eat. Finally, Mer admitted to Nick that she was lost as to what to do for Zola. He saw the upside of the day — they now had a piece of the puzzle that they hadn’t had before. At home, inspired by their sex-ed presentation, Teddy gave Owen consent to get it on with her. And at the same time, Amelia and Kai got busy. (Not all of them together, mind you.) And as Link massaged Jo’s feet, she shared that she’d learned that even they had erogenous zones. “Should I stop?” Hell, no. At the hospital, Lucas and Simone looked to be getting awfully chummy, and Blue and Jules snuck into the on-call room to have sex. “I don’t even like you,” she said. “I’m not for everyone,” he replied. Love! These! Interns!

Grey's Anatomy: Greg Germann to Return as Koracick in November

TVLine has learned exclusively that Greg Germann is set to reprise his role as Tom Koracick in the Nov. 3 episode, the same installment that marks Williams’ comeback as Jackson Avery.

Germann left what had become a series-regular role in Season 17, when Koracick, having won his battle with COVID but having lost Teddy to Owen, decided to move to Boston to help Jackson run his mother’s Catherine Fox Foundation.

In the Nov. 3 outing, Koracick reaches out to Catherine (who is in Boston) regarding a personal matter. Meredith, meanwhile, also spends the episode in Boston, catching up with Jackson.

After exiting Grey’s last year, Germann joined the second and final season of Netflix’s Firefly Lane (which kicks off Dec. 2) in a recurring role. The Ally McBeal vet also turns up in this week’s episode of The Good Fight.

When Germann’s Grey’s departure was announced in May 2021, showrunner Krista Vernoff all but confirmed that Koracick would be back.

“Greg Germann is a comic genius and we are so lucky that he brought his talents to our show these last few years,” Vernoff said at the time. “We will miss Greg terribly in the day to day — but we plan to see Tom Koracick again!”

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Jesse Williams Returns To Guest Star & Direct In Season 19

Williams departed Grey’s as a series regular in spring 2021 after 12 seasons. In the May 6, 2021 Season 17 episode “Look Up Child” it was revealed Jackson was leaving Grey Sloan to move to Boston to take over the family foundation. He was followed there by his ex, April (Sarah Drew), who relocated with their daughter. Williams made a couple of more appearances in Season 17.

He, along with Drew, then returned to guest star in the Season 18 finale last May, in which they confirmed that Jackson and April have rekindled their relation by kissing in the elevator at Grey Sloan Memorial.

Drew will not be In Episode 1905, in which Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) catches up with Jackson (Williams) on a trip to Boston but Grey’s Anatomy executive producer/director Debbie Allen will reprise her recurring role as Jackson’s mother, Catherine.

In other “When I Get to the Border” developments, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Addison (Kate Walsh) take a road trip to volunteer at a family planning center, but a patient’s ectopic pregnancy leads to complications. Elsewhere, the interns play detective about Lucas’ (Niko Terho) relationship with Amelia (Caterina Scorsone).

Williams also served as a director on ABC series Rebel, from Grey’s showrunner and executive producer Krista Vernoff. An activist and a tech entrepreneur, he also executive produced the 2021 Oscar-winning film Two Distant Strangers. Williams is returning to Broadway in the baseball-themed Take Me Out, for which he was nominated for a Tony. He recently starred alongside Owen Wilson in Paramount+’s Secret Headquarters and will next be seen in Netflix’s Your Place or Mine with Reese Witherspoon.

Ratings: Sheldon, Ghosts, SVU Lead Night; Walker Spinoff Audience Steady

CBS | Young Sheldon (6.9 million viewers/0.6 rating), Ghosts (6.2 mil/0.6) and So Help Me Todd (4.4 mil/0.4) all ticked up in the demo, while CSI: Vegas (3.2 mil/0.3) was steady. Sheldon is looking at its best audience since April 21, while Ghosts is poised to report its best since Jan. 20.

ABC | Station 19 (3.6 mil/0.5) and Alaska Daily (3 mil/0.3) were steady in the demo, but Grey’s (3.2 mil/0.5) dipped.

NBC | Law & Order (3.9 mil/0.4) was steady, while SVU (4.3 mil/0.6) and Organized Crime (3 mil/0.5) ticked up.

THE CW | Pending possible adjustment due to a teeny amount of preemptions, Walker (687K/0.1) dropped a few eyeballs whereas Walker Independence (617K/0.0) matched its premiere audience (but dipped in the demo).

FOX | Pending adjustment due to what I have to imagine are some preemptions (?), Hell’s Kitchen (2.7 mil/0.5), Welcome to Flatch (2 mil/0.3) and Call Me Kat (2.1 mil/0.3) are all currently up sharply.

Jesse Williams Judge, COVID's Real, Don't Make Me Sit for a Depo!!!

You see, Jesse is being sued over a car crash and the lawyer for the other driver has subpoenaed the actor to sit for a deposition. Jesse is afraid the close quarters during the depo will expose him to the virus. If he gets sick, well he'll violate the Broadway mantra, "The show must go on!" In other words, if there's no Jesse, there's no play.

It's not that Jesse doesn't want his depo taken -- he's more than willing to do it over Zoom -- but he says an in-person depo is just too risky.

As for the lawsuit, as we reported ... the woman in the other car claims the "Grey's Anatomy" star rear-ended her and then fled the scene.

We're told Jesse admits to rear-ending the other car but insists he did not book it out of there.

Grey's Anatomy Recap: Food Poisoning for Thought — Plus, Nick Makes Waves

‘TWO INTERNS MAKE A WHOLE DOCTOR’ | As “Wasn’t Expecting That” began, Simone’s grandma (Marla Gibbs) gave her a TV remote for her lunch, Jules learned that Mika was living in her van, Amelia learned that Lucas was living in the on-call room (and invited him to move into Mer’s), and Grey was surprised that Nick was actually doing the job of residency advisor without hanging around her like a lovesick puppy dog. Speaking of Nick, he introduced Schmitt to the newbies as their new chief resident. His best advice? “Don’t drop anything inside a patient.”

Reporting for Owen’s service, Mika learned that Hunt was married to Teddy, she was the new trauma chief since he could only work under the supervision of an attending, and he was in super-hot water with his missus. So yeah, fun service to be on! (Also, ticked Teddy is hilarious.) Things were so heated between the marrieds that a patient’s wife snarked, “We should’ve gone to Seattle Pres.” (And that was before it was discovered that her better half had shoved her cell up his butt because she never put it down!) Mika begged Levi not to make her work with velociraptor Teddy, but he was unmoved. Desperate for backup, Schmitt ran to Joe’s and pleaded with Helm to quit her bartending job and come back to work. No way, she said. She made more money slinging beer. Back at the hospital, Teddy testily admitted to Webber that yes, she was enjoying three damn glasses of wine a night, and he would be, too, if he was married to Owen.

‘I’M THE GUY WHO KILLED HIS COLLEGE ROOMMATE; THERE ARE GONNA BE PODCASTS ABOUT ME’ | In the pit, Simone and Jules treated two guys who were having trouble not barfing all over the place. Oh — and Chase, the worse-off one of the two, was Nolan “Luke” Gould from Modern Family; it’s been a minute! He was not only sick to his stomach, he also had a terrible rash, Mer discovered upon taking a look. Soon, the patient became unresponsive and started bleeding, seemingly randomly. “What the hell is wrong with this kid?” Grey exclaimed. And therein lay the $64k question. She consulted with Richard and Teddy, then tasked the interns to find the answer that she couldn’t.

Shortly, Link informed Jules and Mer that Chase’s leg would have to be amputated — and Millin was going to do it. “Are you flirting with me?” she asked when she discovered that he’d written “CUT THIS LEG OFF, NOT THIS LEG” on the patient. He was not, he insisted. He was being a supportive teacher. While Chase’s roommate told Simone everything he knew about his pal, she guessed that he hadn’t had all of his vaccinations. What was killing him, she realized, was… something you can’t possibly think I can spell. While all that was going on, Mer and Richard questioned (but didn’t necessarily mind) the changes Nick was making to the residency program. If he had moved to Seattle for Grey, Webber assured him, she was worth it.

‘WHEN WINSTON GETS IRRITATED, HE TALKS LIKE SCISSORS’ | While Winston continued to chafe at working under Maggie, the tension got so high that even Amelia noticed. Ultimately, Pierce apologized to her husband for constantly yanking him off of cases, and they made peace. Amelia, helping find an apartment for Lucas, accidentally further gave Blue the impression that they were sleeping together. (They’re auntie and nephew, you’ll recall.) Picnicking with Bailey, Pru and Luna, Jo was appalled to realize that Miranda didn’t want to be her mom friend, she wanted intel about what was going on at the hospital. Bailey was particularly annoyed to hear that changes she’d tried to make to the residency program were now being implemented… under Nick. (Oh, and she did consider Jo a mom friend as well as a mole.) As the episode neared its conclusion, the guy who’d just had a phone removed from his butt coded, and Owen had Mika bag him, so technically (?), he didn’t treat a patient without an attending supervising. After calling Richard to supervise him, Owen unloaded his issues with how much Teddy resented him and how crappily she was treating him. Chase, if not his leg, was saved, thanks to Simone’s quick thinking. Mer encouraged Griffith to be there for Jules, who was verklempt after issues arose during Chase’s amputation. (Oh, and Meningococcus — that was what he had; thanks, Google.)

Finally, Mer confronted Nick about the fact that he hadn’t said two words to her since he scrubbed in at Grey Sloan. Their conversation didn’t get far before Owen barged in and pleaded not to work under Teddy anymore — couldn’t he be a teacher instead? Sure he could, it was decided. Resuming her conversation with Nick, Mer explained that “I went numb” after a crap day, “and you didn’t have my back.” That was why she hadn’t called him for six months. She was still in love with him, though. “So if that’s what you need to hear, I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear.” In response, he asked her to dinner. She countered by inviting him to Zola’s big presentation. Aw, and the little girl choked during her presentation on her grandmother, Ellis, when she realized that her mom and Aunt Maggie were likely to come down with Alzheimer’s, too, and die. And back at Grey Sloan, Blue blurted out to the residents that Lucas was sleeping with Amelia. Unwilling to reveal their actual connection, Adams remained mum.

Grey's Anatomy Preview: EP Maps Out How Bailey Moves Forward After Being Forced to 'Step Away for Her Sanity'

The former chief “got really tired of carrying Grey Sloan on her shoulders” in Season 18, showrunner Krista Vernoff reminds us, “and she made a decision to step away for her sanity and her well-being” (in so doing, passing off the job to Meredith).

In Season 19, the question becomes, what is her next step? How does she move forward? “One of the conversations with [series creator] Shonda [Rhimes] has been for a long time, ‘What does a very ambitious person do with all of that ambition when they sort of reach the top rung of where they want to go?'” Vernoff relates. “With that, we really looked at, ‘What does a whole human being need to feel successful in life? When you’re driven by ambition and you’ve reached the top of your career, where else can that ambition be applied?’

“For Bailey, it’s in so many areas,” she continues. It may also be a case of, in some ways, more being less. The key may lie in “finding the joy in taking a lesser title at work in favor of having a richer, happier life.”

Ratings: Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 Return Steady, Top Thursday

ABC | Station 19 returned to 4.6 million total viewers and a 0.6 demo rating, matching its previous averages. Grey’s did same, with 4.2 mil and a 0.6 rating. The freshman drama Alaska Daily debuted to 4 mil and a 0.4, easily improving on Big Sky‘s averages in the time slot.

CBS | Young Sheldon (6.7 mil/0.5) and CSI: Vegas (3.2 mil/0.3) were steady, while Ghosts (6 mil/0.5) and So Help Me Todd (4.4 mil/0.3) both dipped.

FOX | Hell’s Kitchen (1.8 mil/0.3) dipped, while Flatch (940K/0.2) and Call Me Kat (1.1 mil/0.2) were steady.

NBC | Law & Order (3.9 mil/0.4) and Organized Crime (2.9 mil/0.4) ticked down — with the latter matching series lows — but SVU (4 mil/0.5) was steady.

THE CW | Pending adjustment due to preemptions, Walker (800K/0.1) is down a few viewers versus its sophomore average, while Walker Independence (630K/0.1) is looking at a much bigger audience than Legacies (370K/0.1) averaged last season.

Grey's Anatomy Season 19 Premiere Recap: The New Class Scrubs In — Plus, a Surprising Derek Tie Revealed

‘I’LL BE THE VAGINA’ | Six months after the events of the Season 18 finale, “Everything Has Changed” found Grey Sloan restarting its residency program with a group of newbs that Bailey — still very much on leave, thank you very much — wrote off as having been scraped from “the bottom of the barrel.” One of them, Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane), had just had a one-night stand with an unwitting Link, in whose face she laughed when he nervously suggested that they report their nonexistent relationship to HR. (Shades of Meredith and Derek’s origins, no?) Another of the freshmen, Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis), was quickly taught that a dark sense of humor still doesn’t make “organpalooza” an appropriate term for a tornado-based bus accident that left a whole lotta people about to donate the hearts and livers and so on that they no longer needed. Resident No. 3 Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd) showed up late on day one owing to a panic attack brought on by the fact that she’d be working in the same hospital where her mother had died giving birth to her. The fourth of our fresh faces, Benson Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.) shared that everyone called him Blue “as in the ribbon, ‘cause I always win.” (Was I the only one who saw a spark between him and Simone?) Last but not least, we met Lucas Adams (Niko Terho), who has Nico-worthy abs, an aptitude for [bleeping] up… and was Derek’s favorite nephew. That wasn’t why Meredith had hired him, though, she told Amelia. Lucas didn’t remind Grey of her late husband, he reminded her of Amelia!

With the residency program getting back up and running, Levi seized the opportunity to ditch his loathed OB residency with Jo and plead with Richard to make him chief resident. Not only was Schmitt what Webber needed — a senior resident, not a first-year — but “if I’m ever tempted to go soft,” the doctor formerly known as Glasses promised, “I will picture a return to OB, and I will get stronger like a vagina, which I’ve been forced to learn can stretch to 200 times its natural size and lift a 30-lb. weight just by flexing.” All Levi had to do was get chief Grey’s OK, and she was so all for it that she suggested it herself. In other staffing news, while Nick was at Grey Sloan to pick up an organ for transplant, Meredith, face to face with her (ex?) boyfriend for the first time in six months, asked him to become the new residency director. Not only had his past inspired her to hire what other hospitals might have considered “rejects,” but he wouldn’t have to travel so much. Meaning that, although she’d hurt him by not doing more than call out his name after telling him to go back to Minnesota, she wanted to make their relationship work. In still more staffing news, Teddy and Owen paid Mer a visit, during which they revealed that they’d been cleared to return to work. Well, Altman had. After a whole lot of attorney fees to get Hunt out of his legal quagmire, he was only cleared to return to work under supervision for the next six months. (His medical license had been suspended.)

‘I WANT TO BE A TREE’ | Later in the episode, Jo shared with Link that she was switching the OB department’s scrubs to black since “the female body has become a war zone in this country, and pink is a peacetime color.” Given the plenitude of organs suddenly available for harvesting, Maggie was able to tell a patient named Howard that he’d be getting a new heart. When it proved to be unviable, the task of breaking the news to Howard and his husband went to… Jules, the Pierce superfan, who’d obsessed over an article she’d written and blurted out that “it wasn’t a great picture” that had accompanied it. A compliment… probably? Meanwhile, Lucas won the First Big Screwup Award by telling the wrong mother named Jane that her son was brain-dead. This temporarily put in jeopardy all of the organs that Mer had hoped to transplant into a patient named Sara, who wanted to be planted in a whole other way if she died. Eventually, Jane was told again that her son was brain-dead and inspired to donate his organs to Sara by Blue, who lied that he always thought of the people that his late brother’s organs had saved. (He didn’t even have a brother, he later admitted!) Despite Lucas’ almost catastrophic gaffe, Nick invited him to scrub in on Sara’s surgery. “End your day better than it started,” Marsh said. And that, Lucas did, even quoting Uncle Derek in the O.R. “It’s a beautiful day to save lives.”

‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Krista Vernoff On Pilot-Like Season 19 Premiere, Derek-Related Twist, Meredith’s Future, Roe v Wade & More

In another likely nod to the Grey’s Anatomy pilot — which famously started with Meredith having a one-night stand with Patrick Dempsey’s Derek — one of the new interns, Jules (Kane), also accidentally had slept with an attending, Link, on the eve of her starting the program. The revelation sent Link on a wild HR goose chase, with Meredith deadpanning, “I’m in no position to judge you on this. I do recommend that you stay away from elevators,” a reference to one of the Grey’s early-years hallmarks, its signature elevator scenes.

We learned a lot about the new interns who were front and center in the premiere, as their personalities and back stories started to emerge. Floyd’s Simone Griffith, who showed a lot of resourcefulness and quick thinking, shared with Dr. Webber that her mother died giving birth to her in this very hospital. Shum’s Benson Kwan was calculating and opportunistic, ready to cross a line in order to get what he wants, including making up a brother with a tragic story. Francis’ Mika Yasuda, whose inappropriate organ donor quip got her in hot water, redeemed herself with her compassion.

The biggest surprise came from Terho’s Lucas Adams. Seemingly the weakest link in a group of rejects from other surgical intern programs with non-remarkable academic achievements, he picked up a fireable offense on his very fist day when he told the wrong parent that their child was brain dead. It was later revealed, in a conversation between Meredith and Amelia, that Lucas is a Shepherd, and was Derek’s favorite nephew.

With the new characters getting most of the attention, we got sporadic updates on Grey’s returning favorites, most notably Meredith who guided the interns in her role as interim chief of surgery. She reunited with Nick after their wrenching falling-out in the Season 18 finale and, by the end of the premiere, she offered him a job as residency director. Also at the end of the episode, Owen and Teddy returned, his legal problems behind him and both ready to resume their surgical duties, with Owen requiring supervision for six months.

Richard also was back after traveling abroad, while Bailey remained off-duty after quitting in the Season 18 finale; with Pompeo slated for about seven episodes this fall and then a leave to do a Hulu limited series before returning for the Season 19 finale, Meredith may soon vacate the interim chief position for Bailey to retake it.

Meanwhile, we found out that, following the shutdown of Grey Sloan’s teaching program, Levi switched to OB/GYN but he didn’t love it and, in the premiere, he asked — and was swiftly approved — to become chief surgical resident.

In an interview with Deadline, Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff, who wrote the premiere, talks about the infusion of new characters and what it means for the future of the show, what is next for Meredith and Nick, will any other Season 18 residents join Levi to fill a gaping hole at the hospital, why is the show adding another Shepherd and could we see Dempsey’s Derek in Lucas flashbacks.

She also addresses Pompeo’s future on the show and speculation that Grey’s could be bidding farewell to Meredith in the Season 19 finale as well as Jo’s remark that “the female body has become war zone in this country,” revealing how Grey’s Anatomy will deal with the overturn of Roe v. Wade this season.

DEADLINE: The premiere feels a little bit like a backdoor pilot. Are you looking to spin it off into something new or is it a Grey’s refresh, shifting to new characters with Ellen Pompeo not being in this season as much?

KRISTA VERNOFF: It’s interesting you call it a backdoor pilot. We certainly treated it like a pilot in the casting, in that we took a lot of time and care finding these five actors and fleshing out these five characters. But our hope is that we’re refreshing Grey’s Anatomy, so that we can return to the roots of teaching and learning and what it is to be a surgical intern. The life-and-death stakes of the early years of the show; every medical case had intense stakes because these doctors were new at this. And so the hope is that we’re just adding juice and yes, potentially adding years, but I wouldn’t call it any kind of a spinoff. It’s still Grey’s Anatomy.

DEADLINE: There’s a big focus on the incoming cast in the premiere. Will there be more of a balance going forward? How much are we going to see of our favorites?

VERNOFF: We are going to see our favorites, we’re working hard to balance it. It’s a big task and for sure, with this many series regulars, there’s less story to go around for everybody, but we’re doing our best to maximize the benefit of everyone we’ve got.

DEADLINE: What can you say about the big question, is this going to be Ellen’s final season?

VERNOFF: I don’t have an answer to that, that’s always up to Ellen. She’s got some new projects on the horizon that she’s really excited about but Grey’s Anatomy is is her heart, she keeps saying it is her heart, so we’ll see.

DEADLINE: So there are no plans for the finale to be a farewell episode for Meredith?

VERNOFF: The finale of this season? No.

DEADLINE: Talk about the decision to bring another Shepherd into the fold with the new intern, Lucas. Does that open the door to potential flashbacks with Patrick Dempsey since Derek and Lucas were close?

VERNOFF: The decision to bring another Shepherd into the fold, it was an early idea as we looked at who this new class was going to be. We wanted to wink at the roots of the show without trying to reinvent any of those original characters, and the fun of having a Shepherd who we meet when he’s an intern felt like, money. We only knew Derek when he was a surgical attending who was already vying for chief of surgery. But to get to know one of the Shepherds when he’s just starting out felt like it gave us a wink at the early characters or our connection to the early characters without retreading territory.

DEADLINE: So does that mean that there’s no possibility of Patrick coming back in a flashback?

VERNOFF: Oh, I would never say never.

DEADLINE: When Deadline interviewed Patrick at D23 last month, he indicated he was open to coming back, and said it was up to the creators.

VERNOFF: I’ll say this. There have been no conversations about that at this point. But never say never.

DEADLINE: Besides Levi, is there any possibility for any Season 18 residents to come back?

VERNOFF: There’s one and that is Taryn, you’re going to learn the fate of Taryn Helm. And there’s going to be a question as to whether or not she could come back to the program.

DEADLINE: In the premiere, you play a little bit with Meredith and Nick. Is their relationship back on? He has an enticing job offer from Meredith to mull.

VERNOFF: Yeah, he has an enticing job offer, and the question of what might become of them, it feels like they are two people who really fell in love and then hurt each other. Can we bring them back from that is the question, and the way that we had them break off abruptly and painfully at the end of last season, as Meredith collapsed into an older version of herself, allows us a big will-they-won’t-they for this season.

DEADLINE: Fans are certainly rooting for them to get together. But with Ellen not being in as many episodes, the worry is as to how many episodes we can expect to see him in or is he going to exit this season?

VERNOFF: Yes.

DEADLINE: Yes to which part?

VERNOFF: All of it. We want people to wonder and tune in to see what’s going to happen with that.

DEADLINE: There’s a line in the premiere that the female body has become a war zone in this country. Will there be a Roe v Wade storyline on the show this season?

VERNOFF: Absolutely. The impact of that Supreme Court decision has been massive. And, just like there was no way to do a medical show without looking at the impact of Covid, there’s no way to do a medical show without looking at the impact of that decision.

DEADLINE: So is that an over-arching theme for the season or just something smaller?

VERNOFF: I mean, you’ve met me, right.

Grey's Anatomy Returning to Its Roots in Season 19, Says EP Krista Vernoff — and Bringing 3 Couples to a Crossroads

“This season is really about returning to the roots of the show,” showrunner Krista Vernoff tells TVLine. “What can you do when you have five series-regular interns the way that we did in those early years? [Back then,] we wanted to focus on what it is to try and become a surgeon when you don’t know anything — how frightening and life-and-death everything is.

“This new class,” she adds, “allows us to get back to that.”

The rookie doctors may be diamonds in the rough, but the quintet of familiar faces that plays them is made up of gems. “We spent a long time very carefully casting this group,” says Vernoff. “I love all five of the actors and all five of the characters, and that’s a really exciting place to start from.”

While counting down the minutes until the ABC drama’s return on Thursday (at 9/8c), read on for previews of what’s in store for Addison, Bailey, Owen and Teddy, Winston and Maggie, and more.

Grey’s Without Grey

With Ellen Pompeo going part-time (and appearing in just eight episodes), we’ll be seeing a lot less of Meredith. But as the leading lady herself said in September, Grey’s Anatomy is “going to be just fine without me.” For her part, Vernoff knows that the OG’s absence will be a terrible blow: “Ellen is a powerhouse, and Meredith is iconic.” But the EP remains confident that the series will still be able to raise our blood pressure and break our hearts. “From the very beginning, it was an ensemble show,” she says. “It’s always had a tremendous cast of actors who can carry any amount of the story. So while we will desperately miss Ellen and Meredith, I think there’s a lot of story to tell” for other characters.

Addison’s Return

Kate Walsh’s alter ego “comes back as a part of her activism this season,” Vernoff says. “We’re telling a really powerful story about Addison and Bailey joining forces that is in turns funny and gut-wrenching.” Along the way, we also “learn a little bit more about Addison’s life back in Los Angeles.”

Love On the Run?

When last we saw Leo and Allison’s folks, they had resigned from Grey Sloan and were on the lam from the law. How soon will their fate be addressed? “We went back and forth on this in the writers’ room for a long time,” Vernoff says, “and what we came up with made us laugh so hard that what you’re getting is an answer in the premiere as to what the past six months have been for Owen and Teddy. We also lean hard into the impact on their marriage of Owen’s decision-making and also Teddy’s decision-making. It is actually one of our favorite things that we’re doing this season.”

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

Though Jo and Link decided at the end of Season 18 to be friends without benefits, “the ‘Will they or won’t they?’ of them is a little bit of a driving force this season,” Vernoff reveals. “He’d had a big crush on her back in the day, and him telling her that opened a big Pandora’s box of possibility for her. And then when she said, ‘Look, I fell in love with you,’ it opened the Pandora’s box for him, but it was sort of too late because they were trying to protect their friendship. Now we’re really asking, ‘Is the friendship the thing that you protect at all costs, or do you take a chance on more?’”

Marry in Haste…

… repent in leisure? As Season 18 came to a close, Maggie was beginning to wonder whether she and Winston had tied the knot too quickly — and that’s not a question that can be answered overnight. “They were a pandemic love story, and the pandemic intensified and sped up everything,” Vernoff notes. “So one of the questions we were asking last season was, ‘What happens when you skip large portions of what would have been a traditional courtship and relationship and jump to the marriage?’ You have to unpack what you skipped and get to know each other on a deeper level.” And as the newlyweds will discover in Season 19, “that can be challenging.”

‘Firefly Lane’, Starring Katherine Heigl & Sarah Chalke, To End After Season 2 On Netflix

The series, from creator Maggie Friedman, returns for a supersized second season in December but will not return for a third season.

The show will have a 16-episode second season.

The first nine episodes will air on December 2 and the second tranche of seven episodes will premiere in 2023.

In the series based on the novel by Kristin Hannah, when unlikely duo Tully (Heigl) and Kate (Chalke) meet at age 14, they couldn’t be more different. Tully is the brash and bold girl you can’t ignore, while Kate is the mousy shy girl you never notice. But when a tragedy brings them together, they are bonded for life — forever inseparable best friends. Together they experience 30 years of ups and downs, triumphs and disappointments, heartbreak and joy and a love triangle that strains their friendship. One goes on to fabulous wealth and fame, the other chooses marriage and motherhood, but through the decades, their bond remains — until it faces the ultimate test.

The second season will feature new cast members including India de Beaufort, Greg Germann, Jolene Purdy and Ignacio Serricchio.

They join Ben Lawson, Beau Garrett, Ali Skovbye, Roan Curtis and Yael Yurman.

The series was created by Friedman, who serves as executive producer and showrunner. Heigl and Shawn Williamson also executive produce alongside Michael Spiller and Stephanie Germain.

Mckenna Grace & Jesse Williams To Star In Opioid Drama ‘Spider & Jessie’

The movie follows two scrappy sisters, who after discovering their mother has fatally overdosed, are terrified they’ll be separated by an overburdened foster care system. As such, they conceal the body. However, the local police chief, mom’s drug counselor, and her volatile ex-boyfriend get closer to uncovering the truth, and the girls must decide just how far they are willing to go to keep their secret buried.

Kay in addition to directing, wrote the script which he developed with Julia Keller. Jojo Regina of Where the Crawdads Sing also stars with Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), Forrest Goodluck (Cherry), Fernanda Andrade (Moon Knight) and Malia Baker (The Babysitter’s Club).

Grace stars as Spider and Regina as her sister, Jessie.

Grace and Williams will also serve as executive producers.

Hungry Bull Productions led by Joseph Restaino (Pig) and Jeff Hoffman (Lansky) from Above The Clouds are producing and co-financing. Production is underway in Florida.

“I’m so grateful to be a part of this important story about addiction and how it affects not only the addict, but those around them. I was aware of how prevalent drug use and addiction was, but in doing this film, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of just how big of a problem it is. Many of our own cast and crew have shared their experiences and it’s heartbreaking. Doing this is more than just making a film, it’s creating and being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves,” said Grace.

“I am honored to join this incredible producing team and cast led by words and direction of Dan Kay. Shining a light on the shared human conditions that lead to, and from addiction provides us an opportunity to examine our compassion for those impacted today as well as for those pathologized in our recent past,” said Williams.

“I’ve been interested in telling stories about addiction and the opioid epidemic for years because, like millions of Americans, I have seen firsthand how this insidious disease not only destroys the life of the addict but tears apart the fabric and foundation of the addict’s family. This damage – the collateral damage caused by addiction – compelled me to tell this heartbreaking but vital story about opioid orphans,” said Kay.

“Dan’s vision for Spider & Jessie is a true testament of his unique voice as a writer/director, and one that we can’t wait to introduce to audiences across the world. Having such an incredible cast attached, led by Mckenna Grace and Jojo Regina, speaks directly to the special nature of the story Dan has devised. At Hungry Bull Productions, our focus has always been to work with the best talent and bring forward meaningful stories, Spider & Jessie represents precisely that. We are thrilled to be working with such great partners on this project in Above the Clouds as well,” said Restaino.

“When I first read Kay’s powerful script, I cried and laughed and was touched to my soul by these sisters in the story having to survive the loss of their mother to an opioid overdose. Watching this script come to life with such amazing performances, incredible locations and beautiful cinematography is nothing short of a miracle, and will greatly raise awareness of this tragic epidemic,” said Hoffman.

Grace received a Guest Actress Drama Series Emmy nom for The Handmaid’s Tale last year, making her the youngest-ever nominee ever in that category. She starred in Sony’s $204M-grossing hit Ghostbusters: Afterlife. On television, she is about to star in A Friend of the Family, a true-crime limited series, opposite Anna Paquin and Jake Lacy. Earlier this month Grace starred in The Bad Seed Returns for Lifetime, a feature which she also executive produced and co-wrote with her father. Other notable film roles include starring opposite Viola Davis in Amazon’s feature Troop Zero and opposite Chris Evans and Octavia Spencer in Gifted, as well as the $1.1 billion grossing Captain Marvel as young Carol Danvers and the Oscar winning I, Tonya.

Williams earned a Tony Award nomination in his Broadway debut in the Tony Award winning revival of Take Me Out and will next be seen in Netflix’s Your Place or Mine with Reese Witherspoon as well as in his return to Broadway for the newly-extended run of Take Me Out. He spent 12 seasons in his acclaimed role as Dr. Jackson Avery on ABC’s hit series Grey’s Anatomy and has appeared in TV and films including The Cabin in the Woods, Little Fires Everywhere, Brooklyn’s Finest and the Paramount action/comedy film Secret Headquarters, with Owen Wilson. Williams executive produced the 2021 Oscar winning short film Two Distant Strangers and served as both senior producer and correspondent alongside Norman Lear for their EPIX docuseries America Divided. Williams is a partner and board member of the #1 scholarship app in the world, Scholly, which has matched students with over $100M. He is co-founder of both BLeBRiTY and Ebroji mobile apps and executive producer of Question Bridge: Black Males, a transmedia art installation in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s permanent collection. He sits on the Board of Directors for both Advancement Project and Harry Belafonte’s arts and social justice organization, Sankofa.org.

Also producing are Tony Stopperan, Kay, and Dan Sima with EPs Grace, Williams, Russell Gray, Yaniv Hoffman and Leal Naim. WME Independent is repping the project’s worldwide rights.

Grace is repped by CAA and Stewart Brookman. Jojo Regina is repped by Paradigm and ESI Network. Williams is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360, and Granderson Des Rochers; Montgomery is with CAA, Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern and 3Arts, Goodluck is Gersh and Artists First, Baker is with Entertainment 360 and Andrade is with Buchwald and Entertainment 360. Kay is repped by Myman Greenspan, APA and Circle of Confusion.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Adds Marla Gibbs For Season 19 Arc

Marla Gibbs (The Jeffersons) has been cast in a multi-episode guest arc as Joyce Ward, grandmother of one of the new residents, Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd), who lives in Seattle. Gibbs’ character will be introduced in Episode 1902 and will also appear in 1903. (Floyd’s character was originally announced as Simone Griffin. The last name has been changed to Griffith.)

Simone is described as a funny, whip smart, high achiever with a complicated family dynamic who grew up in Seattle, but never wanted to work at Grey Sloan because of a painful personal history with the hospital. Gibbs’ Joyce will likely shed light on both Simone’s family dynamic and history with Grey Sloan.

Grey’s Anatomy is adding five new cast members this season — Harry Shum Jr., Adelaide Kane, Floyd, Niko Terho, and Midori Francis — all playing new interns.

TV veteran Gibbs is known for her role as Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons, which earned her five Emmy nominations. She reprised her role in a surprise appearance on ABC’s 2019 special Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’.

Gibbs’ extensive resume includes an arcs on Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Station 19 as well as another Shondaland drama, Scandal. She recently had a major recurring role on Days Of Our Lives.

Grey's Anatomy Season 19 Picks Up in Wake of 'Very Difficult 6 Months' for Meredith and Nick

In the just-released promo above — which arrives two weeks ahead of the ABC medical drama’s Oct. 6 return — Scott Speedman’s Nick (back from Minnesota) announces, “It’s been six months.” Ellen Pompeo’s Mer, meanwhile, ominously adds, “It’s been a very difficult six months.”

Of course, the duo’s possible parting of the ways was essentially foreshadowed over the summer when news broke that Pompeo would be drastically scaling back her presence on Grey’s this season. According to sources, Pompeo is set to depart after roughly a half-dozen episodes, before turning up again next May for the Season 19 finale. (The actress will spend her time away from Grey Sloan producing and starring in an as-yet-untitled limited series for Hulu.)

Earlier this month, Pompeo assured fans that Grey’s is “going to be just fine without me,” adding. “I’m going to always be a part of that show. I’m an executive producer. I spent two decades of my career on [Grey’s] — it’s my heart and soul. I’ll never truly be gone as long as [it’s] on the air.”

To help fill the looming Meredith void, Grey’s is introducing a slew of rookies — all of whom are prominently featured in the above trailer. Also appearing in the video: Chandra Wilson’s Bailey, who tendered her resignation in the Season 18 finale. When asked about her surprise return, she responds, “I heard about the new class.”

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune: Kristen Schaal, Kevin McKidd and Ron Funches (10/2)

This episode’s celebrity contestants include Kristen Schaal (playing for Feeding America), Kevin McKidd (playing for UNICEF) and Ron Funches (playing for School on Wheels).

‘Killing Eve’ Star Sandra Oh Spotted At Funeral Of Queen Elizabeth II

Oh was seen in the past couple of hours or so and Twitter has been abuzz with the arrival of the Grey’s Anatomy star.

Oh was appointed an Order of Canada as an Officer a few months ago and was dressed in black with a Canadian badge pinned in front, according to the BBC.

The honor is the second highest that can be received in Canada, a Commonwealth country, and Oh was granted it due to an “artistic career filled with memorable stage, television and film roles in Canada and abroad”. She played Dr Cristina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy for a decade, winning a stack of awards, and has more recently been lauded for her role as Eve in Killing Eve.

As with the UK, Canada has been observing a period of mourning after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday 8 September and whose funeral is currently taking place, watched by billions across the world.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also present, alongside world leaders such as Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Italian President Sergio Mattarella for the major occasion. Royals are present including all of the Queen’s grandchildren, the children of the now-Prince of Wales Prince William, who is next in line to the throne behind his father, King Charles III.

Other celebrities present include adventure TV star Bear Grylls, a chief scout who tweeted last week saying the Queen had left a “bright legacy of hope and promise for future generations.”

Sophie Winkleman, who played Big Suze in Channel 4 cult comedy Peep Show, is also present as she is a minor royal. She is married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of the Queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent.

The funeral procession is currently taking place, with coverage on virtually all British TV channels and simulcast around the world. It is expected to be one of the most-watched TV broadcasts of all time.

Jesse Williams Runs Back to Court Over Custody ... And Another Broadway Run

The actor filed new legal docs that seek to change the custody order that was agreed to earlier this year when he was starting his Spring run for the baseball play "Take Me Out," when he and Aryn Drake-Lee settled on him having his kids 4 consecutive days a month in NYC.

In the paperwork, obtained by TMZ, Jesse is asking to tweak that a bit ... seeing how he's going back to Broadway in the fall for yet another outing in the production. He wanted the same deal -- 4 consecutive days/month -- starting in October ... but says Aryn refused to play ball, so he's going to court over it and wants a few other tweaks.

For the month of October, Jesse is requesting he get his kids in the Big Apple for 4 days between Oct. 7 through Oct. 12 -- as well as 4 days through the Thanksgiving break ... and wants a similar arrangement to continue through January.

Now, you'd think that'd be A-OK since both he and Aryn signed off on a very similar arrangement back in March ... but, unfortunately, Jesse's saying they're fighting again over the dates for this go-around -- with him alleging that Aryn's refusing his requests.

Namely, he claims she'll only agree to his dates ... just so long as the kids aren't forced to head to New York, which is a no-go for Jesse, since that's where he's living at the moment.

Essentially, he's saying Aryn's being unreasonable and trying to enforce conditions that'll deprive him of seeing his children for nearly 2 months -- and now wants a judge to weigh in.

Richard Flood & Acushla-Tara Kupe To Lead ‘The Gone’ For RTÉ And TVNZ With ‘GOT’s Michelle Fairley Also Aboard

New Zealand’s Kingfisher Films and About Joan co-producer Blinder Films are co-producing, in association with another Kiwi firm, Southern Light Films. Te Puna Kairangi, the New Zealand Government’s Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund and New Zealand’s Screen Production Grant; Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann; NZ On Air; and the BAI Sound & Vision Fund have all supported the production. Red Arrow Studios International has the distribution rights.

The Gone stars Flood as Theo Richter, an Irish detective who teams with Kiwi cop Diana Huia (Kupe) to find a young Irish couple vanish from an infamous rural North Island New Zealand town. Amidst the search and a race against time, the pair have to contend with a community’s growing disquiet that the disappearances may be linked to a series of historical murders.

Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones), Carolyn Bracken (The Dublin Murders) , Liam Carney (Gangs of New York) and Aaron Monaghan (Assassin’s Creed) have also been cast along with Aotearoa/New Zealand’s Wayne Hapi (Tuhoe, Whakatohea, Ngati Porou), Manu Bennett (Te Arawa, Ngati Kahungunu), Vanessa Rare (Ngati Pu, Ngati Porou, Ngati Pukenga, Ngapuhi) and Scott Wills.

Flood is coming off a three-year run on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, where he played Dr Cormac Hayes. He’s also known for European-U.S. procedural Crossing Lines, Irish crime drama Red Rock and a role in Showtime’s Shameless. Kupe most recently appeared as Susan Corman in Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Apple TV+ series Mr Corman and is set to appear in season two of Acorn TV and TVNZ’s comedy-drama series Under the Vines.

The Gone‘s writers are Michael Bennett (In Dark Places) and Anna McPartlin (Striking Out, Holby City), with Peter Meteherangi Tikao Burger (One Lane Bridge, Until Proven Innocent, Resolve) and Hannah Quinn (Vikings Valhalla, Blood, The Stranger) directing.

Executive Producers are Karl Zohrab for Kingfisher Films; Yvonne Donohoe (Striking Out, Extra Ordinary) and Katie Holly (Mr Malcolm’s List, Love & Friendship) for Blinder Films along with Greg Bailey. Southern Light’s Timothy White is a producer alongside Reikura Kahi. Simone Nathan (Our Flag Means Death, Kid Sister) and Karl Zohrab created the series, developed by McPartlin, Bennett and Donohoe.

“What an adventure it’s been so far, working across Aotearoa New Zealand and Ireland with our colleagues at Blinder Films on the development of this gripping mystery,” said Zohrab. “We can’t wait to see these scripts brought to life by series directors Peter and Hannah, along with our terrific cast and crew.

“The process of bringing The Gone to screen has been a true international cultural collaboration & a journey of learning, challenging, sharing stories and ideas; merging brilliant writing, directing, acting and creative talent from Ireland and New Zealand, two countries full of beauty, complexity and with many similarities,” said Donohoe. “We’re so thankful for the immense support from all our partners and we can’t wait for audiences to spend time with our characters, fall into the mysterious web of our story and be immersed in the two contrasting worlds of the series.”

“The Gone series transports us to a picturesque small town with characters and storylines that reflect how culturally unique Aotearoa is,” added producer Kahi. “Te reo Maori [Maori language] is weaved organically through the series, reflective of a nation that is on a journey towards embracing the Maori language.”

RTE worked with Blinder on Irish legal drama Striking Out and the broadcaster’s Director of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Dermot Horan said of The Gone: “It promises to be a cracking drama and one which will hopefully have viewers glued to their seats both in Ireland and New Zealand. We are particularly happy to be working with our fellow national broadcaster, TVNZ and with Red Arrow, who will be distributing this high-end drama to international broadcasters and platforms.”

Cate Slater, TVNZ Director of Content, added: “We’re delighted to be continuing our commitment to co-productions to bring the very best premium content to TVNZ. The Gone is a thrilling concept that is sure to resonate with our viewers across TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+.”

Flood is represented by More Medavoy Management, Denton Brierley, and Gersh. Kupe is represented by Gail Cowan Management in New Zealand and Rigmarole Management in the UK.

Ellen Pompeo Talks About Reduced ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Presence, Reveals When She Will Return & Says “I’ll Never Truly Be Gone”

“[Grey’s is] still gonna be just fine without me — I’m still gonna do the voiceover,” Pompeo told Deadline today on the red carpet for the Disney Legends ceremony at the D23 Expo, confirming that she will still do the series’ narration as Meredith. She said she hopes her fans would “come with me” to check out the Hulu series, in which she plays the mom in a drama inspired by the true story of Ukrainian-born Natalia Grace and her U.S. adoptive parents who claimed that she was an adult sociopath pretending to be a child. “I’m gonna put the same heart and passion into that.”

Pompeo, who remains a Grey’s Anatomy executive producer, also revealed when she will be back on the show as Meredith after taking a break to film the Hulu series.

“And I’ll be back at Grey’s for the finale, and we’ll see if we can keep it going,” she said. “I’m gonna always be a part of that show – I’m an exec producer on that show, I’ve spent two decades of my career on that show, it’s my heart and soul, and I’ll never truly be gone as long as that show’s on the air.”

Pompeo also said that the upcoming season sets up the next generation of Grey’s. In one of the biggest new cast infusions on the show, which has reinvented itself multiple times throughout its run with major cast changes there are five new additions joining the cast for next season: Harry Shum Jr., Adelaide Kane, Alexis Floyd, Niko Terho, and Midori Francis.

“We’re really trying to set up the next generation,” she said. “I’m really excited for them – they’re really great actors. …They’re really excited to be there and they’re excited to tell these stories.

“It helps all of us who have been there since the beginning — it helps keep it new and fresh, so we’re really grateful to them.”

At D23, Pompeo was enshrined as Disney Legends alongside her former Grey’s castmate Patrick Dempsey as well as Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Patrick Dempsey Explains His New White Hair And No, He Is Not Playing A Targaryen For HBO

Grey’s Anatomy fans who were in attendance at the D23 Expo Friday were probably surprised to see Dempsey with very white hair. When Deadline asked him on the red carpet if he’s planning a special HOTD cameo, he revealed the real reason behind his shocking, snowy ‘do.

Dempsey is playing Piero Taruffi, the Italian race car driver who won the 1957 Mille Miglia, in Michael Mann’s upcoming Ferrari. The movie also stars Adam Driver, Shailene Woodley and Penélope Cruz.

“I’m having a great time, I get to drive a lot of fast cars,” he said.

Earlier Friday, Dempsey received the Legends Award alongside his longtime Grey’s co-star Ellen Pompeo. He choked up as he reflected on his 37 years in the business and the “incredible platform” that was provided to him by Grey’s Anatomy. For one, it helped him to launch the Dempsey Center For Cancer Hope and Healing. “Fame is not everything,” said Dempsey. “Sometimes it’s very empty. The most important thing is to be of service.”

‘Disenchanted’ Teaser Trailer: First Look At Amy Adams-Patrick Dempsey Sequel Headed For Disney+

The pic will be released exclusively on Disney+ on November 24.

“Well Giselle still has the love and joy, she now finds herself in slightly different position, as mother of infant and teenager, and wife, looking to find her way in the world,” Adams said Friday onstage in Anaheim. “She tries to move forward with best intentions.”

The movie takes place 15 years after Giselle (Adams) and Robert (Dempsey) wed, but Giselle has grown disillusioned with life in the city, so they move their growing family to the sleepy suburban community of Monroeville in search of a more fairy tale life. Unfortunately, it isn’t the quick fix she had hoped for. Suburbia has a whole new set of rules and a local queen bee, Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), who makes Giselle feel more out of place than ever. She turns to the magic of Andalasia for help, accidentally transforming the entire town into a real-life fairy tale and placing her family’s future happiness in jeopardy.

Dempsey says his character’ biggest challenge? “His commute. He grew up in Manhattan, little bit longer commute. A challenge getting to office every day.”

As show in the trailer Rudolph plays Adams’ foe: “It was really fun,” she said. “I like you am a huge fan of the original Enchanted. I can’t believe I got to be a part of this — it’s not easy being mean to Amy Adams but we had so much fun together. We made a fun meal out of being nasty to one other.”

Idina Menzel and James Marsden also star in the musical pic along with Gabriella Baldacchino, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jayma Mays. Adam Shankman directs, and it features new songs from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Barry Josephson, Barry Sonnenfeld and Adams are producers.

Check out the trailer above.

D23 Expo Honors Disney Legends Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Tracee Ellis Ross, & More

The ABC stars and the lead of Black Panther, along with Frozen‘s Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, Imagineer Robert Coltrin, the late Robert Price “Bob” Foster (who procured the land for Walt Disney World), film producer Don Hahn, Imagineer Doris Hardoon and music producer Chris Montan were named Disney Legends for their “extraordinary contributions” to the studio’s legacy.

Pompeo was celebrated first for her starring role in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Dubbed a superhero in scrubs by host Tamron Hall, Pompeo took the stage and began with an anecdote about her daughter Stella and how she caught her watching an episode of blackish last night.

“I said, ‘what is about blackish you love so much?’ She said, ‘it’s so relatable, mom.’ That’s the power of storytelling,” Pompeo told the crowd. “To be a storyteller and to work with the best storytellers in the world is quite a magical thing and we couldn’t do it without you. We tell the stories for you.”

Pompeo’s longtime co-star Dempsey, who also stars in the studio’s Enchanted movie franchise, choked up as he reflected on his 37 years in the business and the “incredible platform” that was provided to him by Grey’s Anatomy. For one, it helped him to launch the Dempsey Center For Cancer Hope and Healing. “Fame is not everything,” said Dempsey. “Sometimes it’s very empty. The most important thing is to be of service.”

Anderson talked about growing up in Compton, CA. and how Disney was “always in the background.” “Disney has always been a part of my life, my upbringing, my childhood and it has informed me and allowed me to be the entertainer and the man that I am today,” said Anderson, who wore a rose-colored suit for the occasion. “Disney has taught all of us to dream, and to dream big.”

Ellis Ross thanked Disney for giving the “ish” franchise a platform and thanked Kenya Barris for creating a show that “truly changed the landscape of modern television.” “It feels really legendary to advocate for and breath life into a joyful Black woman for eight years on a great show.” She also hopes blackish gives way to “more Black women-centered stories that reflect the truth and diversity of who we are in the world.”

Montan made a funny at the podium by asking the audience to name their five favorite Paramount songs (hint: there aren’t any) before asking them to recall all their favorite Disney tunes.

Groff talked about how “Disney was my complete life as a kid” and how “as a young gay boy growing up in the late 80s early 90s in Pennsylvania, Disney VHS tapes were my primary source of escape and self expression.”

Bell said, “I’m sorry to every parent who has to listen to Frozen on loop. I feel you.” Gad hilariously called out the Disney employee who refused to hire him as a jungle cruise operator when he was 18. And Menzel said it was Disney tunes that she sung as a child that inspired her to pursue a career in music. She then crooned a few bars of “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

The ceremony wrapped with a tribute to Boseman. His brother/preacher Derrick accepted the award. “I wish he was here to receive it. Him not being here has been a point of immense pain for my whole family.”

After receiving their awards, each recipient was photographed with Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who opened the ceremony by promising “our biggest, most over the top D23 Expo ever.”

The Disney Legends Awards program is a 35-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company, which began when Fred MacMurray was honored in 1987.

The three-day, D23 Expo continues through Sunday in Anaheim.

Grey's Anatomy Books Kate Walsh to Recur as Addison in Season 19

The actress, who made her debut as Addison Montgomery in the long-running ABC drama’s Season 1 finale, stayed with the show through Season 3, at which point she was tapped to headline her own spinoff, the L.A.-set Private Practice, which ran for six seasons. After guest-starring here and there on Grey’s through Season 8, Walsh reprised her role in Season 18, for a short arc that allowed Addison to not only perform a groundbreaking uterine transplant but make peace with the passing of ex-husband Derek Shepherd.

The fan favorite’s first episode of Season 19, which kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 9/8c, will be its third. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that original cast member Ellen Pompeo (AKA Meredith) will appear in the upcoming season only in a “limited capacity.” In turn, Scott Speedman (who plays her significant other, Nick) has been bumped from series-regular to recurring status.

Continuing on as series regulars are OGs James Pickens Jr. (Richard) and Chandra Wilson (Bailey) as well as Caterina Scorsone (Amelia), Kevin McKidd (Owen), Kim Raver (Teddy), Kelly McCreary (Maggie), Anthony Hill (Winston), Camilla Luddington (Jo), Chris Carmack (Link) and Jake Borelli (Levi).

New to the series as first-year medical residents are Harry Shum Jr. (Glee), Adelaide Kane (Reign), Alexis Floyd (Inventing Anna), Niko Terho (who starred opposite Borelli in the Freeform rom-com The Thing About Harry) and Midori Francis (Sex Lives of College Girls).

Jennifer Holland, Sean Gunn, Molly C. Quinn, Jason George and Jackie Tohn Board Anthology Film ‘Give Me An A’ Responding To Overturning Of Roe V. Wade

The film currently in post-production will have been completed in less than 10 weeks from the date of Roe’s overturning — which eliminated the longstanding constitutional right to abortion — in an effort to ensure this is a response and not a delayed reaction. The creators, cast and crew have made a significant effort to expedite the process in order to start a conversation with audiences about the importance of bodily autonomy and address the dysfunction of a democracy that is not protecting the needs of a majority of the population.

Give Me An A will also star Monique Coleman, Parker Young, Regina Ting Chen, Ian Nelson, Trent Garrett, Kristen Ariza, Carolina Ravassa, Maze Felix, Kevin Fonteyne, Galen Howard, Andrea Cortés, Julia Vasi, Courtney Dietz and Avital Ash.

The anthology will be tied together with a wraparound piece, directed by the project’s EP Natasha Halevi, which features increasingly furious cheerleaders that inspired the film’s name. The segments comprising the anthology come from filmmakers including Valerie Finkel, Megan Rosati, Bonnie Discepolo, Monica Moore-Suriyage, Meg Swertlow, Loren Escandon, Francesca Maldonado, Avital Ash, Erica Wright, Mary C. Russell, Danin Jacquay, Sarah Kopkin, Hannah Alline and Caitlin Hargraves. Writers on the project included Lexx Fusco, Annie Bond, Savannah Rose Scaffe, Rowan Fitzgibbon, Danielle Aufiero and Laura Covelli.

In addition to Halevi, the producing team includes Giselle Gilbert, Jordan Crucchiola, Jonna Jackson, Jessica Taylor Galmor, Charlene Fitzgibbon and Alyssa Matusiak.

Holland stars as Agent Emilia Harcourt on HBO Max’s Peacemaker, having first played the role in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. She’s also been seen on series like Sun Records and American Horror Story, among many others.

Gunn has played Kraglin in all three Guardians of the Galaxy films, including the upcoming Vol. 3, also handling motion capture for the character of Rocket. The actor has also played these parts in films including Thor: Love and Thunder, Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War. Other notable film credits include The Suicide Squad, Agnes, The Belko Experiment and Super.

Best known for her role as Alexis Castle on ABC’s Castle, Quinn has also appeared in films like Agnes, Doctor Sleep, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and We’re the Millers, to name a few.

George is known for turns on series like Station 19, Grey’s Anatomy, Mistresses, Eastwick and Eli Stone, among many others, and in such films as Playing for Keeps, Bewitched, Barbershop and Clockstoppers.

Tohn played Melanie Rosen on Netflix’s GLOW and has also been seen on series like The Boys and The Good Place. Notable film credits include The Opening Act, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, CHIPS and Jem and the Holograms. The actress will next be seen in the comedy Old Dads, marking the feature directorial debut of comedian Bill Burr.

Holland is repped by CAA, Atlas Artists and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Gunn by UTA, Mitch Clem Management and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz; Quinn by Paradigm, 11:11 Entertainment and Brecheen Feldman Breimer; George by APA and Yorn, Levine, Barnes; and Tohn by CAA, Armada Partners and Myman Greenspan Fox.

Disney To Honor Chadwick Boseman, Kristen Bell & Ellen Pompeo With Disney Legends Award At D23 Expo

This year’s honorees are Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Tamron Hall will host the ceremony.

“For nearly a century, Disney has been entertaining and inspiring people around the world,” said Chapek in a statement today. “I can’t wait to give fans a first look at what we have in store for our hundredth anniversary, and how we’re using this occasion to celebrate all the fans and families who have welcomed Disney into their lives.”

The Disney Legends Awards program begin in 1987 with Fred MacMurray becoming the first Disney Legend. Including this year’s honorees, 304 Disney Legends have been named, including Tim Allen, Julie Andrews, Robert Downey Jr., Annette Funicello, Whoopi Goldberg, Sir Elton John, Angela Lansbury, George Lucas, Steve Martin, Robin Roberts, Marty Sklar, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, Ming-Na Wen, Betty White and Robin Williams.

As part of the same presentation on September 9 at 10:30, Chapek will help kick off Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration, dubbed Disney100.

‘Ally McBeal’ Sequel With New Lead In Works At ABC From Karin Gist; Calista Flockhart Eyed To Return

Written and executive produced by Karin Gist (Mike), I hear the new show will follow a young Black woman who joins the law firm from the original series (or its current incarnation) straight out of law school. The young woman is believed to be the daughter of Ally McBeal’s (Flockhart) D.A. roommate Renée Raddick, who was played by Lisa Nicole Carson on the mothership series.

I hear Flockhart has been approached to reprise her title role from the original in some capacity and to executive produce the follow-up. A decision on her potential involvement likely won’t be made until a script has been written.

Kelley created and executive produced Ally McBeal through his overall deal at 20th Television that had his David E. Kelley Productions function as a mini studio, giving the prolific producer a bigger say in exploiting existing IP. I hear Kelley has been looped in on the idea and has given his blessing for the follow-up. Given the new show’s focus on a new character who is a Black woman, I hear Kelley felt he was not needed and graciously stepped aside out of respect for Gist being able to tell that character’s story. There are no current plans for Kelley to be involved in the sequel, which Ally McBeal studio 20th Television, part of Disney TV Studios, is producing. Gist serves as showrunner and executive produces through her production banner, The Gist of It, alongside the company’s EVP Claire Brown.

Reps for ABC and 20th TV declined comment.

Executives at 20th TV had been looking to bring back Ally McBeal in some shape or form for years; the efforts were stepped up after the 2019 Disney acquisition of Fox assets, including 20th TV, fueled by how well the series’ DNA fits into ABC’s core brand of female-driven character dramas with levity. I hear Gist’s take was very well received across the board, leading to the pitch’s sale to ABC for development.

The setup of the Ally McBeal follow-up is reminiscent of NBC’s upcoming Night Court sequel series, which also features a new lead character (Melissa Rauch) who is the daughter of a character from the original series and has the original lead, John Larroquette, reprising his role alongside her.

Ally McBeal, which aired on Fox from 1997-2002, starred Flockhart as Ally, a lawyer working in the Boston law firm Cage and Fish along with her ex-lover and his wife, and followed Ally’s trials and tribulations through life as she looked for love and fulfillment. The main focus of the dramedy was the romantic and personal lives of the main characters, often using legal proceedings as plot device.

The series won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999, one of seven Emmys and a slew of other major awards for its run. Ally McBeal was known for its strong ensemble cast, led by Flockhart and featuring Courtney Thorne-Smith, Greg Germann, Carson, Jane Krakowski, Peter MacNicol, Gil Bellows, Lucy Liu, Portia de Rossi as well as musician Vonda Shepard who rose to fame on the show. Additionally, the series gave Robert Downey Jr. one of his first big roles following his 1990s legal troubles en route to his blockbuster career comeback in Iron Man.

Ally McBeal transcended television to become a pop culture phenom and generate memes before memes existed with its infamous dancing baby. It remains influential two decades after its end, with She-Hulk‘s creative team recently listing the dramedy as an inspiration for their Marvel series.

Gist is among the top creators/showrunners on 20th TV’s roster of overall deals. Under the pact, she is executive producer and showrunner on the new Mike Tyson limited series Mike for Hulu. She co-created, executive produced and showran the Fox series Our Kind of People and served as executive producer and showrunner on the ABC comedy mixed-ish.

Previously, Gist served as executive producer and showrunner of Fox’s Star for Seasons 2 and 3. Before that, she was a co-executive producer on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy from 2015-17. Additional writing and producing credits include WB/CW’s One Tree Hill, Showtime’s House of Lies and ABC’s Revenge. Her film writing credits include Disney’s Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2, Jump In and VH1’s Drumline: A New Beat. She is repped by Adventure Media, Joel McKuin and ID PR.

‘The Sandman’ Drops Surprise Bonus Episode With Sandra Oh, James McAvoy, David Tennant & Michael Sheen – Watch The Trailer

Watch the trailer below.

The 10-episode drama starring Tom Sturridge and based on Gaiman’s popular DC Comics series has remained at No. 1 on the Netflix Top 10 TV list (English) for a second week in a row with 196.98 million hours viewed since its August 5 debut. The series also appeared in the Top 10 in 93 countries.

The animated “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” portion stars Tom Sturridge in his The Sandman role as Dream. Guest voice cast members include Oh as The Prophet, Rosie Day as The Tabby Kitten, David Gyasi as The Grey Cat, Joe Lycett as The Black Cat, Gaiman as Crow/Skull Bird, McAvoy as Golden-Haired Man, David Tennant as Don, Georgia Tennant as Laura Lynn, Sheen as Paul, Anna Lundberg as Marion, Nonso Anozie as Wyvern, Diane Morgan as Gryphon, and Tom Wu as Hippogriff.

“We endeavored to make the animated version of ‘A Dream of a Thousand Cats’ as mesmerizing and hypnotic as we could by utilizing the magic of real oil paintings on canvas,” said director Hisko Hulsing. “We combined the paintings with classically drawn 2D animation, based on realistic 3D animation of telepathic cats in order to create a trippy world that feels both grounded and dreamy at the same time. Untold Studios in London created the breathtaking 3D animation of the cats. The wonderful 2D animation, oil paintings and stylizing were all done at Submarine Studios in Amsterdam.”

Louise Hooper directed the live-action story “Calliope” portion, featuring Sturridge along with Melissanthi Mahut as Calliope, Arthur Darvill as Richard Madoc, Nina Wadia as Fate Mother, Souad Faress as Fate Crone, Dinita Gohil as Fate Maiden, Kevin Harvey as Larry, Amita Suman as Nora, and Derek Jacobi as Erasmus Fry.

Catherine Smyth-McMullen penned the teleplay for the hybrid episode, which was developed and executive produced by Gaiman, David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg. Sam Mucke served as producer.

The Sandman is produced by Warner Bros. Television, based on the DC Comic by Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringeberg. (Video)

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Sets Returning Series Regular Cast For Season 19; Find Out Who Is Not Coming Back Full-Time

Deadline already broke the news that star Ellen Pompeo will be scaling back her on-screen presence, appearing in eight episodes next season while remaining an executive producer. Also switching from a series regular to recurring status for Season 19 is Scott Speedman. The news is not surprising; the former Animal Kingdom star had signed a one-year series regular contract for Season 18 as a romantic interest for Pompeo’s Meredith. At the end of the Season 18 finale, Meredith and Speedman’s Nick had a falling out, she told him that he should probably go back to Minnesota. He walked out, she eventually ran after him but he was gone in one of the finale’s many cliffhangers.

With Speedman set to return in Season 19 as a recurring guest star, Meredith and Nick’s storyline is expected to get a proper wrap.

Except for Pompeo, Speedman as well as Richard Flood, who left the series last spring, all other Season 18 series regular cast members will be back full-time for Season 19. That includes Chandra Wilson, James Pickens, Jr., Kevin McKidd, Kim Raver, Camilla Luddington, Caterina Scorsone, Kelly McCreary, Chris Carmack, Jake Borelli and Anthony Hill.

I hear of the group, only McCreary’s contract was up this year and was renewed. I hear a slew of Grey’s Anatomy series regulars’ deals are up next May, which will make for a suspenseful second half of the season. ABC has not said yet whether the upcoming 19th season will be the series’ last, a possibility with Pompeo’s reduced presence as the show’s titular character.

Some of the other Season 18 finale cliffhangers involved Pickens, Jr.’s Richard left with little to do as the Grey Sloan teaching program was shut down, sending current residents, including Borelli’s Levi packing; Wilson’s Bailey quit, with Meredith becoming an interim Chief Of Surgery; while McKidd’s Owen and Raver’s Teddy were last seen on the run, flying on a plane with their kids, likely to another country.

Season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy premieres Oct. 6.

Grey's Vets Defend Ellen Pompeo's Decision to Go Part-Time in Season 19

As TVLine reported earlier this month, Pompeo, who last January extended her deal with the venerable ABC medical drama through the upcoming 19th season, will continue to narrate the show but will only appear in a “limited capacity” — said to be just eight episodes (or less than half of the roughly 20-23 that will be produced). In her newly free time, she will be producing and starring in an as-yet-untitled limited series for Hulu.

“The fact that she’s not leaving the show and is just scaling back a bit” really impresses McKidd, who adds, “What I think is beautiful about it is it shows her love for the show still.”

In an interview with Extra, Jesse Williams seconds that emotion. “That woman has worked so hard all year, every year, for the last 20 years building that franchise globally,” he says. “Any time off she gets is well-earned.”

Besides, Williams is confident that Grey’s Anatomy has a plan to fill the void left by Meredith’s occasional absence. “I’m sure they have something creative up their sleeve,” he says. No doubt, it includes the series’ slew of new hires. “We have these new amazing interns,” McKidd notes, and those incoming doctors will be pumping “new blood in the show.”

Season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 9/8c.

‘Take Me Out’ Gets Another Broadway At-Bat Starting In October; Jesse Tyler Ferguson & Jesse WIlliams Return To Lineup

Written by Richard Greenberg and directed by Scott Ellis, Take Me Out bowed in the spring and went on to glove Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play and Best Featured Actor for Ferguson. The show won widespread critical acclaim — and some unwanted headlines when an audience member recorded and posted on social media some nude scenes.

Here is the show’s stat line: When Darren Lemming (Williams), the star center fielder for the Empires, comes out of the closet, the reception off the field reveals a barrage of long-held unspoken prejudices dealing with sexuality and masculinity, money and power, and race and class. Facing some hostile teammates and fraught friendships, Darren is forced to contend with the challenges of being a gay person of color within the confines of a classic American institution. As the Empires struggle to rally toward a championship season, the players and their fans begin to question tradition, their loyalties, and the price of victory.

The rest of the cast is TBA.

“Second Stage’s Tony Award-winning production was one of the most buzzed-about plays of the spring season, and its limited run was too brief to capture the interest and demand for tickets,” producer Barry Weissler said in a statement.

The creative team for Take Me Out includes scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Bray Poor and casting by Jim Carnahan.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Veteran Zoanne Clack Named ‘Station 19’ Head Writer

On Station 19, Clack is succeeding Kiley Donovan who has stepped down. Donovan also had dual responsibilities across the two Grey’s Anatomy franchise dramas and will continue as co-executive producer on the mothership series.

The change follows a recent upheaval in the Station 19 writers room following an incident involving racial slur use by a racist character in a draft of an outline that exposed long-simmering racial issues on the show and prompted producer Shondaland to act swiftly, using the situation as an opportunity “to reimagine the structure of leadership in the name of creating a more respectful and inclusive workplace.”

Dr. Clack, who started her TV writing career on Presidio Med and was a consultant on ER, has been with Grey’s Anatomy since the start as a writer and a medical adviser, assisting in production of all medical aspects of the show. She attended Northwestern University, UT Southwestern Medical School, and Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and completed a residency in Emergency Medicine, a fellowship in Injury Prevention, and spent a year at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clack is a staunch advocate of promoting public health issues through the media. She served on the Board of the WGA and is now a Trustee on the board of the Producer-WGA Pension & Health Fund.

Sarah Drew and Justin Bruening headline Reindeer Games Homecoming

‘Our Son’: Andrew Rannells, Robin Weigert, Kate Burton, Phylicia Rashad, Cassandra Freeman & Isaac Powell Join Custody-Battle Drama

The recently-wrapped film starring Luke Evans and Billy Porter will follow a divorcing couple fighting for custody of their eight-year-old son. Oliver and Peter Nickowitz wrote the script, with Fernando Loureiro (Frances Ha) and Guilherme Coelho (Fala Tu) producing via their company Tigresa, along with Eric Binns (Lansky), Jennifer 8. Lee (The Price) and Christopher Lin. Alex Peace-Power is serving as co-producer, with CAA Media Finance representing the film’s distribution rights.

Rannells is a Grammy winner and Tony Award nominee whose recent credits include Peacock’s Girls5eva and Showtime’s Black Monday, along with such films as The Boys in the Band and The Prom. He’s lent his voice to such animated series as Invincible and Big Mouth, and will next be seen in a recurring role on Robert Siegel’s Hulu limited series Immigrant, alongside Kumail Nanjiani, Annaleigh Ashford and Murray Bartlett.

Weigert is an Emmy-nominated actress best known for playing Calamity Jane in HBO’s Deadwood and its film continuation, and for her role as Ally Lowen on Sons of Anarchy. The actress has also been seen on series like American Horror Story, Big Little Lies and Dietland, among many others. Notable film credits include Bombshell, Mississippi Grind, Pawn Sacrifice, The Sessions, Synecdoche, New York and The Good German.

Burton is a three-time Tony and three-time Emmy nominee who has recently been seen on Netflix’s Inventing Anna, Hulu’s The Dropout, Amazon Freevee’s Bosch: Legacy and Showtime’s The First Lady, which had her playing former First Lady Hillary Clinton. The actress has also been seen on such series as Grey’s Anatomy, Supergirl, Charmed, Scandal and The Practice, among many others. Up next for her is the Bleecker Street thriller Breaking with John Boyega, which is slated for release on August 26.

Rashad is a two-time Tony Award winner and six-time Emmy nominee best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show who has recently been seen on such series as This Is Us, David Makes Man and Grey’s Anatomy, also featuring in such films as Soul, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, Black Box and tick, tick… BOOM!. Up next for the actress is the Michael B. Jordan-directed Creed III, in which she’ll reprise her role as Mary Anne Creed.

Freeman plays Vivian Banks in Peacock’s Bel-Air, and has also been seen on series including The Last O.G., For Life, The Enemy Within, Luke Cage and Single Ladies, among others. Notable film credits include Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Monsters and Men, Spike Lee’s Inside Man and Chris Rock’s I Think I Love My Wife.

Powell has been seen on such series as American Horror Story and Modern Love, and in films like Dear Evan Hansen. Other upcoming film projects for the actor include Susanna Fogel’s Cat Person, produced by 30West and StudioCanal, and Sophie Kargman’s dramatic thriller Susie Searches, with Kiersey Clemons and Alex Wolff.

Rannells is represented by UTA, Rise Management and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; Weigert by Innovative Artists, Thruline Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Burton by Lou Coulson Associates in the UK, Gersh and Principal Entertainment LA; Rashad by Innovative Artists and BKEntertainment; Freeman by Buchwald, One Entertainment and Granderson Des Rochers; and Powell by CAA, Impression Entertainment and Schreck Rose Dapello.

Chyler Leigh Stars In New Hallmark Series ‘The Way Home’

Leigh plays Kat Landry, who moved away from her small, Canadian farm town of Port Haven many years ago following a family tragedy, and remains estranged from her mother Del (MacDowell) to this day. With her marriage coming to an end and having just been laid off from her job, Kat decides to return home after receiving an unexpected letter from Del urging her to come back. Although her 15-year-old daughter Alice is none-too-thrilled, Kat and her daughter arrive at her family’s farm, though the reunion isn’t what Kat had envisioned. As the three generations of women slowly work on finding their footing as a family, they embark on an enlightening – and surprising – journey none of them could have imagined.

The Way Home is the first primetime series to be ordered under the leadership of Lisa Hamilton Daly, the executive vice president of programming for Crown Media Family Networks. The Way Home is a family drama that follows the lives of three generations of women within the Landry family — and it comes with a time travel twist

“Chyler Leigh and Andie MacDowell are the perfect mother-daughter pairing for our new series, The Way Home,” said Daly. “We at Hallmark Channel cannot wait for her to grace our screens as a member of this cast.”

Leigh is best known for playing Dr. Lexie Grey on Grey’s Anatomy. She went on to play Alex Danvers on The Flash, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow for CW.

The Way Home is executive produced by Marly Reed and Arnie Zipursky for Neshama Entertainment; Larry Grimaldi, Hannah Pillemer and Fernando Szew for MarVista Entertainment; and Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke, Andie MacDowell and Chyler Leigh.

Leigh is represented by The Burstein Company, UTA and attorney Mitch Smelkinson.

Ellen Pompeo Would Like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ To Be “Less Preachy” About Social Issues

“I think if I had any desire honestly it would be to be less sort of preachy in one episode about certain things,” Pompeo said on the latest episode of her Tell Me podcast. “It’s like, we do one episode about let’s see … Asian hate crimes is one that we did this past season that was really moving. I think I’d like to see things happen a little more subtly and over time. You know, consistently and less sort of hit you over the head for just one hour and then we never talk about it again.”

She added, “I wish we could touch on these social issues that are important and have them be threads throughout.”

As we reported Wednesday, Pompeo is scaling back her work on Grey’s after taking on a starring role in Hulu’s Orphan limited series. She will appear in her role as Meredith Grey in eight episodes of the upcoming 19th season, which is now starting production. She will continue to narrate (but may not do voiceover in every episode) and will remain an executive producer on the show, which remains ABC’s top scripted series.

Created and written by Katie Robbins (The Affair), the Hulu limited series is inspired by the true story of Ukranian-born Natalia Grace and her US adoptive parents who claimed that she was an adult “sociopath” pretending to be a child. Pompeo will executive produce, as well as star in the series.

Ellen Pompeo To Reduce ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ On-Screen Presence In Season 19 As She Takes On Hulu Series Role

The scale-back comes as Pompeo takes on her first role other than Meredith Grey in almost two decades — she is set to star in Hulu’s Orphan limited series inspired by the true story of Ukranian-born Natalia Grace and her US adoptive parents who claimed that she was an adult “sociopath” pretending to be a child.

Pompeo’s desire to branch out and take on new acting challenges is believed to be behind the decision to do fewer episodes of Grey’s. The ABC drama has been keeping her busy as it has been producing as many as 25 episodes a year for a total of 400 to date. (Season 19 will likely consist of about 22 episodes, I hear.)

Pompeo had seen her workload on the show reduced a bit the last two seasons as Meredith spent a sizable part of the pandemic-themed Season 17 in a coma and was in Minnesota for most of Season 19.

While there has been chatter that Pompeo may be wrapping Meredith’s storyline next season, I hear there is no decision yet whether Season 19 would be the last for Pompeo as a star — or the show’s final chapter. Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes has said that she does not see Grey’s continuing without its leading lady. (There had been talk on and off about possibly extending the franchise with a new medical drama spinoff if and when the mothership series comes to an end.)

Pompeo, who had been making the case for ending Grey’s Anatomy over the past couple of years, last October spoke about her post-Grey’s career plans.

“I probably wouldn’t do movies per se, but I probably will do some streaming television,” Pompeo, who had acted primarily in movies until she was cast in Grey’s Anatomy in 2004, said at the time. She had already started expanding into other fields, including audio series with her Tell Me with Ellen Pompeo podcast which debuted in September.

“I’m just trying to play in some different areas and do a few new things but I’m sure I’ll act again,” she said in October.

Shortly after that, ABC and Grey’s Anatomy studio ABC Signature began conversations with Pompeo about continuing on Grey’s. She ultimately agreed to return for Season 19, securing the show’s renewal, which was announced in January.

I hear back then, Pompeo already had decided to do only a portion of the episodes while continuing as narrator and EP as she also takes on new acting challenges. After months of back-and-forth, she and the producers settled on 8 episodes. She started conversations about joining the Orphan series earlier this summer.

Meanwhile, she sparked to Orphan, produced by same studio as Grey’s, ABC Signature, and came on board as star and EP, helping the project secure a green light.

Eighteen years in, Grey’s Anatomy has been able to reinvent itself multiple times as it went through numerous casting changes, with Pompeo as the glue keeping the show together. The highly rated medical drama is headed to another transformational season, with Pompeo stepping back and five new additions joining the cast, Harry Shum Jr., Adelaide Kane, Alexis Floyd, Niko Terho, and Midori Francis.

Ellen Pompeo To Star In & EP Orphan-Adoption Limited Series Greenlighted By Hulu

As she takes on the Untitled Orphan Project, Grey’s Anatomy star Pompeo will be scaling back her on-screen presence on the ABC medical drama next season to eight episodes. She will remain a narrator and executive producer on the show.

The shocking case, which has drawn parallels to the 2009 horror movie Orphan, made national headlines in September 2019 when Kristine Barnett and her ex-husband Michael Barnett were charged with neglect for allegedly abandoning their adopted daughter Natalia, who has a rare form of dwarfism, in 2013 when she was 9. (After putting her up in an apartment, they had moved to Canada.) The parents have claimed that Natalia, whom they adopted when they thought she was 6, is in fact a mentally disturbed adult woman who threatened their lives. Most of the charges against the Barnetts eventually were dismissed; Natalia has denied the accusations that she is a grownup con artist.

The limited series was created and written by Katie Robbins (The Affair). Here is the logline: Inspired by the true story of the Midwestern couple who adopts what they believe is a little girl with dwarfism. As they begin to raise her alongside their three biological children, they slowly start to believe she may not be who she says she is. As they question her story, they’re confronted with hard questions of their own about the lengths they’re willing to go to defend themselves, falling into a battle that’s fought in the tabloids, the courtroom, and ultimately their marriage.

Pompeo will play the mother.

The project has been in the works at Hulu for a year and a half. Mike Epps and his managers Dan Spilo and Niles Kirchner had originally obtained the rights to Michael Barnett’s story before taking the idea to the Disney-controlled streamer. Hulu optioned the rights to Michael Barnett in January 2021, and Robbins was brought in to write the script. Pompeo came on board earlier this summer.

Erin Levy will serve as showrunner on the series and executive produce alongside Robbins. Pompeo will executive produce through her production banner Calamity Jane with Laura Holstein. Epps, Spilo and Niles Kirchner also executive produce alongside Andrew Stearn, who at the time of the Hulu sale had a deal at ABC Signature predecessor ABC Studios.

This marks Pompeo’s first major acting role outside of the Grey’s Anatomy franchise since the 2005 feature Life of the Party. Pompeo acted primarily in movies before she was cast as Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy 18 years ago and has been focused on the hit show ever since. In addition to starring, Pompeo serves as an executive producer on ABC’s hugely popular medical drama, which is headed to its 19th season. She is repped by CAA, John Carrabino Management, The Lede Company and Hansen Jacobson.

Robbins is repped by UTA, Aaron Kogan Management and attorney Jonathan Shikora. Levy is repped by WME. Michael Barnett was repped in the deal by attorney Terrance Kinnard.

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