Sarah Drew’s Dr. April Kepner is the latest familiar face that will return to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in a season that has seen several old cast mates return to the hit medical drama.
Drew announced the news on social media. “We have a date! April is back on @GreysABC Thursday, May 6 at 9|8c on ABC,” she tweeted, along with posting a picture of her appearance on the show.
The cat was out of the bag last month itself when Drew posted a picture of her former co-star and on-screen ex-husband Jesse Williams on Instagram, with a message: “Nbd. Not excited at all.”
Drew’s cameo is the latest in a season that has been riddled with the return of former cast members including Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd or McDreamy for ‘Grey’ fans who had a not so amicable parting with producer Shonda Rhimes and the team. Aside from Dempsey, close buddy Mark Sloan or McSteamy also made an appearance, along with T.R. Knight who reprised his role as George O’Malley.
Chyler Leigh also returned as Lexie Grey in an episode, who played lead star Meredith Grey’s (Ellen Pompeo) half-sister on the show who died in a plane crash.
Drew bid adieu to her character in 2018 after nine-season run. Ending her character was a creative decision taken by the show’s writers and producers with Pompeo (who serves as an executive producer) stating at the time that even she had been unaware of her departure.
In an emotional post, Drew had said goodbye to the ‘Grey’s’ family and her fans, comparing the end of her run a “little like death”. “It’s hard to say goodbye to characters I’ve played. It always feels like a little death, but this is different,” Drew said in the post. “I’ve lived with April nine months out of the year every year for nine years. She’s a part of me. I’m a part of her. Saying goodbye to her is big and deep and sad and beautiful and joyous. It’s all the feelings mashed up into one.”
In a season that has seen production delays on account of the coronavirus and the return of much-loved characters, fans are speculating that this could very well be the last one for the longest running medical drama on TV. In the show’s current track, Meredith is battling the virus and her peers are doing what they do best, fighting to bring her back. The show is currently screening in the UAE on OSN.
