Fall TV Blog

Grey’s Anatomy kicked off season 6 with a two-hour episode that picked up where the finale’s cliffhanger left off. In between the crying fits (which came fast and furious for 120 minutes), we compiled the top 10 OMG (as in ‘Oh My Grey’s‘) moments as the doctors of Seattle Grace tried to survive losing one of their own. –Carrie Bell

Audacity of Hope: For a brief moment, George fans wondered if a goodbye was necessary when Lexie claimed the body was too tall and the others questioned Meredith’s finger-writing interpretation skills. But Callie checked for his Texas-shaped freckle and confirmed the end of 007. Unless, of course, Izzie starts hallucinating again. (We bet George would be up for some ghost sex.)

Four Residents and a Funeral: When the remaining four original interns stepped away from the burial unable to control their snickers, it had the authenticity, emotion and humor of season 1, and reminded us of why we started TiVo-ing the show in the first place. (more…)

SPOILER ALERT! ABC.com has the first few minutes of the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy, which returns to TV on Sept. 24. The clip raises an interesting question!

Here’s what happens: The surgeons of Seattle Grace bring Izzie (Katherine Heigl) back to life while mourning the loss of George (T.R. Knight). But Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) isn’t convinced that John Doe is really George, raising the question of his fate. We know Knight, whose character had enlisted in the army, is leaving the show but was he killed? If not, then who is the John Doe?

Grey’s returns to ABC in a special 2-hour season premiere on Sept. 24 (9 p.m. EST). –Janet Mock

Tell us: What do you think? Is George really John Doe? And if he isn’t, what happened to him? Or is Lexie just going through the first stage of grief: denial?

Randy Holmes/ABC

Seattle Grace is losing another doctor — at least temporarily.

Katherine Heigl, 30, is taking a leave of absence from Grey’s Anatomy to film a new movie, the romantic comedy Life as We Know It.

An ABC rep cannot confirm the exact length of time she will be out of pocket — EW.com is reporting a 5-episode hiatus — but tells PEOPLE, “Katherine is taking time off to film a movie. The producers at Grey’s have accommodated past things like that before. It’s a cast of 13 and it is a true ensemble so the show is mindful [of other commitments].”

Heigl’s departure is set to begin this month, last into November and will be explained on screen, EW reports. Meanwhile, fellow castmate Ellen Pompeo is due to give birth to her first child in October and is expected to take maternity leave around the same time — an overlap that’s “all being worked out,” the rep tells PEOPLE. (more…)

There will be new some faces roaming the halls of Seattle Grace on Grey’s Anatomy this season. Nora Zehetner will play one of the new residents appearing on the fifth episode of the new season, which premieres Sept. 24 on ABC.

And the actress — who has appeared on Heroes and Everwood — was so anxious about her first day of work, she had nightmares.

“Honestly, I was terrified,” Zehetner told PEOPLE on a call from Los Angeles following her first day of shooting. “I’m actually a huge Grey’s fan. It’s this big show, and you’ve kind of identified with the actors and characters before you’ve ever met them. It adds a certain layer.”

While Zehetner couldn’t say much about her character, she did find out that her name will be Reed. “I like my name,” she adds with a laugh. According to TVGuideMagazine.com, Reed is “feisty, very smart and competitive,” and is likely to butt heads with at least one of the familiar faces.

To prep for the part, “I watched 14 episodes in two days, which is a lot of TV,” Zehetner tells PEOPLE. “It was really good, but then I think it started to stress me out. I started to have nightmares because I knew I was starting this week. Then I had to cut myself off.” (more…)

It looks like Chandra Wilson is taking a little vacation to Santa Monica in the upcoming sixth season of Grey’s Anatomy.

Executive producer Shonda Rhimes has announced that Wilson’s character, Dr. Miranda Bailey, will make a crossover appearance on an episode of Private Practice, EW.com reports.

While visiting the Oceanside Wellness Center in Grey’s Anatomy’sthird episode, Dr. Bailey will likely rekindle some of the chemistry she had with Dr. Sam Bennett, played by Taye Diggs.

But that’s not all Wilson’s got on her plate: She will also make her debut behind the cameras when she directs an episode of Grey’s in the new season. –Xiomara Martinez-White

Tell us: What other cross-overs would you like to see in the new seasons of Grey’s and PP?

ICHARD CARTWRIGHT/ABC

Former Grey’s Anatomy star T.R. Knight is opening up about his departure from ABC’s hit medical drama, telling Entertainment Weekly he saw no future for Dr. George O’Malley, the lovable resident he played for five seasons.

Knight says his screen time dropped so much by season 5 that he chose to leave the show rather than seek an answer — something he says was hard to come by.

“My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George],” he tells the magazine. “There just comes a time when it’s so clear that moving on is the best decision.”

Costar Katherine Heigl initially disagreed with her friend.

“I didn’t think it was the right decision,” she says. “I felt like some of the problems could be worked through. But by the time it came to fruition, I was [glad] for him because he was ready to go.”

Knight also addresses the dismissal of former costar Isaiah Washington, who used a gay slur in an infamous incident on the set of the show, saying the controversy that followed created tension with Grey’s executive producer Shonda Rhimes. (more…)

Katherine Heigl may be back to work on the set of Grey’s Anatomy, but according to the actress, it hasn’t been a super-happy homecoming.

“Our first day back was Wednesday and it was — I’m going to keep saying this because I hope it embarrasses them — a 17-hour day,” Heigl told David Letterman during a visit to the Late Show on Monday, “which I think is cruel and mean.”

One reason for her lack of pep: her good pal T.R. Knight’s departure from the show.

“It was actually kind of really great to be back,” she said. “All my friends are there and at this point, they’re sort of like family, but it was a little weird because [T.R.]’s not there anymore.”

As open as she is about her feelings about the show, Heigl remained tight-lipped about the fate of her character, who was last seen in an ambiguous scene after undergoing surgery for a brain tumor. “You last saw Izzie, you know, flatlining,” she told Letterman. “So, I won’t give it away but, you know, I’m there so I’m either there as a ghost, on the other side or I survived a disease no one survives.”

“I’m guessing if you’re working 17 hours, that means you’re not dead,” Letterman observed. (more…)

Jessica Capshaw is positively gushing over Grey’s Anatomy.

“I personally was a fan of Grey’s before I went there so I run the risk of sounding — now that I get to be a part of the cast — braggy because I think it’s awesome!” says the actress, who plays Seattle Grace’s newest resident Dr. Arizona Robbins on the ABC hit.

Talking to PEOPLE at the the One Year Anniversary Party for 3.1 Phillip Lim Los Angeles store, Capshaw cited the tear-jerking finale as a reason to love the medical drama.

“I’ve heard a lot of people tell me what [was great about the finale was] the insane pace and how heartbreaking it was,” she says, “and emotional and tense and all the good things you tune into television for.”

Although T.R. Knight has officially left the show, Capshaw says she’s happy to have more time to bond with Katherine Heigl, whom she called a “wonderful woman.”

“She’s a powerhouse — she’s beautiful, she’s funny, she’s strong and she’s certainly got a burden of riches right now,” Capshaw said. “She’s got a wonderful career in so many different ways. She’s always struck me as someone who is really aware at how wonderful she has it.” – Michelle Ward

Landov

Her friend T.R. Knight might be leaving Grey’s Anatomy, but Katherine Heigl will still be sporting scrubs come fall.

A rep for ABC confirms to PEOPLE that Heigl, who plays Dr. Izzie Stephens, isn’t leaving the show despite speculation that she was ready to go to focus on her movie career. The rep also confirmed that Jessica Capshaw, who plays Dr. Arizona Robbins, will return to the show as a series regular.

Show writers left Heigl’s character in a precarious position at the end of last season. After surviving surgery for her brain tumor, Izzie took a turn for the worse, and viewers were left with an ambiguous image of Izzie on an elevator in the dress she wore when Denny died. Knight’s character, Dr. George O’Malley, who was a John Doe at Seattle Grace, was waiting when the doors the elevator doors opened.

In announcing his departure from the show, Knight said the decision was not easy. “I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character,” he said in a statement, “and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much.”

Tell us: Are you happy Katherine Heigl will be back on Grey’s? What will happen to Izzie?

Randy Holmes/ABC

After months of speculation surrounding the fate of Grey’s Anatomy’s George O’Malley, T.R. Knight, who plays the lovable doctor, is breaking his silence about his departure from the hit ABC show.

“Leaving Grey’s Anatomy was not an easy decision for me to make,” Knight says in a statement to PEOPLE. “I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much. I continue to wish them the very best, and wholeheartedly thank all of the fans who have supported me and the show with such passion and enthusiasm.”

Producer Shonda Rhimes simultaneously released a statement, saying, “I think I speak for the entire Grey’s Anatomy family when I say we wish T.R. Knight the best in his future endeavors. He is an incredibly talented actor and a person whose strength of character is admired by all of us.”

While Knight may be happy to make a departure from the show following a season of sparse screen time for his character, costar Jim Pickens says the actor will be missed on the set. “He’s a good man, and a great actor,” Pickens tells PEOPLE. “We have lots of laughs. I’m going to miss his sense of humor.”

Melissa George, who was on Grey’s for several episodes in its fifth season, says she is happy for Knight, who has become a close friend.

“He fought for what he wanted, and he got it,” she told PEOPLE Wednesday at the Whitney Contemporaries Art Party in New York. “He’s moving on to amazing things. I love him very much.” –Lisa Ingrassia

ABC