Station 19 may be over, but at least one character of the show will see their story continue back on Grey’s Anatomy. After the spinoff became one of the 2024 TV cancellations, it was announced that Jason George, who has played Ben Warren on both series, will return to the medical drama, reuniting with his TV wife, Chandra Wilson’s Miranda Bailey. But don’t think he’s just going to waltz into Grey Sloan, don some scrubs and make his way straight to the OR. Showrunner Meg Marinis has plans for Ben’s return, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into this delicious drama.
Grey’s Anatomy’s 21st season will premiere on the 2024 TV schedule in a new time slot, and Meg Marinis gave us an idea of what to expect while speaking at D23 on August 10, per Deadline. In addition to referencing Miranda’s big stand in the Season 20 finale, she mentioned what it’s going to be like when Ben Warren returns, saying:
We’ll see how Ben gets back into the fold. It’s not going to be a super easy journey for him, but we’re excited to have him back around Grey Sloan.
The Station 19 series finale set up Ben’s return to the hospital, as he left the fire station in order to finish his medical residency. Whether or not he’ll be working with and for his wife remains to be seen, as we last saw Miranda and the interns threatening to quit if Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) decided to make Niko Terho’s Lucas Adams repeat his first year.
Regardless of how that plays out, I'm so excited to see how Ben and Miranda handle working together again, especially knowing now that it's not going to be an easy path. Grey’s Anatomy has given us tricky power dynamics between its couples ever since Meredith Grey slept with Derek Shepherd in the series premiere, and Ben isn’t exactly known for being able to follow directions.
His age may be a factor as well, being older than his contemporaries, and will he be rusty after his years as a firefighter? I wouldn’t imagine he’d be too out of practice, as he often pulled from his medical experience to save lives in the field on Station 19, but whatever drama Meg Marinis has in store for him, I can’t wait.
The showrunner also said there will be fun relationships starting in the Season 21 premiere and some more of the wild medical cases we’ve come to expect. What she didn’t mention — but we know is coming anyway — is the exit of two fan favorite characters. Jake Borelli and Midori Francis are only returning long enough to wrap up their storylines before exiting the series.
After the news broke that we’re two of Grey’s Anatomy’s most iconic queer characters (possibly three, as the fate of Station 19’s Carina DeLuca is also unknown) ABC announced that Michael Thomas Grant will join the show as openly gay chaplain James — anybody smell another musical episode in our future?
Whatever’s in store, I’m excited to see Ben Warren back in the building, especially because it will be interesting to see what conflict comes from his latest change in career. While we wait for that premiere — coming to ABC at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, September 26 — be sure to check out the best Grey’s Anatomy episodes or rewatch your favorite Grey’s era, as all 20 seasons can be streamed on either Netflix or Hulu, two of the best streaming services to subscribe to.
