Meredith's (Ellen Pompeo) good pal Alex (Justin Chambers) and his love story will be front and center in the upcoming season of ABC's medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."
Creator Shonda Rhimes delivered the news to TV Line, stating that season 12 would shift its focus to Alex and Jo (Camilla Luddington). It appears that with the end of the Meredith-Derek storyline, the "Jalex" tandem would finally get the spotlight that they deserve after getting pushed to the "backburner" for a long time.
Rhimes said that this love story has so much more left to tell and that fans would finally get the chance to know the longtime couple this season. This was something that she promised in the past, before Patrick Dempsey's unexpected departure from the show.
"We had to take a left turn because Patrick [Dempsey] was leaving. And now we want to tell a lot of those stories — except in a lighter way. So there's a real focus on them this season," Rhimes said.
She also said that Jo and Alex's story has not been developed as much as they want it to be. Fans are still a bit clueless on how they are as a couple, much less as individuals. Rhimes shared that the Alex that they have come to know at the start of the series has changed a lot and that it's time to see that on screen.
Luddington has previously confessed that she was worried about Alex and Jo for the upcoming season. At the San Diego Comic-Con, she said that the relationship has been going so smoothly for the past seasons and it's bound to hit a snag at some point.
"I'm nervous for Season 12. Jo and Alex had three seasons of being pretty good, which is unusual on 'Grey's'... I just don't trust things are going to continue to go well. Because it's 'Grey's Anatomy'," said Luddington.
Last season, the lovebirds finally got their first official place together. During the finale, Alex realized that Jo had never told him she loved him. The girl then replied that she thought she did not have to and this culminated in a passionate but sweet kiss.
"Grey's Anatomy" returns Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
