"Grey's Anatomy" has seen a lot of characters come in and out over the years but a few of the original from season 1 have remained and their stories are still evolving. According to a report from TV Guide, actress Kelly McCreary explains that the upcoming season 13 will go back to basics and focus again on these remaining original characters.
"After such a long period of time and so many new people coming in and out, they remain the foundational characters of the show. We're gonna be spending some more time with them to check in with where they are," McCreary explains. "One of the things I'm looking forward to most is the focus on those old, established relationships and those characters."
The actress further stresses that the show will shift the focus on the old characters in a similar way to how the spotlight was mostly on Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) back in season 12 as Meredith dealt with the loss of her husband, Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey).
It is further stated that this could mean a potential return of Izzie (Catherine Heigl) and Cristina (Sandra Oh) in season 13. Heigl departed from the show following a dispute with showrunner and series creator Shonda Rhimes and Oh departed as she felt the character's story had been completed.
Fans of the show will point out that the four remaining leads from season 1 include Meredith, Alex (Justin Chambers), Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Bailey (Chandra Wilson). It is noted that Dr. George O'Malley (T.R. Knight) will not be returning given that the character was killed off in a previous season.
While there are no clues as to where the story revolving around Bailey and Richards will go, Alex is speculated to deal with the fact that Jo (Camilla Luddington) is already married and is living under a new name in order to hide from her abusive husband. Meredith, on the other hand, will be exploring her new sisterly dynamic with Maggie (McCreary) as well as a new relationship with Dr. Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson).
"Grey's Anatomy" season 13 premieres this Sept. 22.
