ABC's hit medical drama series Grey's Anatomy returns on Sept. 24 as the official release date of its 12th season, but we are already getting a slew of season spoilers even before the show's airing.
In an interview with Variety, Debbie Allen, who plays the newly married Dr. Catherine Avery, said that Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) will be dealing with the loss of her husband, Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and will have to face the realization that she is now a single mom.
Allen said, 'Grey's Anatomy' is Meredith's story, and now she's finding herself as a single mom ... and in the season, she will discover that she's a single woman," insisting that her focus is to excel in her work and not look for a new romance. "She's not really thinking about that so much right now, but at some point, she will be because she's so beautiful and attractive and something's bound to happen - there's not a plan in place, but who knows."
That is either good or bad news for fans of the show, with some of them wanting Meredith to stay loyal to McDreamy with others hoping she would move on and find a new love interest.
Even show creator Shonda Rhimes dispelled the idea of a new romantic partner for Meredith, She told reporters at the Television Critics' Association Tour in Beverly Hills, "I have not planned to [bring in a love interest for Meredith], and that's not really the focus of what we're doing with her right now. I think Meredith is in a rebirth and she's evolving. I'm watching the character do what the character's doing and I'll see where it goes. I'm not going to say we're definitely not doing it, because I could be wrong, but that's not my plan right now. You can't just drop a guy in and be like, 'There he is!'"
However, one insider told Variety that things could change and added that "the sun is rising again with her character," so a new romance is not that farfetched.
The report also cited sources who claimed the new season would feature plenty of dating, flirting and sex.
Allen added, "When we left, my son, he was going through a little drama with his wife, and you know Catherine has a lot to say about that. It's a story really about relationships - friendships, betrayals, love, no love and all of that. It just happens to be in a hospital."
In a separate interview with People magazine at the Television Academy's Dynamic & Diverse Emmy cocktail party last week, Jason George, who plays Dr. Ben Warren, said that season 12 of Grey's Anatomy will be lighter and filled with the show's trademark sense of humor.
"The writers have made this extra effort to breathe new air and refresh everything," George said and added, "It has that lightness and sense of humor that people fell in love with in the first place. There are a lot of people who are not in couples now and are falling into bed. Everyone's getting a little bit of loving."
George has also confirmed there will also be romantic moments and that the "sexy" will be back on.
Grey's Anatomy season 12 premieres on Sept. 24 on ABC.
