What to Expect When Arizona Robbins Returns to 'Grey's Anatomy'
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey and Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Robbins in 'Grey's Anatomy'
It's been more than five seasons since Grey's Anatomy fans have laid eyes on Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw). She left Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital at the end of Season 14 to reconcile with her ex-wife Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), and hasn't been seen on the medical drama since.
That all changes tonight. It was announced in February that Capshaw would return for a guest-starring arc as the pediatric surgeon, and in a recent interview with Parade, new showrunner Meg Marinis promised fans that they will get "a little bit of everything we love" from Arizona's return.
Related: What Happened to Dr. Arizona Robbins on 'Grey's Anatomy'? Prepping for Jessica Capshaw's Return
"Our writers' room will pitch who can come back for an episode or two and it’s really fun because we have 20 years of history to be able to do that and so many people that could come back. So many people are fan-favorites and we just have to wait for the perfect story to arise to choose who that might be. An opportunity came up in the room to see Arizona back as a doctor. It was a beautiful story that our writers pitched, that we wrote and shot," Marinis told Parade.
Related: How Every Major 'Grey's Anatomy' Character Got Written Off the Show
Although she didn't want to give details about what exactly brings Arizona back to Seattle, a subsequent promo shows the character lecturing the interns on a clinical trial in which a surgeon can operate on a baby's brain while it's still in the womb. "How many times has this been done?" Lucas asks. "None," she says. "So who wants to make history?"
Marinis is pleased with how the arc turned out and all of the things Grey's will get to remind its audience about the surgeon.
"She’s an amazing teacher. She’s an amazing surgeon. She’s an amazing friend. She has that wonderful laugh and smile," Marinis gushed. "We’re going to see all of that and I think people will be really happy to see her."
The storyline begins with tonight's episode, which airs at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
