Whoops, Grey's Anatomy Just Ruined A Cliffhanger Thanks To Pesky Contract Negotiations
Spoiler alert! This story discusses the Season 19 finale of Grey’s Anatomy, which aired May 18.
Grey’s Anatomy jam-packed a lot of drama into its two-hour Season 19 finale, including a big decision for Meredith (yes, Ellen Pompeo was back!) and several changes on the relationship front. However, the second episode ended on a huge cliffhanger, with Teddy Altman collapsing on the floor of the operating room, unresponsive as her husband Owen Hunt desperately tried to revive her. As the longtime series wrapped for a longer-than-usual hiatus, fans were left not knowing if Teddy would live or die — unless they happened to read the news regarding contract negotiations, that is.
Just hours before Ellen Pompeo made her return to Grey’s Anatomy and Kim Raver’s character received several shocks with a defibrillator, Deadline confirmed that a handful of series veterans had finalized new contracts for the ABC drama’s 20th season — including Raver. This was basically a huge spoiler, since we can pretty easily assume that with the actress signing on for the upcoming season, Teddy does not, in fact, die on the OR floor.
Is it possible that Teddy does die and appears in Season 20 as a ghost? Sure, Grey’s Anatomy has brought plenty of characters back for posthumous cameos, but never in a main role, and I don’t see them starting that trend with Kim Raver’s character. However, we don’t know what her condition will be when she wakes up from the seemingly near-fatal toothache, so that does remain a mystery.
In addition to the Dr. Altman portrayer, it was confirmed that OG stars James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson will also be back for their 20th season on the show as Richard Webber and Miranda Bailey, respectively. Kevin McKidd will also return as Owen Hunt, Camilla Luddington will get to continue her brand new romance with Chris Carmack’s Link, and Caterina Scorsone will continue to carry on the Shepherd legacy as Amelia. The door has reportedly also been left open for Ellen Pompeo to make more guest appearances, but nothing has been confirmed.
The five new cast members introduced in Season 19’s quasi-reboot — Alexis Floyd, Niko Terho, Midori Francis, Harry Shum Jr. and Adelaide Kane — have not had their options picked up yet, but are reportedly all expected to return. This follows the exit of three big players on Grey’s Anatomy this season, as Ellen Pompeo stepped back as a series regular and Kelly McCreary left after nine seasons of playing Maggie Pierce. Thursday’s finale also served as Krista Vernoff’s final episodes as showrunner, leaving Meg Marinis in charge going forward.
While the contract negotiations seemed to confirm Teddy Altman’s fate, Kim Raver was one of the series vets who had addressed their future on the show ahead of the Season 19 finale, saying she was “trying to stay very in the moment.” Raver made her Grey’s Anatomy directorial debut this season on the episode “Training Day,” so we’ll have to see if her continued relationship with the show results in more turns behind the camera.
Knowing that Teddy will be back at Grey Sloan next season kind of takes the wind out of the sails of the season finale cliffhanger, but at least we aren’t being kept in suspense over the long summer months. While we wait for our Seattle surgeons to return, you can check out our 2023 TV schedule to find shows to watch in the meantime, or relive any of the Season 19 excitement with a Hulu subscription. The first 18 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy are available to stream with a Netflix subscription.
