Patrick Dempsey will return for more ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

It’s 2020, so the world needs and deserves good things. Like more surprising Grey’s Anatomy reunions between one of the show’s most beloved couples. And so, after shocking nearly everyone with a completely unexpected return to the medical drama last week, showrunner Krista Vernoff has confirmed that Patrick Dempsey will be back again.Not only will the Derek Shepherd (AKA McDreamy) actor return, but according to Vernoff, he’ll be back a few more times this season. So stock up on your ferry-themed scrubs now. “We will see more of [Derek] this season,” Vernoff told the Los Angeles Times. “This was not just a cameo. He will appear three more times.”The writer declined to give more details about what those appearances might look like, but considering he appeared at the end of the premiere in a dream sequence after Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) collapsed in the hospital parking lot from exhaustion, it might not be all good news for fans. Especially those who are concerned about Mer’s health in the upcoming episodes.

This is really, truly happening. #GreysAnatomy pic.twitter.com/EE1GTygjAi

— Greys Anatomy (@GreysABC) November 13, 2020

For now, people will just have to make due with the behind-the-scenes story of it all, which Vernoff also opened up about in a separate interview with Deadline. In her words, making McDreamy appear in that dream sequence and keeping it a secret was an “epic” feat.“I didn’t send cuts to the studio and network that included that last scene. I didn’t have writers’ assistants in the writers’ room for the last couple of months. There were writers who didn’t know we were doing this on that staff,” she said. “Most of the actors didn’t know we were doing this. The crew didn’t know we were doing this when they showed up on the day.”To help preserve the secret, Vernoff also wrote a different version of the script, in which Meredith sees her deceased mother, Ellis (Kate Burton), instead. “We read it at the table that way,” Vernoff added to the Times. “Nobody knew what we were doing—to the point that when the crew showed up on the day we shot the scene, nobody knew. It was top secret.”[video_embed id='2076873']RELATED: An iconic character returns to Grey's Anatomy[/video_embed]Dempsey left Grey’s Anatomy in 2015 after 11 seasons with the show. His character was killed off in an episode following rumours of reports of disaccord on the set, which Vernoff referred to as “some complexity around him leaving the show” to the Times. The showrunner added that she had wanted a deceased character to appear to Mer on that beach, but having it be Derek was actually Pompeo’s idea. She and Dempsey had previously talked about wanting to do something light for fans in the wake of the pandemic, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.“I think the whole atmosphere has changed, certainly working at the beach, and seeing everybody again was really a very healing process, and really rewarding, and a lot of fun,” Dempsey told Deadline after the episode aired. “And hopefully, that feeling translates, and the fans enjoy it. I know that they’ve been wanting us to get back together, and I think this will satisfy a lot of people, and surprise a lot of people, hopefully.”The 54-year-old, who now stars in the financial conspiracy drama Devils, then expanded on the positive experience and that change. “It was really enjoyable. It was really exciting, and fun, and it was great to see everybody, he continued. “Kevin [McKidd, who directs Episode 3] was there as well, so there was a lot of familiar faces, a lot of new faces. The dynamic behind the camera had changed. There’s much more diversity within the crew. There was a nice balance, too, of equality that I was seeing. So, culturally, there was a lot of things that were different, that I thought were very positive and very inspiring, actually.”“It was very healing to come back, and know that we’re doing something good, putting out a positive story, a healing story, going to make people smile,” Pompeo added to Deadline. “And I think, for me, I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be able to be at this place in the show where we can do this.”This season of Grey’s Anatomy continues Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.[video_embed id='-1']Before you go: Ellen Pompeo says she stuck with ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to ‘make money’[/video_embed]