Every season of “Grey’s Anatomy” has brought up the same question about Ellen Pompeo and Scott Speedman. Everyone wants to know if they’ll be back, especially Pompeo who remains the narrator on the series. In previous years, the ABC drama has given an idea of episode counts for the actors, but that’s not the case as fans get ready for “Grey’s Anatomy” Season 23.
Instead, showrunner Meg Marinis is the one to offer an update. It’s not quite the clear cut one that fans would like, but it offers a little bit of hope before the season premieres on Oct. 15, 2026.
Ellen Pompeo and Scott Speedman Should Return to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
One thing the “Grey’s Anatomy” Season 23 trailer proved was that Meredith Grey would be back. Pompeo gets some major time, as it highlights the major trauma rolling through the doors of Grey Sloan Memorial. She is going to scrub into at least one surgery, and she’ll also have a storyline involving some sort of VIP Floor.
However, Speedman isn’t in the trailer. The last fans saw of him, he had suffered life-threatening injuries in the bridge collapse, and after he survived, he proposed to Meredith, who said yes. Fans wanted to see their big wedding, but can it happen?
When speaking with TVLine, Marinis shared that she knows how busy the two are. Speedman currently headlines “RJ Decker,” also on ABC, and Pompeo is involved in numerous projects. The door is open for them as much as they want to return, and Marinis has made it clear that “we’ll take them as often as we can get them.”
There is no set episode count for them to appear now. Fortunately, “RJ Decker” Season 2 only has seven episodes, so that opens the door for Speedman to return to the medical drama later on.
Will Meredith and Nick Marry on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 23?
One storyline fans would love to see is the two getting married. After a lot of back and forth, Meredith finally realized that she deeply loves Nick. It took a long time for her to heal after the loss of Derek, and she feared she was going to lose Nick at the end of the previous season. He pulled through his injuries, and it confirmed to her just how much she loves him.
The wedding isn’t expected to be a huge affair. Big weddings aren’t Meredith’s thing. She was going to have a big event when she initially married Derek, but in the end, she gave Izzy that chance. The two ended up with a courthouse wedding, and it was exactly what they wanted. Marinis has previously hinted that this could be the route Meredith and Nick end up taking.
This would also work better for Pompeo and Speedman’s schedules. “Grey’s Anatomy” is no stranger when it comes to fancy weddings, but they don’t tend to work out all that great. There are very few relationships that succeed on this series, so maybe it is best not to jinx the two and allow them to walk into the hospital with wedding rings and an announcement that they’ve done the courthouse thing.
“Grey’s Anatomy” Season 23 premieres on Oct. 15 at 10/9c on ABC.
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‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Showrunner Gives Hopeful Update About Ellen Pompeo and Scott Speedman