Kate Burton to reprise Ellis Grey role for 18th season of 'Grey's Anatomy'

Rule No. 1: Never underestimate Grey's Anatomy.

 
Grey's has kept viewers guessing for a record-breaking 17 seasons, and the forthcoming 18th season is already trending in the same direction.
"Kate Burton is set to reprise her role as Dr. Ellis Grey in multiple episodes, starting with the Season 18 premiere airing on Sept. 30," Nellie Andreeva exclusively reported for Deadline on Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 11). "Since the beach sequence concluded when Meredith woke up towards the end of last season, it is unclear how Ellis Grey will be reintroduced on the show. Ellis was last seen in the 2019 Season 15 episode Blood and Water, appearing to Meredith in a dream."

Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) spent the majority of last season in a COVID-induced coma, which placed her on a beach that represented that state between life and death. While there, Meredith was visited by fan-favorite characters who have tragically died over the course of the longest-running primetime medical drama: Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), Dr. George O'Malley (T.R. Knight), Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) and Dr. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh).

Ellis, her mother and an all-time great surgeon, died during the seventeenth episode of Season 3. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's since the pilot. In the episode, Meredith was (again) fighting for her life after intentionally drowning two episodes prior. She knew her mother was dead because Ellis came to her while she was unconscious.