A three-part fictional crossover between Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy aired consecutively on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in a three-hour timeslot on November 12, 2020. The event began with "Nothing Seems the Same" from Station 19, followed by "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "The Center Won't Hold" from Grey's Anatomy. The crossover served as the season premieres of Station 19's fourth season and Grey's Anatomy's seventeenth season, with the latter continuing into its second episode.
| "November 2020 Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy crossover event" | |
|---|---|
| Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy crossover event | |
 Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) in a promotional image for the event | |
| Original air date | November 12, 2020 |
| Part 1: Station 19 | |
| Episode title | "Nothing Seems the Same" |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Paris Barclay |
| Written by | Kiley Donovan |
| Episode chronology | |
| Part 2: Grey's Anatomy | |
| Episode title | "All Tomorrow's Parties" |
| Episode no. | Season 17 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Debbie Allen |
| Written by | Andy Reaser & Lynee E. Litt |
| Episode chronology | |
| Part 3: Grey's Anatomy | |
| Episode title | "The Center Won't Hold" |
| Episode no. | Season 17 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Debbie Allen |
| Written by | Andy Reaser & Jase Miles-Perez |
| Episode chronology | |
| Crossover chronology | |
| Preceded by | "January 2020 Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy crossover event" |
| Followed by | "December 2020 Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy crossover event" |
The storyline follows the rescue and treatment of children involved in a car accident, spanning all three episodes. Paris Barclay directed the first part, written by Kiley Donovan, while Debbie Allen directed the Grey's Anatomy episodes. Andy Reaser co-wrote both Grey's Anatomy episodes, with Lynee E. Litt and Jase Miles-Perez contributing to the writing.
Although the event is fictionally set in Seattle, Washington, filming occurred in Los Angeles, California. It also marked the surprise return of Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd to Grey's Anatomy, reprising his role after his last appearance in 2015.
Upon its initial broadcast, "Nothing Seems the Same" from Station 19 was watched by 6.59 million viewers in the United States. It was followed by Grey's Anatomy's "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "The Center Won't Hold," which were watched by 5.92 million viewers. The crossover event received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its unified storyline and Dempsey's surprise return, but criticism for its writing and execution.
Plot
Part 1: "Nothing Seems the Same"
Station 19 tackles the effects of COVID-19 while the aid car responds to a car accident involving children returning from a party. As the car catches fire, it spreads into a small forest fire. Robert Sullivan (Boris Kodjoe) struggles to adjust after being fired from the Seattle Fire Department, while Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) processes the revelation that her mother is alive and grieves her father’s death.
Part 2: "All Tomorrow's Parties"
The episode opens with a voice-over narration from Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) reflecting on how disasters reveal our true selves, showing that preparation can only go so far when facing a crisis.
At Grey-Sloan Memorial in April 2020, the hospital is deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) returns and adjusts to new safety protocols, helping Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) implement a UV light to disinfect PPE. Meredith struggles emotionally as she watches patients die alone, while Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) treat teenagers brought in from a wildfire. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) tries to move on from Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) but realizes she isn’t ready. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) faces lingering tension with Owen, and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) returns to Grey-Sloan after an intervention to help a frustrated Meredith. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) navigates her long-distance relationship with Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill), while Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli) confides in Nico Kim (Alex Landi) about the toll of the pandemic. A fight between parents of the injured teens injures Bailey.
Part 3: "The Center Won't Hold"
The episode opens with a voice-over narration from Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) highlighting the role of stitches in surgery, noting that while precision is crucial, true healing relies on the body’s natural processes.
At the hospital, the parents of the children injured in the accident are treated, and Bailey deals with her injuries. Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen) navigates financial challenges caused by the pandemic, and Tom Koracick (Greg Germann) is demoted after mistakenly ordering the wrong PPE. He later tests positive for COVID-19. Richard and Catherine rekindle their relationship, while Teddy tries to reconcile with Owen, who remains distant. Meredith collapses in the parking garage and, in a hallucination, sees her late husband, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), on a beach.
Production
Filming for Station 19 began in the first week of September 2020, while production on Grey's Anatomy resumed on September 8, 2020, following a shortened previous season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2] Cast and crew from both shows were required to wear personal protective equipment on set and undergo regular COVID testing.[3]
All three episodes in the crossover heavily incorporated real-world events, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The third episode of the crossover featured the surprising and unpublicized return of former series regular Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, who last appeared in the Season 11 episode "How to Save a Life".[5][6] The idea to bring Dempsey back was attributed to series star Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey).[7] Krista Vernoff, the Grey's Anatomy showrunner, revealed the difficulties of keeping Dempsey's return a secret:
I have to say that it was an epic feat, the keeping of this secret. 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. 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. I put the name "Ellis Grey" in the script that we read at the table, and I had Meredith say "Mom" at the table, so we got there on the day, and no one had been told what was happening.[8]
Dempsey shared that he enjoyed filming the reunion scene and is expected to return for future episodes.[9] Former head makeup designer Norman T. Leavitt also returned to work on the scene.[9] On September 17, 2020, it was announced that both Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy would premiere on November 12 in a two-part crossover event.[10]
Cast and characters
Main
| Actor | Character | Episode | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station 19 | Grey's Anatomy (episode 1) | Grey's Anatomy (episode 2) | ||
| Jaina Lee Ortiz | Andy Herrera | Main | ||
| Jason George | Ben Warren | Main | Guest | |
| Boris Kodjoe | Robert Sullivan | Main | ||
| Grey Damon | Jack Gibson | Main | Guest | |
| Barrett Doss | Victoria Hughes | Main | Guest | |
| Jay Hayden | Travis Montgomery | Main | Guest | |
| Okieriete Onaodowan | Dean Miller | Main | Guest | |
| Danielle Savre | Maya Bishop | Main | Guest | |
| Stefania Spampinato | Carina DeLuca | Main | Guest | |
| Ellen Pompeo | Meredith Grey | Main | ||
| Chandra Wilson | Miranda Bailey | Guest | Main | |
| James Pickens Jr. | Richard Webber | Main | ||
| Kevin McKidd | Owen Hunt | Guest | Main | |
| Kim Raver | Teddy Altman | Main | ||
| Jesse Williams | Jackson Avery | Main | ||
| Camilla Luddington | Jo Karev | Main | ||
| Caterina Scorsone | Amelia Shepherd | Main | ||
| Kelly McCreary | Maggie Pierce | Main | ||
| Giacomo Gianniotti | Andrew DeLuca | Main | ||
| Chris Carmack | Atticus "Link" Lincoln | Main | ||
| Jake Borelli | Levi Schmitt | Main | ||
| Greg Germann | Tom Koracick | Main | ||
| Richard Flood | Cormac Hayes | Main | ||
| Anthony Hill | Winston Ndugu | Main | ||
Notable guests
| Actor | Character | Episode | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station 19 | Grey's Anatomy (episode 1) | Grey's Anatomy (episode 2) | ||
| Noah Alexander Gerry | Joey | Guest | ||
| Justin Ellings | Frankie Morris | Guest | Guest | |
| BJ Tanner | Tuck Jones | Guest | ||
| V. Vieux | Rosalind | Guest | ||
| Jaicy Elliot | Taryn Helm | Guest | ||
| Zaiver Sinnett | Zander Perez | Guest | ||
| Louis Ozawa | Steve Lee | Guest | ||
| Linda Park | Deborah Lee | Guest | ||
| TJ Thyne | Aaron Morris | Guest | ||
| Debbie Allen | Catherine Fox | Guest | ||
| Alex Landi | Nico Kim | Guest | ||
| Patrick Dempsey | Derek Shepherd | Guest | ||
Release
"Nothing Seems the Same" of Station 19 was originally broadcast live on November 12, 2020, in the United States on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and was watched by 6.59 million viewers. This was followed by "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "The Center Won't Hold" of Grey's Anatomy, which aired in the following two-hour timeslot, and were watched live by 5.92 million viewers.[11]
Reception
The crossover event received mixed reviews from critics, with praise directed towards its unified storyline and the surprise return of Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd), but criticism was directed towards its writing and execution.
Jessica Lerner from TV Fanatic reviewed the first part of the crossover, stating the episode "was mostly positive" but criticized the main storyline, noting that "while it was clear the show was trying to send the message that we should be adhering to social distancing guidelines and wearing masks, it felt heavy-handed" and "more like a public service announcement," detracting from the episode's flow.[12] Jasmine Blu, also from TV Fanatic, reviewed the second and third parts, expressing that the multiple storylines created "a mishmash of confusion and too much crammed into the premiere," but praised the ending for delivering "the shock of a lifetime with a fallen Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and a Derek sighting!"[13]
Lincee Ray from Entertainment Weekly highlighted the packed content, remarking that "the amount of content the Grey's Anatomy showrunners stuffed into two hours proves that they made good use of their time during lockdown."[14] Maggie Fremont from Vulture noted that the crossover "pretty much caught us up, even if very quickly, on where every character's drama from last season stands."[15]
References
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