‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Shocker: Patrick Dempsey Returns As Derek Shepherd

• Patrick Dempsey returned to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ as Derek Shepherd.
• The show aired its Season 17 premiere on Thursday, Nov. 12.
• The actor will be back for more episodes this season.

Grey’s Anatomy fans got a happy, yet completely unexpected, surprise during Thursday night’s Season 17 premiere. In the episode, actor Patrick Dempsey returned to reprise his role as McDreamy himself, Dr. Derek Shepherd, who reunited with the love of his life, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Warning: Spoilers below!

The scene was shown as a dream sequence that Meredith had after she passed out in a parking lot following working herself into an exhaustion during the Covid-19 pandemic at the hospital. Although it was only a dream, fans couldn’t believe that Dempsey returned to the show in the flesh in order to bring Meredith and Derek back together.

Patrick Dempsey returns to Grey’s Anatomy as Derek Shepherd

“There have been studies about how intense our dream life has been. In the pandemic, people are having really intense dreams because of the lockdown,” showrunner Krista Vernoff told Deadline about the dream sequence.

“We’re not getting enough stimulation, and so, it’s happening in our dreams. So, it started as that. It started as, how do we give people some escape. I had this imagining of a beach motif throughout the season, and I called Ellen, and I said, what if we bring back, I don’t know, some dead character that you could dream of on the beach, that would be so fun for the fans. And she said, ‘Let’s get Patrick.’ Even in my most excitable dream life, that thought hadn’t occurred to me as an option, and there it was,” Vernoff added.

Grey’s Anatomy fans haven’t seen Derek since the character was killed off the show back in 2015. Derek was involved in a car accident and taken to a hospital where doctors failed to do a CT scan. The death was among the most shocking in the show’s 17-year run.

More dead characters could be returning

While the beach cameo was a nice and heart-warming surprise for viewers, the fun isn’t over yet. Vernoff confirmed that Dempsey will be back as Derek THREE more times during the season. In addition, she also hinted to the LA Times that more dead characters could be returning.

This could mean that Mark, Lexi, George, and/or Meredith’s mother Ellis could all be returning for special moments throughout the drama-filled season.

“You have to tune in and see who comes to the beach. It’ll be a joyful discovery,” the writer teased.

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. on ABC.