Grey's Anatomy has already been on the air for a whopping 14 seasons, and only a handful of major characters are left from the very beginning. Alex Karev is one of those few, but fans haven't gotten a good look at one of the key figures of his family: his mom. Luckily for viewers who can't get enough of Alex stories, his mother will soon make her Grey's Anatomy debut as a character in the present, and she'll be played by iconic TV actress Lindsay Wagner. Yes, the Bionic Woman will play Alex's mom.
Lindsay Wagner is best known for her role as Jaime Sommers first on The Six Million Dollar Man and then on The Bionic Woman, but she'll play a very different kind of character on Grey's Anatomy. She'll debut as Helen Karev in the May 3 episode of the medical drama, and it will be the first time that Grey's Anatomy viewers get to see the character other than flashbacks in the whole entire series. Her appearance will likely be a pretty big deal for Alex and the show overall, so it's only fitting that the show landed an iconic TV actress to bring the character to life.
Few details are currently available about how Helen Karev will fit into the story of the May 3 episode, although Deadline reports that it will see Alex and fiancee Jo go on a trip to Iowa in search of his mom. He hasn't seen her in a very long time, which likely means their reunion will have a fair amount of tension to it. That said, maybe the show will have a surprise in store for why Alex and his mom haven't interacted in many years.
Since this is Grey's Anatomy we're talking about, however, my money is on a very dramatic reunion between mother and son. Surely Grey's Anatomy wouldn't have gone so far as to cast an actress like Lindsay Wagner if Helen is only going to appear in a scene or two for a happy meeting with Alex! Of course, viewers might forgive Helen if she has an extreme reaction to the pair showing up. Not only will she reunite with the son she hasn't seen in many years, but she'll also meet the woman he intends to marry!
It should definitely be interesting to see how Lindsay Wagner and Justin Chambers play off of each other as mother and son. Given that Grey's Anatomy recently scored a renewal for Season 15, perhaps the show will leave the door open for Wagner to reprise the role of Helen at some point in the future. The two big departures from the cast by the end of Season 14 may means that fans will want more focus on the originals like Alex and Meredith, and what better way to expand Alex's story than by bringing back his mother?
We'll have to wait and see. Lindsay Wagner will make her Grey's Anatomy debut on Thursday, May 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. For more viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, swing by our midseason TV guide and summer TV premiere schedule. Our list of major TV season finale dates can help you plan when to watch the finales of some of your favorite shows.
