The Grey’s Anatomy finale that’s set to hit the 2026 TV schedule late Thursday doesn’t just mark the end of the medical drama’s 22nd season, but also the end of Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver’s long runs on the show. Grey’s has been setting up Owen and Teddy’s exits for weeks, and while we don’t know exactly what will cause them to leave Grey Sloan Memorial — or if they’ll even make it out alive — McKidd says he’s already pretty sure he’ll be back.
The Season 22 finale, “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” is not only Kevin McKidd’s final Grey’s Anatomy episode — as a series regular at least — but it’s also his 49th time directing. He sat down for a Good Morning America interview this week, and when asked if he’d be back to helm future episodes, McKidd said:
Oh, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, this place, Grey’s is my family and will continue to be. It's my home, and I will, definitely. I mean, I need to at least come back to do my 50th to make it a round number. Yeah, I'll be back to direct for sure.
There’s definitely precedent for Grey’s Anatomy bringing back actors to direct after their characters leave the show. Giacomo Gianniotti directed an episode after his character Andrew DeLuca was murdered in Season 17, and Levi Schmitt portrayer Jake Borelli, was left in tears after making his directorial debut earlier in Season 22. Kim Raver has directed three episodes, the latest of which also came this season.
So directing is definitely still on the table for Kevin McKidd — especially so close to hitting that 50-episode milestone — but that doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t also see Owen Hunt or Teddy Altman ever again. Doctors from previous seasons (and canceled spinoffs, in the case of Kevin McKidd’s real-life girlfriend Danielle Savre) have a way of popping in every so often, and that’s not even contingent on the character being alive.
That’s especially important for Kevin McKidd’s trauma surgeon, because Season 22’s penultimate episode ended with Owen in a pretty precarious position following a bridge collapse. I know this is Grey’s Anatomy, and the finale will inevitably leave us with “so many cliffhangers,” but I’m hoping we at least get closure on Owen and Teddy’s stories before they disembark for new opportunities.
As for what else we can expect from “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Ellen Pompeo will be back as Meredith Grey, who doesn’t appear to be in danger of dying (for once). Rather, it’s her partner Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman) who seemingly is injured in the same bridge collapse as Owen.
We also don’t know Blue Kwan’s (Harry Shum Jr.) fate after Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) fired him (off-screen) in the lead-up to the finale. We’ve also got our eyes on a few relationship storylines, and I’m personally now invested in Winston Ndugu’s irrational fear of yarn.
What will get sorted out in the finale, and what will keep us guessing through the summer months? Find out at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, May 7, on ABC and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.
