Spoilers ahead for Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 finale.
Sophia Bush has made a splash on Grey’s Anatomy, with her character Cass Beckman earning quite the reputation for making waves in the Seattle surgeons’ relationships. It’s likely we haven’t seen the last of her, either, after that unexpected Season 22 finale cliffhanger, and it sounds like she’s already thinking about Season 23’s return to the 2026 TV schedule this fall.
In fact, she pitched one of her One Tree Hill co-stars as the next perfect addition to Grey’s Anatomy, and I know exactly where they’d fit in.
Sophia Bush Thinks James Lafferty Should Join Grey’s Anatomy
Cass Beckman made a surprise return to Grey’s Anatomy Season 22, providing much-needed help in the wake of a bridge collapse that left Nick Marsh’s life in her hands. Later, however, it’s revealed that she ended up in bed with Amelia Shepherd. That sounds like some Brooke Davis behavior to me, and speaking of One Tree Hill, Sophia Bush had an idea about another actor who could make the jump over to Grey Sloan Memorial. She told EW:
So many of us girls have been on the show. Honestly, who gives you more McDreamy vibes than James Lafferty? Nobody! He would be so good in that world. He would crush it.
First of all, it is kind of crazy how naturally One Tree Hill’s actors flow into the Grey’s Anatomy-verse, with Hilarie Burton playing Dr. Lauren Boswell on three episodes of Season 9 (and also being the real-life wife of Denny Duquette actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Bethany Joy Lenz, meanwhile, had a short-but-memorable storyline as the new fiancée of Jo’s abusive ex-husband Paul in Season 14 and Jana Kramer also appeared on two episodes of Season 4.
More importantly, though, Sophia Bush is so right that James Lafferty has major McDreamy vibes, and I think he should totally lean into that.
James Lafferty Should Play Another McDreamy Nephew — A Rival To Cousin Lucas
On One Tree Hill, James Lafferty played Nathan Scott, one of the titular high school’s star basketball players and half-brother to Chad Michael Murray’s Lucas. On Grey’s Anatomy, I think he should have another kind of familial drama with a different Lucas — McDreamy’s favorite nephew Lucas Adams (Niko Terho).
With Derek Shepherd having four sisters and a family full of medical professionals, it would make a lot of sense for Lucas to have cousins who are also doctors. James Lafferty could play one of them, giving ole McBroody another chance to feel less-than amongst his family and peers.
How Did James Lafferty React To Sophia Bush’s Suggestion?
Word got back to the Everyone Is Doing Great creator that he was being pitched as a possible McDreamy 2.0, and James Lafferty had a pretty funny response, telling EW:
Oh, wow. I mean, dude, I don't have that hair! … That wave? That [Patrick] Dempsey wave, that's iconic. I can't fill those shoes. Also I can't memorize more than three sentences in a row, so there's no way I'm playing a doctor.
I don’t know, I think that brand of humility in the face of something he seems so right for is exactly the kind of thing that would endear Grey’s Anatomy fans to a character — and drive Lucas Adams bonkers.
Only time will tell if Sophia Bush has that kind of sway behind the scenes of the longtime medical drama, but I hope Meg Marinis is listening — even as she works on that Grey’s Anatomy Texas spinoff — because I think James Lafferty could be a really fun addition.
In the meantime, you can rewatch any season of Grey’s Anatomy or One Tree Hill with a Hulu subscription (all 22 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy will also be available with a Netflix subscription starting June 6).
