‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 19: Kate Walsh Returning as Addison in Recurring Role

Kate Walsh as Addison in Grey's Anatomy
Scott Garfield / © ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection

As things are changing on Grey’s Anatomy for Season 19, fans will probably be happy that someone very familiar is coming back — for more than one episode.

Kate Walsh will be back as Dr. Addison Montgomery in a recurring role, according to Variety. She will first appear in Episode 3. Walsh first appeared as Addison in the ABC medical drama’s Season 1 finale, then had her own spinoff, Private Practice, and has returned to Grey’s multiple times, her most recent episodes coming in Season 18.

Kate Walsh as Addison in Grey's Anatomy

ABC/Eric McCandless

Addison is coming back to Grey’s in Season 19 at a time when the hospital is going through a major change: its residency program is starting anew after being shut down in last spring’s finale. As part of that revamp are new first-year surgical residents (played by Alexis Floyd, Niko TerhoMidori Francis, Adelaide Kane, and Harry Shum Jr.).

While the newest preview shows Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) welcoming those new doctors to the hospital, she will only be onscreen in eight episodes. This announcement about Walsh’s return leads us to hope that she and Pompeo are in at least a few episodes together; Meredith brought Addison home to meet her and Derek’s (Patrick Dempsey) children in one of her episodes last season.

Addison was around last time to perform a uterine transplant, and we wonder if she’ll once again be returning for a patient or if she might be coming in to help with the new residency program (or both). Fortunately, we should be finding out soon.

Grey’s Anatomy, Season 19 Premiere, Thursday, October 6, 9/8c, ABC