Jason George ready to return to Grey's Anatomy after the end of Station 19

In 2017, Jason George left ABC's Grey's Anatomy to help launch the spinoff Station 19.

For seven seasons he had a regular role on the firefighter drama as Ben Warren, while also being a regular guest on the main series. Now that Station 19 is coming to an end, all indications are that he will return to Grey's Anatomy, a return that the Station 19 finale contributed to.



Sources say no deal has been made yet and it's unclear in what capacity George would return to Grey's Anatomy, but discussions are ongoing and the intention is for him to return full-time to the series where he has appeared since season six, including a regular role between season 12 and season 14, before moving to Station 19. Representatives for ABC and ABC Signature, which produces Grey's Anatomy and Station 19, declined comment.

Rumors about George's possible return to Grey's Anatomy next season started in January. In a March interview with new showrunner for Grey's Anatomy, Meg Martinis, Deadline asked if Station 19 regular characters who originated in the medical drama, George's Ben or Carina (Stefania Spampinato), could return to the mothership.

“How they end their stories [on Station 19] will help me determine whether or not I will be seeing those characters on Grey’s,” Martinis said. The way the firefighter drama wrapped Ben’s story, he is practically headed back to Grey Sloan. More on that in a bit, preceded by a spoiler warning.

Ben Warren has always had a personal connection to Grey's Anatomy through his marriage to Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). But his professional bond has also grown stronger in the latest season of Station 19, as Ben makes more use of his medical background.

In 2017, as a fifth-year intern at Gray Sloan, Ben found a way for him to explore a dream second career as a firefighter without jeopardizing his chances of eventual return. Thanks to the elite Medic One program, Ben successfully became an EMT through the fellowship program and with Miranda's support, he became a firefighter at Station 19.

Throughout seven seasons on Station 19, Ben has always embraced the duality of his professional passions, which at their core revolve around helping people.

There were many moments when Ben was able to apply his talents as a doctor while working as a firefighter, including performing an amputation in the field. Perhaps most notable was the launch of its Physician Response Team in season three, a mobile emergency room that provides on-the-spot care to patients who might not survive a trip to the hospital. The initiative, jointly funded by the Seattle Fire Department and Gray Sloan, was short-lived due to critical flaws, but it was a touchpoint for Ben that further fueled his love for medicine.

In the penultimate episode of Station 19, he saved a severely burned man by cutting through the burned skin to allow him to breathe, but was unable to lift the stretcher the victim lay on due to his shoulder injury. That caused Ben to open up to Vic (Barrett Doss) about the duality in his life, noting that he was a very good doctor that day, but that his injury made it impossible for him to be a very good firefighter, thus he hinted at a possible turnaround in his career.

When Theo (Carlos Miranda) was seriously injured, Ben was there to treat him before escorting him to Gray Sloan in the season finale of Grey's Anatomy, where he seamlessly passed the baton of medical care to Owen (Grey's Kevin McKidd).

SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of the story contains mild spoilers from the series finale of Station 19.

In the Station 19 finale, as the crew battled a massive forest fire, Ben stood next to Carina (Spampinato) as she helped a badly burned mother give birth.

It was no surprise that by the end of the episode, Captain Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) figured out Ben's plans to quit being a firefighter and return to medicine (and Miranda).

“Let me guess, you’re going back to finish your surgical residency?” Andy asked.

“It’s that obvious, huh? It’s just that between the multiple injuries and constantly being away from Miranda…,” Ben tried to explain before Andy stepped in.

“No explanation needed. It’s alright, I get it,” she said. “Look, you’re a great firefighter but I know that your love of medicine and helping people knows no bounds. We all have our calling.”

As the two later walked back into the main room, Ben couldn’t resist one last quip, “I don’t know if I ever told you but I’m a doctor,” he said to a laugh because Ben reminding everyone he is MD has been a recurring theme on the show.

“I’ve never heard you say that before. Like ever,” Andy deadpanned.

The Station 19 finale flash-forward provided a glimpse at Miranda and Ben’s future as their adopted daughter Prue, daughter of late Station 19 firefighter Dean Miller (Okieriete Onaodowan), is seen graduating from the Fire Academy and joining Station 19.