‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Found Proof that George O’Malley Will Return in Season 17

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

First, it was Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). Then, there were rumors about Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh). And now, Grey’s Anatomy might be welcoming another familiar face: George O’Malley (T. R. Knight).

Here’s what you need to know: Ever since Dr. Shepherd returned from the dead to make a cameo in Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) dream, fans have been wondering if he’s the first of many surprise appearances. The rumors started shortly after Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff teased the possibility of more returning cast members.

“You have to tune in and see who comes to the beach,” she told Deadline.

This prompted fans to do some digging, which led them to the Grey’s Anatomy IMDB page. It’s been updated to state that Knight’s most recent appearance on the show took place in 2020. (Welcome back, 007.)

This is a pretty big deal, since it used to reflect the actor’s season six departure. The same goes for Oh, whose IMDB page now lists “2020” as her most recent appearance. While it could be a super unfortunate error on behalf of IMDB, we highly doubt that’s the case.

So, is Dr. O’Malley following in McDreamy’s footsteps? Or did we just get our hopes up for nothing? Fingers crossed it’s not the latter.

Grey’s Anatomy returns to ABC on Thursday, December 3, at 9 p.m.

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