‘Grey’s Anatomy’ cast talk rebirth as the show goes on without Patrick Dempsey

TORONTO – “Grey’s Anatomy” returns for its first full season without hunk Patrick Dempsey on Thursday and its returning stars say the fallout of McDreamy’s death will send ripples throughout the show.

“It’s going to be a season of transition,” said James Pickens Jr., who plays surgeon and mentor Dr. Richard Webber, during a stop in Toronto back in June.

He predicted Dempsey’s surprise departure will usher in new blood at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

“The new characters that will come in and out as the season progresses I think will infuse a new kind of freshness.”

That’s not to say that Derek’s shadow won’t linger over the staff, he added, nor that McDreamy could ever be replaced.

“You don’t replace that, it’s obvious that his footprint is very large,” said Pickens Jr.

“But he was part of an ensemble and a very wonderful ensemble, so those characters will play how he affected them in their own way and we’ll see that play out during the season.”

An ABC teaser for the sudsy medical drama suggests the hospital has moved on since Derek died in a devastating highway collision toward the end of the eleventh season.

For one thing, his widow Meredith Grey, played by leading lady Ellen Pompeo, announces that “everything has changed.”

Pickens Jr. notes that much is in store for his own character, who is set to wed Debbie Allen’s accomplished urologist Dr. Catherine Avery.

“Hopefully third time’s the charm,” he quipped.

Canadian actress Caterina Scorsone, who plays Derek’s sister Amelia, said it all “feels kind of like a new birth.”

“The season was so intense and there was so much grief and so much loss,” Scorsone said.

“All of the dynamics are shifting, which is a little bit exciting…. Suddenly everybody in the hospital is thrown into scenes with other people so we’re all kind of being switched up a little bit.”

Pickens Jr. credits “juggernaut” show creator Shonda Rhimes with keeping the long-running saga interesting and relevant while changing the face of TV with female-led, ethnically diverse casts. Her other shows include “Scandal” and “How To Get Away With Murder.”

“It’s really amazing to look back and think that when we started this and shot the pilot in ’05 … she was just hoping we would get five (episodes) on air and she was ready to move on to something else,” he said.

“But here we are going into season 12. I think it’s a testament to what she’s been able to accomplish as a showrunner and as a writer and (in) putting her imprint on how you view TV.”

“Grey’s Anatomy” returns Thursday on ABC and CTV.