I'm Glad Grey's Anatomy Is Bringing Back Natalie Morales, But I Hate That They’re Still Playing Coy About Another Fan Favorite’s Involvement

As Grey’s Anatomy fans count down the days until Season 21 hits the 2024 TV schedule — when we’ll finally get to see the aftermath of Miranda Bailey’s big stand against Catherine Fox — ABC continues to pepper us with casting updates. There’s certainly been a lot of movement over the hiatus, and I’m not just talking about the change in timeslot . The latest bit of news is that Natalie Morales will recur as Monica Beltran after appearing in six episodes of Season 20, and while I am excited about this for one reason in particular, I’m so annoyed that we still don’t know what’s going on with Carina DeLuca.

Dr. Monica Beltran Is Back, So Bring On The Love Triangle

After guest-starring in Season 20, Natalie Morales has officially signed on to recur for at least six episodes in the upcoming season, Variety reports, with an option for more. When the no-nonsense pediatric surgeon was introduced, it looked like the Grey’s Anatomy gods had bequeathed Caterina Scorsone’s Amelia Shepherd with a new love interest . So I admit to being a little annoyed when Dr. Monica ended up in bed with Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) instead.

However, now that we know she’ll be back, I can’t wait to see what kind of fireworks go off if her flirtation with Amelia continues alongside her situationship with Winston. Amelia and Winston have a somewhat contentious relationship after he divorced Amelia’s sister-by-proxy Maggie Pierce, and this potential love triangle has “MESSY” written all over it. As happy as that makes me, it’s only a momentary distraction from the fact that Carina DeLuca’s return remains unlikely.

Grey’s Anatomy Showrunner’s Vague Comment About Carina Does Not Give Me Hope

Since Station 19 fell victim to the 2024 cancellations list , there’s been a ton of talk about Jason George returning to Grey’s Anatomy as Ben Warren. I’ve long thought that the lack of discussion about Stefania Spampinato doing the same pretty much gave us our answer. But rather than confirm it's not in the cards, showrunner Mag Marinis continued to play it coy when talking to TV Line about Carina, saying only:

Soooo, that’s a no. Right? I mean, Grey’s Anatomy has proven that you don’t even have to be alive to make an appearance, so literally every character has the “possibility” of showing up. Maybe Meg Marinis doesn’t think Carina’s story needs to be told, since we saw what the future held for her and Maya in the Station 19 finale flash-forwards . Or maybe it’s a scheduling conflict with Stefania Spampinato. There’s no way to know, and they're just not telling us.

The news about Natalie Morales (and non-news about Stefania Spampinato) follows several other casting updates for Grey’s Anatomy ’s upcoming season. At least two doctors will be leaving us , as Jake Borelli and Midori Francis have both announced they’ll only be back long enough to wrap up their storylines. Meanwhile, Grey Sloan Memorial is adding a new chaplain, played by Michael Thomas Grant . Ellen Pompeo and Scott Speedman also look to be playing a bigger role on the show again.

There’s a reason Grey’s Anatomy is one of the best shows to binge on Netflix , and despite all the moves, I can’t wait to see Natalie Morales and the other confirmed stars bring the drama in Season 21. It all starts at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, September 26, on ABC.