Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Taps Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Alum to Play Its New Gay Chaplain (Exclusive)

Can we get an amen for Michael Thomas Grant? Formerly Lauren Graham’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist love interest ( and employee!), the actor has been tapped by Grey’s Anatomy to recur in Season 21 as James, the hospital’s new chaplain, TVLine has exclusively learned.

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Per ABC, the character “joins Grey Sloan as [its] openly gay Episcopal chaplain. He holds a special place in his heart for his younger patients, and his warmth, training and spirituality make him comfortable and confident in any situation. In his personal life, James finds himself at a crossroads where he is open to love and taking great leaps of faith.”

In mid-July, TVLine broke the news that the long-running ABC medical drama was casting the character , who will be coming in just as the show’s LGBTQ+ lineup is thinning out. Jake Borelli, who has played gay doc Levi Schmitt for seven seasons, and Midori Francis, who has played bi doc Mika Yasuda for two, are both returning only for long enough to wrap up their Grey Sloan counterparts’ storylines.

For better or worse, the upcoming season promises to be one of great change. In executive producer Meg Marinis’ second season as showrunner, Ellen Pompeo will have her largest presence as Meredith Grey since she went part-time in Season 19. In the wake of spinoff Station 19 ’s cancellation, Jason George is bringing Ben Warren back to the hospital to finish out his surgical residency. And you’ll recall that in the Season 20 finale ( recapped here ), Debbie Allen’s Catherine Fox had swung the axe, not only firing Meredith but Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver).

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Grey’s Anatomy will even have a new timeslot when Season 21 premieres on Thursday, Sept. 26: It will be airing an hour later than it used to, at 10/9c.

Are you looking forward to fresh blood being infused into Grey Sloan… or still irked to be losing Levi and Mika? Hoping Grant will get to sing now and then? (He has a great voice.) Hit the comments.

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