'Grey's Anatomy' Star Patrick Dempsey Gushes over Fan Reaction to His Return on the Show

Patrick Dempsey shocked fans with his return on the medical series "Grey's Anatomy" five years after his character's death and he has disclosed juicy details about the show in a recent interview.

Patrick Dempsey became a fan-favorite actor for his role as the neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd in "Grey's Anatomy." Five years after his character was killed in the series, the actor made a surprise return and shared the details with Ellen DeGeneres.

The 54-year-old appeared as a virtual guest on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to discuss his shocking return for the series season 17 premiere on November 12. His character, Shepherd, reunited with his wife Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) on the beach.

This was the first time the neurosurgeon has been seen on the series after his death in 2015. Dempsey told DeGeneres that his character return came as a shock to most of his co-stars as well as fans. In his words:

"No one knew until I showed up on set that day. And then we were really concerned that someone would take a picture, or it would get out somehow, but we managed to keep it a secret."

The actor revealed that his return was inspired by the ongoing pandemic. Earlier this year, he met with Pompeo and the co-stars pondered about how to get fans to follow safety precautions and make an impact on the show.

Apart from Dempsey's amazing return, the premiere was also filled with much drama.

The answer was his return to the series. The father-of-three expressed his gratitude to the showrunner Krista Vernoff and the scriptwriters for making his character's return epic.

The two-hour premiere captured Grey Sloan Memorial hospital in chaos as doctors battled to save patients from the coronavirus. The situation got worse when Pompeo's character was found unconscious in the hospital's parking lot.

Then the shocking return of Dempsey's character occurred while Grey was seen strolling on a beach before she saw her late husband. Fans began speculating if this reunion was real or a figment of Grey's imagination.

Apart from Dempsey's amazing return, the premiere was also filled with much drama including the postponed wedding of Owen Hunt (played by Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (played Kim Raver) after Teddy was caught cheating.

Also, Andrew DeLuca (played by Giacomo Gianniotti), who experienced a mental breakdown in the previous season, had to endure an intervention with his family and friends. Without a doubt, fans can look forward to more drama in season 17.