Grey's Anatomy season 22 is now premiering a little earlier than expected

ABC has had a small change of heart when it comes to the wait for Grey's Anatomy season 22. We don't need to wait until mid-October after all.

We still have to wait until October, though. While ABC has pushed up the date, it's not by much. It could mean all the difference in a successful Thursday night, though!

When ABC originally set the premiere dates for fall 2025, it came with the news that the entire TGIT lineup would be held until Thursday, Oct. 16. That's no longer the fact. TVLine shares that the Grey's Anatomy season 22 premiere will now air on Thursday, Oct. 9.

Yes, this is a week earlier than planned. Both 911 and 911: Nashville will also move up to the same week, so TGIT kick starts at 8/7c on Thursday, Oct. 9.

GREY’S ANATOMY - “Love You Like a Love Song” - Jo and Link’s wedding day arrives, along with some visitors. Meanwhile, Teddy and Owen are met with a familiar face seeking treatment, and Lucas disagrees with Simone on how to approach a patient’s worsened condition. THURSDAY, MAY 8 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Anne Marie Fox) HARRY SHUM JR., JASON GEORGE

While ABC hasn't officially confirmed the reason, there's a lot of speculation that it's surrounding the competition on CBS. Ahead of ABC's premiere dates, CBS announced that its Thursday night lineup would return on Thursday, Oct. 16. That would put the 911s and Grey's Anatomy up against the likes of Ghosts, Matlock, and more.

Sure, the shows will still go head-to-head once CBS premieres its lineup, but ABC stands a bit of a better chance now that it premieres its Thursday shows a week earlier. This gives the TGIT lineup a chance to find a footing before there is more competition on the night.

It also keeps the shows away from NBC's programming return. Thursdays on that network will start up on Sept. 25, which is the same Thursday FOX will start its lineup.

GREYÕS ANATOMY - ÒRidinÕ SoloÓ - Meredith and Amelia prepare a funding proposal for their AlzheimerÕs research. Meanwhile, Teddy and Owen hit a breaking point in their marriage, while Jules has an awkward encounter with Dr. Beltran. THURSDAY, MARCH 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Anne Marie Fox) CHANDRA WILSON

While there will now be one extra week on the start of the winter hiatus side, there is still good news for the scheduling of episodes and consistency. This just likely means that we'll get a Thanksgiving break instead of an early December break.

From there, we'll likely see ABC hold off until March for the midseason premiere of Grey's Anatomy season 22, which creates consistency before the finale in May 2026. ABC has found that delaying is working well as it means no breaks in the schedule that cause confusion and annoyance for fans.

It just means we have to wait to find out who has died in the hospital explosion. At least the way for Grey's Anatomy season 22 isn't as long as we previously thought.

Grey's Anatomy is available to stream on both Netflix and Hulu.

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