After a way-too-long hiatus, TGIT is back in full force.
Tonight, Shondaland’s Thursday-night programming block returns for the first time in eight months when “Scandal” wrapped up its fifth season in spring 2016. Both “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How to Get Away With Murder” signed off with their cliffhanger-full midseason finales in November.
Since it’s been so long, Variety is here to refresh your memory on where we last left off on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and “How to Get Away With Murder.”
Plus, we chatted with the stars and creators of the TGIT shows to find out what to expect in the three season premieres…
“GREY’S ANATOMY,” SEASON 13 MIDSEASON PREMIERE — 8 P.M.
Where we left off:
- Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) left Owen (Kevin McKidd)
- Richard Webber’s (James Pickens Jr.) job is at risk — Dr. Eliza Minnick (Marika Dominczyk) is overseeing the residents, and Bailey (Chandra Wilson) is on her side, but the hospital is siding with Webber
- Jo (Camilla Luddington) came clean to Alex (Justin Chambers), telling him about her abusive husband and fake identity
- Alex was sitting at the DA’s office, ready to turn himself in and take the plea deal, which would send him to jail for two years
For a more comprehensive refresher, read our full midseason finale recap here.
Cliffhangers:
- Will Amelia come back to Owen, or is she really running away from him?
- Will the hospital continue to be divided in the Webber v. Minnick saga? Is Webber safe?
- Will Alex turn himself in and go to jail?
What to expect:
Alex could go to jail: “You’re going to see whether or not Alex actually turns himself in,” star Jessica Capshaw reveals, telling Variety that the answer comes at the end of the midseason premiere episode. “The circumstances of why he turns himself in are complicated because Jo reveals another aspect of her life. Part of what Alex is doing has to do with protecting her.”
Amelia and Owen may split up: Capshaw says, “Amelia’s got to get herself together. Owen cannot have one more woman run off on him! She’s going to have to get herself together, but I don’t know if she will.”
Eliza is still causing a divide in the hospital: Not only is the new doctor creeping in on Webber’s job, she’s also trying to get in bed with Arizona. “You’re going to see Eliza and Arizona having some very super flirty stuff,” Capshaw teases.
“SCANDAL,” SEASON 6 PREMIERE — 9 P.M.
Where we left off:
- Mellie (Bellamy Young) and Frankie Vargas (Ricardo Chavira) are running against each other to be president of the United States
- Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) is Mellie’s VP and Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) is Frankie’s running mate
For a more comprehensive refresher, read our full finale recap here.
Cliffhangers:
- Who will be elected president?
What to expect:
New POTUS may shock you: “Fans will be surprised to find out how the person who won the presidency won the presidency — and at what price,” Young teases of the election outcome between her character and Vargas.
Season 6 is not inspired by Donald Trump v. Hillary Clinton: “We shot the first five episodes last summer from July to September, so absolutely not,” Young responds when asked if the real 2016 election had an influence on the show. She added, “Life is so much more outlandish than our show could even dream of being.”
Twists and turns: “Our writers have figured out a new way to tell the story — we start at election night and we find everything out right away, but because it’s Shondaland, it goes sideways from there. It doesn’t proceed calmly forward in a linear fashion. It splatters,” Young teases of the election results.
Flashbacks: “This year, our writers have found this way of following each character an episode to find out how they got to that night. It’s been so delicious to spend good, deep time with each of these people,” Young explains of the new storytelling format in Season 6. “We spend a lot of time going backwards in time and coming forward with all the different perspectives. … It won’t be the whole season, but initially, we spend a lot of time backing up and coming at it with a different point of view. That moment [the election] is bigger than just Mellie. Everybody has a story getting there.”
“HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER,” SEASON 3 MIDSEASON PREMIERE — 10 P.M.
Where we left off:
- Wes (Alfred Enoch) was revealed as the victim #UnderTheSheet
- Nate (Billy Brown) found out that Wes was actually dead before the house fire
- Laurel (Karla Souza) is pregnant
- Annalise (Viola Davis) is in jail
For a more comprehensive refresher, read our full midseason finale recap here.
Cliffhangers:
- #WhoKilledWes?
- Who is Laurel’s baby daddy?
What to expect:
All about Wes: “We will see him in every episode — sometimes a lot, sometimes a little,” creator Pete Nowalk tells Variety about Wes’ presence in Season 4. “The story I wanted to tell is what happened to Wes the night before he was murdered. We’re going to be revealing a little bit more of the puzzle each episode. We’ll also be seeing him in a lot of the first episode back with scenes we’ve never seen before.”
Nobody is okay: “That is the interesting part about writing these characters — they all have such a different reaction to Wes’ death. Some people shut down, some people open up, some people cling to other people,” Nowalk teases of the Keating Four’s reaction to losing Wes. “I won’t say who is who in that scenario, but I think we cover the spectrum.”
It’ll be emotional: “The first word that comes to my mind is it’s very emotional,” Nowalk says when asked to describe to back-half of the season in one word. “Wes was a very important character on the show, but also very important to the other characters on the show. It’s very Wes-centric.”
You will find out the father of Laurel’s baby: “We are going to find out that in the first episode back so you won’t have to wait too long,” Nowalk says.
Annalise behind bars: “We’re going to see Annalise in jail. We’ll see her with her cell mates, and really, the exciting thing about that is to watch how Annalise copes in jail, and Viola Davis acts that,” Nowalk explains. “I think she’s quite distraught and damaged and scared, and it was hard to write and harder to watch.”