'Grey's Anatomy' Will Be Back Before You Know It

Grey's Anatomy airs every Thursday on ABC, but if you tune in on Oct. 18 you might find yourself without a new episode to watch. Instead, some seasonal Halloween fare will be awaiting you at 8 p.m. ET. But how long will you have to wait before you can find out the next shocking event going down at Seattle Grace? When will Grey's Anatomy return?

Luckily it's only a one week break. Instead of Grey's Anatomy, ABC will be airing the autumnal classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, followed by Toy Story OF TERROR!. It'll give viewers a mid-month burst of Halloween spirit before Grey's continues its regularly scheduled programming on Oct. 25 with "Everyday Angel." There may be no episode tonight, but everything will be back to business as usual next week.

ABC might be planning to make this schedule switch-up an annual tradition. This week last year, they also pressed pause on Grey's to make room for Charlie Brown and Snoopy, though it wasn't the biggest ratings smash. According to The Wrap, choosing to miss a night of Grey's Anatomy led ABC to drop from second place in the ratings to third. It's hardly a freefall, but it does make it seem like people prefer their late night dramas over childhood favorites.

Until the show returns, fans can only speculate about what might happen next. TV Guide did provide a summary for "Everyday Angel," which will apparently focus on Meredith helping Teddy talk about some of her personal issues. Meanwhile, Owen and Amelia stake out Betty's school to prevent her from flying the coop and Jo struggles to get Bailey's attention so that she can get to work on the fellowship.

Dr. Bailey will be busy both in front of and behind the camera, because actress Chandra Wilson will be directing "Everyday Angel" as well as appearing in it. But she likely sailed through the experience, because Wilson is an expert at directing episodes of Grey's by now; the first episode she directed was "Give Peace a Chance" in 2009, but she's directed eighteen episodes since then. "Everyday Angel" will be her nineteenth. She also worked as a director on three episodes of The Fosters and one episode of Scandal.

After Season 15 began, showrunner Krista Vernoff talked to The Hollywood Reporter about what fans could expect in the upcoming episodes. Meredith would be on an ongoing journey to find real love again, in addition to all the impressive medical marvels she accomplishes over the course of a season. Owen, Amelia, and Teddy would continue their love triangle. Jackson would have to adjust to April being gone, while Maggie would have to deal with being in love with Jackson. Bailey has to learn how to balance her many responsibilities.

It's a lot to pack into a season, but it's probably not even the tip of the iceberg on Grey's Anatomy. It may be tough to be without the show for a week, but it'll be back before you know it, giving its viewers some of that sweet Thursday night escapism.