Season 8 (Grey's Anatomy)

The eighth season of Grey's Anatomy premiered September 22, 2011 and ended May 17, 2012. It was broadcast on Thursday nights at 9 PM on ABC. The season consists of 24 episodes, starting with a two-hour premiere.

Summary
No matter how hot it gets - in the operating room or in the bedroom - the doctors of Seattle Grace know they can always lean on one another. As fifth year residents, it's do or die for the doctors, and things get bumpy when the chief makes a decision that rocks the entire staff. Outside the hospital, Meredith and Derek struggle to keep their relationship afloat while they try to adopt an orphaned baby girl, and Cristina wrestles with a difficult choice that threatens to ruin her marriage.

Plots

 * The fallout from Meredith's tampering of the Alzheimers trial.
 * April Kepner's struggles with being Chief Resident while the others deal with their fifth and final year as residents.
 * Ben's return to Seattle Grace.
 * Meredith is now working in General surgery since she can't talk about Neuro with Derek.
 * Lexie dies because of the injuries sustained in the plane crash.
 * Mark admits to Lexie that he loves her and that he wants a future with her and that they are meant to be moments before she dies.
 * Teddy deals with Henry's death.

Main Cast

 * Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey (24/24)
 * Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang (24/24)
 * Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev (24/24)
 * Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey (24/24)
 * James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber (24/24)
 * Sara Ramírez as Dr. Callie Torres (24/24)
 * Eric Dane as Dr. Mark Sloan (24/24)
 * Chyler Leigh as Dr. Lexie Grey (23/24)
 * Kevin McKidd as Dr. Owen Hunt (24/24)
 * Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Robbins (24/24)
 * Kim Raver as Dr. Teddy Altman (23/24)
 * Sarah Drew as Dr. April Kepner (24/24)
 * Jesse Williams as Dr. Jackson Avery (24/24)
 * Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd (24/24)

Special Guest Stars

 * Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery (1/24)
 * Caterina Scorsone as Dr. Amelia Shepherd (1/24)

Recurring Guest Stars

 * Mackenzie Astin as Danny Wilson (2/24)
 * Amy Price-Francis as Susannah Wilson (2/24)
 * Bruce Beatty as Jerry Hoffman (2/24)
 * Scott Foley as Henry Burton (6/24)
 * Mitch Pileggi as Larry Jennings (2/24)
 * Jason George as Dr. Ben Warren (8/24)
 * Daniel Sunjata as Nurse Eli Lloyd (2/24)
 * Debbie Allen as Dr. Catherine Avery (4/24)
 * Holley Fain as Dr. Julia Canner (4/24)
 * Debra Monk as Louise O'Malley (1/24)
 * Dylan Bruno as Griffin Lewis (2/24)
 * Loretta Devine as Adele Webber (4/24)
 * Leith Burke as Dr. McQueen (1/24)
 * Kate Burton as Dr. Ellis Grey (1/24)
 * Robert Baker as Dr. Charles Percy (1/24)
 * Amanda Fuller as Dr. Morgan Peterson (5/24)
 * Summer Glau as Emily Kovach (2/24)
 * Wren T. Brown as Michael (1/24)
 * William Daniels as Dr. Craig Thomas (1/24)
 * Jordan Belfi as Nick (2/24)

Prominent Guest Stars

 * Ernie Hudson as Dr. Brad McDougall
 * Judith Moreland as Mrs. Baer
 * Alfre Woodard as Justine Campbell
 * Vedette Lim as Polly Preston
 * Missy Yager as Terri
 * Mandy June Turpin as Karla
 * Ryan Wynott as Wes Connors
 * Peri Gilpin as Marcy
 * Nia Vardalos as Karen
 * Cheryl White as Lynn Connors
 * Ann Ryerson as Margaret Goodwin
 * Stacy Edwards as Kathleen Wheeler
 * Vanessa Marano as Holly Wheeler
 * Lorraine Toussaint as Helen Fincher
 * James LeGros as Jerry
 * Mary Lynn Rajskub as Marion Steiner
 * Patrick Fischler as Jake Steiner
 * Robert Hoffman as Chad
 * Mason McCulley as Ryan
 * Todd Buonopane as Greg
 * Matt Doherty as Carter
 * Matt Servitto as Ray Jones
 * Nate Mooney as Randy Barnett
 * Dana Sorman as Sharon
 * Scott Klace as Jordan Wagner
 * Robin Weigert as Karen Lorenz
 * Frank Wood as Frank Wheeler
 * Stella Maeve as Lily Anderson
 * Holland Roden as Gretchen Shaw
 * Jayden Lund as Hulking Patient
 * Rebecca Hazlewood as Mara Keaton
 * James Avery as Sam
 * Rance Howard as Martin Carroll
 * Elizabeth Franz as Emma Carroll
 * Scout Taylor-Compton as Angie
 * Gil McKinney as Chris
 * Austin Basis as Devin
 * Rene Auberjonois as Neil Sheridan
 * Alexis Carra as The Other Woman
 * Ellen Crawford as Carrie Reisler
 * Joelle Carter as Mary Rolich
 * Sam McMurray as Tyler Moser
 * Marilu Henner as Alice Moser
 * Lee Majors as Chuck Cain
 * Jill Remez as Examiner
 * Jane Daly as Examiner
 * Cynthia Watros as Liz Connor
 * Kari Coleman as Mother
 * Thad Luckinbill as Kevin Banks
 * Jake Abel as Tyler Moser
 * Dash Mihok as Clay Rolich
 * Tom Everett as Examiner
 * Ron Bottitta as Examiner
 * Albie Selznick as Columbia Rep
 * Peter Breitmayer as Carson Methodist Doctor

Recurring Co-Stars

 * Janora McDuffie as Janet Meyers (4/24)
 * Jae Jung as Daycare Worker Tara (2/24)
 * Bruce Beatty as Jerry Hoffman (2/24)
 * Kate Mines as Nurse Gloria (6/24)
 * John Cappon as Paramedic John (1/24)
 * Arlene Santana as Nurse (3/24)
 * Teresa Huang as Nurse Ruth (4/24)
 * Jon Schmidt as Intern Logan (3/24)
 * Nicole Cummins as Paramedic Nicole (7/24)
 * Payton Silver as Dr. Knox (4/24)
 * Martin Yu as CT Tech (1/24)
 * Amber Bela Muse as Laura Lewis (2/24)
 * Justin Benson as Drew Lewis (2/24)
 * Dan Conroy as Robert Anderson (2/24)
 * Evelyn Reese as Grandma Anderson (2/24)
 * Miguel Nájera as Janitor Mike (1/24)
 * Mark Saul as Dr. Steve Mostow (1/24)
 * Rachel Andersen as Nurse Carol (4/24)
 * Grace Rowe as Paramedic Grace (2/24)
 * Shi Ne Nielson as Paramedic (2/24)
 * Denice Sealy as Liz McKee (4/24)
 * Ray Singh as Nurse Howard (3/24)
 * Carissa Kosta as Nurse (2/24)
 * Linda Eve Miller as Nurse Melanie (1/24)
 * Zibby Allen as Nurse Zibby (1/24)
 * Gordon James as Nurse (3/24)
 * Dale Waddington as OB Resident (1/24)
 * Michael Lesly as Paramedic (1/24)
 * Brie Eley as Hospital Administrator (2/24)
 * Thai Douglas as Examiner (2/24)
 * David Pevsner as Examiner (2/24)
 * Cathy Diane Tomlin as Examiner (2/24)
 * Susan Ortiz as Examiner (2/24)
 * Jim Lau as Examiner (2/24)

Notes and Trivia

 * Meredith Grey narrates all voice overs this season, except for What is It About Men's voice over. This voice over is narrated by Derek Shepherd, Richard Webber, Alex Karev, Mark Sloan, and Jackson Avery. Meredith also shares the Flight voice over with Richard Webber.
 * This season is the only one so far in which the main cast does not change compared to the previous season.
 * Jessica Capshaw became pregnant during the course of this season, most noticeable in the latest episode of the season. She gave birth to a daughter during the summer hiatus on June 20, 2010.

DVD Release
The "Grey's Anatomy: Complete Eighth Season – Extraordinary Moments" boxset was released in region 1 on September 4, 2012. On December 3, 2012 and October 17, 2012, the DVD was released in regions 2 and 4 respectively.

Set Details
The boxset contains the 24 episodes of the season, with one extended. The DVD box contains 6 discs. Other set details are:
 * English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)
 * Audio Commentaries

Special Features
Additional to the episodes, the season 8 DVD set also contains a couple of special features:
 * A Journey Home With Kevin McKidd (13:48 min)
 * Extended Episode – "If/Then" (47:58 min)
 * Deleted Scenes:
 * "I knew you had it in you" – Put Me In, Coach (00:38 min)
 * "I'll finish" – Suddenly (00:46 min)
 * "No idea about what?" – Suddenly (01:09 min)
 * "Use your words Karev" – Suddenly (00:47 min)
 * "A little wax play?" – All You Need is Love (01:03 min)
 * "Dr. Bailey it worked!" – Have You Seen Me Lately? (00:50 min)
 * "Honestly, I don't know" – The Lion Sleeps Tonight (00:37 min)
 * "Bring it on" – Support System (01:02 min)
 * "We need a surgical plan" – Moment of Truth (00:32 min)
 * "He's going to need you" – Moment of Truth (01:16 min)
 * "There every step of the way" – Let the Bad Times Roll (01:31 min)
 * "Incidentals and overhead?" – Migration (00:37 min)
 * In Stitches: Season Eight Outtakes (02:21 min)