Meredith Grey has a band of medical misfits on her hands.
In an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming 19th season of Grey's Anatomy, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) welcomes Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital's new crop of interns with a dramatic reality check.
"Congratulations, you did it," she tells them. "You're here. You will save lives with this equipment…and you will end them."
Well, that's one way to make a first impression.
At the end of season 18, the Grey Sloan intern program was scrapped—so Meredith and the young hopefuls are building from the ground up.
"While getting a second chance here today," Meredith suggests, "we have to prove the doubters wrong."
As Meredith explains, the new intern class assembled at Grey Sloan because they didn't have anywhere else to go. "They only matched here or got kicked out of their residencies," she says. "But I see something in them."
So, who are these bright-eyed interns? Allow them to introduce themselves!
There's Lucas Adams, who actor Niko Terho describes in the sneak peek as "the black sheep of his family and his family is super successful. He's trying to prove that he deserves to be there."
When we meet Jules Millin, played by Adelaide Kane, it becomes clear she has a past with Dr. Atticus Lincoln (Chris Carmack), saying, "I think I might have accidentally slept with an attending already," after quite literally running into him in the hospital hallway.
Adelaide describes Jules as "a little bit bossy, a little impulsive," but notes that she's "very kind-hearted." We'll be keeping an eye on this one.
In the sneak peek, Midori Francis says her character Mika Yasuda is "a jokester and likes to make people laugh. Sometimes her sense of humor gets her in trouble." Whatever happened to laughter being the best medicine?
Glee alum Harry Shum Jr. plays Benson "Blue" Kwan, who Harry describes as "very competitive. He's striving to be No. 1."
Finally, Alexis Floyd plays Simone Griffith, who Alexis says "brings a very grounded, but emotional, connection to her work."
Season 19 finds Grey Sloan in a tornado of uncertainty and change—we already know that Ellen Pompeo will only appear "in a limited capacity"—but it's also an opportunity for growth.
"This season, the hospital is going through a bit of a rebirth," Alexis says. "A second chance, that's a big theme this season, for both the interns as well many of the characters you know and love already."
Watch the new interns scrub in when season 19 of Grey's Anatomy premieres Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. on ABC.