Jessica Capshaw’s return as Arizona Robbins brings back joy

and levity to Grey’s Anatomy.
Showrunner Meg Marinis orchestrated Capshaw’s

return for the milestone 20th season.
Capshaw acknowledges and respects the changes in character

dynamics throughout the series.
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy already knew from the Season 20

trailer that Jessica Capshaw would make an anticipated return as Arizona Robbins after a six-season absence. Now, thanks to The Wrap, we get to hear from Capshaw herself what it felt like to walk across the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital corridors and catwalk once again, as well as what she can reveal about the current season.

During the interview, Capshaw revealed that even though she’s been away from quite a while, stepping back into Arizona’s shoes was a “seamless experience” and that it “was just fun.” She celebrated the fact that, even though she’s only back as a guest star for one episode, she got to hang out with old friends and that she screamed with excitement at the sight of several of them. But she also revealed what’s the point of Arizona returning now, so late into the game:

“The mission was very clear for Arizona to come back at this time where everyone’s a little bit world-weary and missing the magic and joy of healing and bring back some of that joy and levity. Hearing the reactions from viewers feeling so excited to reconnect with her made my heart grow a size for sure.”

Arizona’s Return Brings Back Her Season 5 Energy
All the way back in Season 5 when Arizona was introduced, the character was a source of constant joy among doctors, and this was helped by the fact that she was a Pediatrics surgeon who worked with kids all day long. Capshaw also revealed to The Wrap that her return was orchestrated by new showrunner Meg Marinis — who might have planned all kinds of surprises for the show’s landmark 20th run. Even though Marinis only now has taken over showrunning duties, she’s been a writer on the series for 18 years.

Recently, Marinis also broke down at what capacity fans can expect to see title character Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) back in Season 20. Pompeo officially left the series in 2022, but she still serves as narrator for most of the episodes. To The Wrap, Capshaw ended her interview by revealing that, just like fans, she isn’t oblivious to the several changes in character dynamics that happened across the show’s run. Capshaw stated that she has “tremendous and deep respect for all the changes” that the Grey’s Anatomy team did throughout the seasons, and that she feels like the medical series is a house where there’s room for everyone and having the best time while there is mandatory.

ABC airs new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday nights. You can also stream new episodes on Hulu.