It appears Joshua Jackson's Grey's Anatomy guest starring turn has ended before it began, and once again, the writers' strike is to blame.

Michael Ausiello of TV Guide has the scoop, and as he puts it:

"Grey's Anatomy announced last fall that the ex-Dawson's Creek-er would be joining the cast for a multi-episode arc as a doctor and, as I would later report, a love interest for Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh). Unfortunately, just weeks before he was scheduled to shoot his first episode, the writers went on strike and Joshua Jackson's stint, just like the TV biz itself, was put on hold."

Cut to present day: The strike is over, Grey's Anatomy is headed back into production (due back April 24) but Jackson is no longer available.

During the work stoppage, J.J. Abrams hand-picked the actor to headline his new X-Files style Fox series, Fringe, which is currently in production in Toronto (and will be through mid-March). Although an attempt was made to make scheduling work for Josh Jackson to do both, the logistics proved too daunting in the end.

Now Grey's Anatomy is forced to either recast the role or scrap it.

An ABC spokesperson declined to comment, but a Seattle Grace insider says a final decision will likely be made in the coming days.

Any suggestions for a Josh Jackson replacement? Who would be a great new love interest for Cristina? Much as many of us surely (and understandably) want to throw out the name Isaiah Washington, let's focus on new ideas...

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.