Today's TV Guide spoiler Q&A focuses on a question many of us have been asking throughout the offseason as a "transitional" Grey's Anatomy begins to take shape: How will things change with some of its mainstays out of commission for significant periods of time?

Here's the latest dish on that, plus a bonus Private Practice item ...

Q: How will Grey's Anatomy write around the absences of Ellen Pompeo and Katherine Heigl?

A: The show will shift its focus to more character-centric episodes, executive producer Krista Vernoff says. One hour will be almost exclusively dedicated to Derek and a patient.

Seattle Grace's merger with Mercy West will bring in some new blood and cut loose some long-standing characters. Specific fallout from that plot line? That we'll have to wait for.

"There are some that stay [and] some that don't make it," says Chandra Wilson.

"There will be some familiar faces that remain ... but we also wanted the audience to be able to feel that this is a huge thing and that there was a loss there."

Q: Will Addison get a new love interest this season on Private Practice?

A: Kate Walsh answers this one: "I think we're holding off for a while," she says. "[Shonda Rhimes] is really interested in just seeing Addison single and running the practice with Sam." But that means more scenes with Taye Diggs - and more Taye Diggs is always a good thing, right?

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