Grey's Anatomy: Ellen Pompeo Shares First Season 17 Photo - What Does it Mean?

Production on Grey's Anatomy Season 17 is officially underway!

The beloved ABC medical drama, which found production halted six months ago due to the ongoing pandemic, kicked off production on Tuesday.

To celebrate, Ellen Pompeo shared a selfie from behind-the-scenes of the show, in which she is with her on-screen love interest Richard Flood, who plays Irish hunk Cormac Hayes.

“First time back in my scrubs,” Pompeo wrote on Instagram.

“Since we shut down filming [last March] 7,000 healthcare workers have died from COVID," she shared.

"I dedicate my Season 17 to all who have fallen and to every one of you who by the grace of God is still standing… this season is for you with humility and a bit of humor to get us through and endless amounts of gratitude."

"I hope we do you proud.”

Grey's Anatomy Season 16 ended on an abrupt note, with Meredith helping ex-boyfriend DeLuca, while getting closer to Cormac.

It set up a love triangle for the series, and one that could divide fans. There has always been naysayers to the MerLuca romance, and if Grey's does something well, it's crafting a complicated bunch of relationships.

Given that Pompeo's picture includes her and Flood, it likely means their first scenes back are working together.

While there were lots of threads left dangling at the end of the pandemic-shortened season, the series will pick up six weeks into the pandemic.

But don't expect the series to forget about all the big storylines planned for the end of the previous season.

"In even the best of times, a television writer's primary job is to know how to pivot," Vernoff explained in a recent interview with TV Line.

"We are not working to protect stories we had [planned] for the end of season 16. That said, you will get to see some of the immediate moments from where we left off."

Vernoff did not want to lose pivotal moments from the show that were planned, so they will be incorporated into the new season in some capacity.

"There was great material that we had already shot but did not get a chance to air," she added. "So we found a way to build it into our premiere."

As for when the series debuts, it was supposed to return later this month, but ABC pulled it, and other scripted series because of production only just starting up.

What are your thoughts on the first photo?

Remember you can watch Grey's Anatomy online right here via TV Fanatic.