Get ready to call dibs on the remote control, because your favorite ABC series “Grey’s Anatomy” is about to return with more juicy hospital drama in its Season 12 premiere Thursday. And we can assure you, you won’t want to miss what Shonda Rhimes, the mastermind behind the medical show, has up her sleeve for this installment. With that said, check out what Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital gang will be up to be when “Grey’s Anatomy” hits the small screen this fall:

1. Episode 1’s Medical Storyline

The medical drama featured in episode 1, titled “Sledgehammer,” will center on bullying. “Grey Sloan Memorial springs into action to save the lives of two young girls whose powerful story will force some of the doctors to revisit the effects of bullying on their own pasts,” the synopsis reveals. Based on the premiere’s promotional video, it looks like the medical case will strike a personal chord with Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary).

2. Meredith Gets New Roommates

Mer will leave her McMansion (the home where she previously resided with her late husband) and move into her mother’s former house along with her two sisters, Maggie and Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone). Although Rhimes said their new living arrangements will be “funny,” it will also be a struggle for Mer who will have to “adjust to changes at home” with her new roomies.

“Those three women are very different and don’t have very much in common, which is fantastic,” the showrunner dished to the Hollywood Reporter.

3. The Fight For Chief of Surgery Continues

In the Season 11 finale, Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen) and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) came to the decision that Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) would have to go head-to-head with another candidate for the coveted position of chief. And it looks like Bailey’s competition will be played by none other than the “Chasing Amy” star Joey Lauren Adams.

“We’re going to watch Bailey make a play for chief,” Rhimes told Entertainment Weekly. “We’re going to see what it means if she does or doesn’t get it, and we’re going to watch her struggle with growing up in that sense.”

Adams will make her debut on the series during the Season 12 premiere.

4. Time Jump

When Season 12 begins, three months will have passed since Catherine and Richard had their wedding. The biggest reason for the time jump was to give Meredith enough time to grieve over the loss of Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) so that she could be fully present in the new installment. This will allow the new season to have a “lighter tone” in the wake of McDreamy’s heartbreaking demise.

5. New Romances For Callie and Arizona

Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) will find themselves in “exciting” new romances, Rhimes dished during the 2015 Television Critics Association summer press tour.

6. Trouble For Japril

Will Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) be able to rekindle their shattered relationship in Season 12 of “Grey’s Anatomy”? After the gut-wrenching death of their child, April found solace in the military. However, Jackson felt like his wife had abandoned him, leaving him alone as she sailed overseas to partake in a new adventure. He then left her with an ultimatum in the Season 11 finale that if she was to return to the army, then he wouldn’t be waiting around when she came back.

Rhimes divulged that April did decide to pack her bags for Jordan, which will put Japril’s relationship in a “difficult spot.”

“April’s really changed, and she’s really done this thing that’s not necessarily the best thing for their marriage, and Jackson’s not happy about it. Does that mean it’s over? And does she accept that it’s over?” Rhimes said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Fans will find out when April makes her return to Seattle in the Season 12 premiere episode of “Grey’s Anatomy,” which is set to air on ABC Thursday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. EDT.

RELATED STORIES