Grey’s Anatomy may be going strong, with its 22nd season airing on the 2026 TV schedule, but many longtime fans remain nostalgic for those epic early years. Not only did you have the MAGIC of Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie and Cristina, you had the dynamic duo of heartthrob surgeons McDreamy and McSteamy. It’s been a long time since Patrick Dempsey and Eric Dane shared the screen, but apparently the actors had talked about a reunion.
Patrick Dempsey, who starred as Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd for the first 11 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, has a new series — Memory of a Killer — which premiered this month on Fox (and can be streamed with a Hulu subscription). While promoting the crime drama, he was asked about Eric Dane, who revealed last April that he’d been diagnosed with ALS. It turns out the two have been in touch recently, as Dempsey told Parade:
I spoke to him a few weeks ago. I’ve been texting with him. We were trying to get him in [Killer] but unfortunately, the progression of his disease made it virtually impossible. But I was happy to see that he was here in Toronto working on, I think, another medical drama [Brilliant Minds].
It’s heartbreaking to hear that Eric Dane (aka Mark “McSteamy” Sloan) was unable to reconnect with his former Grey’s co-star, but I love that the reunion was even an option.
The actor has continued to work amidst his health issues, filming series like Countdown, the long-awaited and highly anticipated Euphoria Season 3, and — as Patrick Dempsey mentioned — an episode of Brilliant Minds.
In the Brilliant Minds Season 2 episode “The Fire Fighter” (streaming with a Peacock subscription), Eric Dane plays a firefighter who’s wrestling with how to tell his family about his own ALS diagnosis. Brilliant Minds showrunner Michael Grassi said the cast and crew were so touched by Dane’s vulnerable performance that he received a standing ovation and 10-minute clap-out after his scene wrapped.
Patrick Dempsey went on to commend his former Grey’s Anatomy co-star for the man he is and the awareness he’s bringing to ALS. He continued:
It’s very hard for him, but I do try to stay in touch and see how he’s doing. I think he’s been incredibly courageous in the face of this horrible disease. He’s such a wonderful human being. He has such a great sense of humor, and he’s so intelligent. I’ve always enjoyed working and being around Eric. It’s heartbreaking. It really is. For him and for his family. You feel for them when you see this terrible disease and how quickly it attacks the body. But he’s bringing a lot of light to that, and he’s using his platform in a positive way. I wish him the best.
In addition to not being able to cameo in Memory of a Killer, Eric Dane also missed a planned appearance at the Emmy Awards in September after suffering a fall before the ceremony. Jesse Williams went on to present an award during what was supposed to be a Grey’s Anatomy tribute.
Eric Dane made his premiere as McSteamy on ABC’s medical drama in Season 2, lasting through Season 9 before he was killed off — with McDreamy joining him in the afterlife just two seasons later. It’s been over a decade since we lost those sexy surgeons, yet they remain two of Grey’s Anatomy’s most shocking and heartbreaking deaths.
While it’s tough to hear updates about Eric Dane’s ALS progressing, it warms my heart to know that he’s still in touch with Patrick Dempsey, and that they’d even considered a reunion on the new Fox series.
You can catch Memory of a Killer at 9 p.m. ET Mondays on Fox and streaming the next day on Hulu. If you want to relive the days of McDreamy and McSteamy on Grey’s Anatomy (or find out the starting point for all of your favorite eras), all 22 seasons can also be streamed on Hulu, with the first 21 seasons available with a Netflix subscription.
