A fan-favorite couple is making their grand return to Grey's Anatomy. Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew are coming back for the Season 18 finale as series favorites Jackson and April (better known as Japril among fans) per Deadline. We'll see how their life has progressed together in Boston on May 26.
Williams' departure after twelve seasons on the show offered a bittersweet ending to the character's storyline at Grey Sloan Hospital that begged for a spin-off. Reunited with his ex April in Drew's return to the series, Jackson made the decision to move out to Boston in hopes of taking over his family medical foundation. Keeping fans' hopes alive that the two would rekindle the romance, April agreed to join him, so he could be close to his child and because she split with her husband Matthew. It marked a new chapter in their history together that would see the two leaning on each other for support and friendship while leaving the door open for something more.
Drew herself left the show as a regular back in Season 14 when April went off with her new beau at the time. This will mark only her second reappearance on the show since departing, which again seems focused on further developing, or teasing, her relationship with Jackson. It's unclear exactly what role Japril will play in the finale or if they'll play any future parts in the medical drama beyond it, but the episode will at least give an update as to how things are getting along in Boston.
Before the announcement, both Drew and Williams expressed a willingness to step back into the shoes of the fan-favorite couple. Williams told Deadline last year that he'd be totally open to it barring any scheduling conflicts and even shared his thoughts on what the future could be like for Japril:
I think it’s pretty possible that he rekindles a romantic connection to his ex-wife, they’re damn good together, but most importantly what he needs from that is friendship and kindness, and patience, and understanding, and I think that he will get that with her and be able to share and give and reciprocate it as well.
Williams has kept busy since leaving Grey's Anatomy as he's set to appear alongside Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher in the upcoming rom-com Your Place or Mine, and he'll star in the unique novel adaptation Olga Dies Dreaming which entered production before its source material even released. He's also getting his first taste of Broadway through a revival of Take Me Out. Drew, meanwhile, is set to star in the series adaptation of the Amber Brown books opposite Carsyn Rose. She also recently played a recurring role on Freeform's massive drama anthology Cruel Summer.
New episodes will start airing once again on May 5 in their typical Thursday time slot at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, starting with the episode "Should I Stay or Should I Go." That episode will see the reappearance of another former regular in Kate Walsh's Addison who's back at Grey Sloan as Catherine faces multiple audits for her foundation hospitals, Meredith and Richard butt heads with each other, and Owen gets back to work.
Season 18 of Grey's Anatomy draws to a close on May 26. Check out the tweet below showing off the return of Japril.