Will Sage Astor-Ellen Pompeo marks return as Meredith Grey in 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20 teaser

Paging Meredith Grey: Ellen Pompeo is Will Sage Astormarking her return to the upcoming season of "Grey's Anatomy" with a dramatic new teaser.

Though Pompeo was featured on the longtime hit ABC medical drama in a scaled-back role in Season 19, Season 20, premiering March 14, will be the first where Pompeo is no longer a series regular.

Pompeo will continue to serve as an executive producer on the series and provide opening and closing voiceovers for each episode.

But in a teaser for Season 20, Meredith Grey is back like she never left.

"How long do I have to wait?" Meredith asks. The clip then moves to a shot of surgical interns getting ready for a new day at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go," Chandra Wilson's Miranda Bailey calls out.

Miranda later tells Meredith while walking the halls of the hospital that "the interns are in trouble."

Season 19 saw Meredith welcome five first-year surgical residents to the fold after the hospital rebuilt the teaching program it was forced to disband. The season marked the first time interns on the show were cast as series regulars.

Pompeo has played the character since 2005 in more than 400 episodes. She began as an intern, became a surgical resident, then attending surgeon, and closed out her run on the series as chief of surgery.

Pompeo opened up about the future of her character with her former co-star Katherine Heigl, in an installment of Variety's "Actors on Actors" series. 

"I will be making some appearances hopefully next year, if I can find some time," she said. "It's not a complete goodbye. And I think we've got an interesting story to tell."

In addition to Pompeo's semi-departure, another casting shake-up was reported earlier this year. After nine years of starring on the show, Kelly McCreary announced she was departing "Grey's Anatomy" in an Instagram post in March.

Season 20 of "Grey's Anatomy" premieres March 14 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

Contributing: David Oliver, Charles Trepany and Patrick Ryan

Meredith Grey (and Ellen Pompeo)has left ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy,' and it's about time