Grey's Anatomy Kicks Off Season 18 With Another Blast From the Past

Grey’s Anatomy continues to be in the resurrection business as the beloved medical drama returns for its eighteen season tonight with Kate Burton set to begin a multi-episode arc. While Meredith's mother Dr. Ellis Grey died on the series back in Season 3, Burton herself has logged more than a half a dozen appearances in the years since, last appearing to Meredith in a Season 15 dream sequence.

Also today: Jon Stewart returns to television in The Problem With Jon Stewart, The Price is Right celebrates its 50th anniversary with a two-hour primetime episode, and Kristen Bell re-teams with Kirby Howell-Baptiste in a new comedy caper on Paramount+. Here’s what’s new and noteworthy on TV this Thursday:

Grey’s Anatomy: Season premiere. As Seattle begins to move on from COVID-19, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) hopes to hire new doctors, Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy (Kim Raver) take the next step in their engagement, and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) meets a dynamic doctor from her mother’s past. Kate Burton and Peter Gallagher guest star. Watch preview. 9:00 PM ET on ABC

Station 19: Season premiere. Seattle annual Phoenix Festival brings out reckless behavior, challenging the teams at Station 19 and Grey Sloan Memorial. Elsewhere, relationships are challenged following Sullivan’s (Boris Kodjoe) actions at Maya (Danielle Savre) and Carina’s (Stefania Spampinato) wedding. 8:00 PM ET on ABC

The Problem With Jon Stewart: Series premiere. Six years after stepping down as host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart is back on TV with a new current affairs comedy series. Each episode will focus on a specific issue, with new episodes dropping every other week. Watch trailer. Streaming on Apple TV+

The Price is Right Celebrates 50 Years: Special presentation. The longest-running game show in TV history celebrates its 50th anniversary with a two-hour primetime special featuring a look back at the biggest winners, never-before-seen outtakes, and a salute to Bob Barker. 9:00 PM ET on CBS

Big Sky: Season premiere. David E. Kelley's mystery drama returns for its second season with Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) and Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick) back side-by-side and in danger as they work a new case involving a mysterious car wreck. Watch trailer. 10:00 PM ET on ABC

Queenpins: Original movie. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste star in this comedy caper about best friends who hatch an illegal coupon club scheme that scams millions from mega-corporations. Hot on their trail is a U.S. Postal Inspector (Vince Vaughn) and a loss prevention officer (Paul Walter Hauser) from the local supermarket chain. Watch trailer. Streaming on Paramount+

Thursday Night Football: Former college phenoms Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow face off as the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to Cincinnati. 8:20 PM ET/5:20 PM PT on NFL Network

College Football: The ACC takes center stage as UVA and Miami play in primetime on ESPN. 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT on ESPN

The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin: Docuseries premiere. Filmaker Marina Zenovich (Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired) pulls back the curtain on Gwen Shamblin Lara, leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church and author and founder of Christian weight loss program “The Weigh Down Workshop.” The series was retooled in the wake of her death in May: Three episodes drop today, followed by the remaining two at a later date. Read our review. Streaming on HBO Max

Unidentified with Demi Lovato: Limited series. Singer Demi Lovato searches for the truth about UFOs, consults with experts, and conducts tests at known hot spots. A true believer, Lovato (who uses they/them pronouns) is joined in the series by their more skeptical sister and best friend. Watch trailer. Streaming on Peacock

The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo: Season premiere. Elmo continues to flex his late-night host muscles in HBO Max’s kid-friendly talk show, featuring interviews and games with celebrity guests and special musical performances. Streaming on HBO Max

Ten Year Old Tom: Complete first season. Gillian Jacobs, John Malkovich, Jennifer Coolidge, Natasha Lyonne, and David Duchovny are among those lending their voices to this new adult animated comedy following the misadventures of an elementary schooler as he contends with questionable guidance from the adults around him. Created by Steve Dildarian (The Life & Times of Tim). Watch trailer. Streaming on HBO Max

Cake: Season premiere. The series kicks off its fifth season with a new installment of Reza Farazmand’s Poorly Drawn Lines, among other morsels of bite-sized comedy. Watch teaser. 10:00 PM ET on FXX

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.