Not much has stayed the same on "Grey's Anatomy" over the years, but that's not a bad thing.

After six seasons away from the show, screenwriter Krista Vernoff returned to the Grey Sloan Memorial gang for Season 14, taking on duties as co-showrunner. She's excited to have come back, and in particular, she told THR that she is loving writing for Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Vernoff didn't keep tabs on the show's goings-on after her departure, so she was struck by how much the veteran character has changed in recent years.

"This is a much more grown-up version of Meredith -- she's been through so much and survived so much and really kept her sense of humor intact -- so she's a lot of fun to write," Vernoff said. "She's a grown ass woman who is sexy and funny and smart and fierce and a boss, and you don't see that all that often on TV."

They're going to throw a lot more at Meredith this season, including yet another love triangle as the show goes back to its roots in some ways. She'll have to deal with the return of Megan Hunt (now played by Abigail Spencer), the former love of Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson), who went missing for a decade and now will be a patient at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. That situation will be insanely complicated, so we look forward to seeing how this grown-up version of Meredith handles it.

"Grey's Anatomy" premieres Thursday, Sept. 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

[via: THR]