Grey's Anatomy Kept Blue In Full Force While Harry Shum Jr. Danced
Harry Shum Jr. tapes Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday night and reports to the Grey's Anatomy set at 6:15 the next morning.
The double shift has not cut his screen time. Showrunner Meg Marinis, the person in charge of the series day to day, told Deadline in a premiere-tied interview that the medical drama did not have to reduce his presence despite the dance contest.
Season 23 of Grey's Anatomy debuts October 15 at 10 PM on ABC. Shum plays Benson “Blue” Kwan, one of the surgical interns introduced in recent seasons.
Blue was fired at the end of Season 22. He will be back at the hospital when the new season opens. Season 22 ran for 18 episodes.
The logistics work because both programmes film in Los Angeles. Rehearsals have been organised around hospital calls, with professional partner Jenna Johnson going to the Grey's set to practise with Shum between commitments.
That routine faces another quick turnaround this week. The Super Bowl-themed episode of Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 8 PM. Shum and Johnson will perform a samba to “Yeah!” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris.
Shum, billed by ABC as “From Grey’s Anatomy” for Season 35, closed out night one of the dance contest with a cha cha. The former Glee actor and Johnson scored 24 out of 30 in Week 4. Season 35 premiered over two nights on September 15-16.
What makes this stand out is the gruelling calendar. A scripted hospital schedule rarely bends for live television. This time, Marinis said, it did not have to.
