‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Sarah Drew Shares Her ‘Dream World’ for a Japril Spinoff
Longtime fans of Grey’s Anatomy doctors Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) were thrilled when the couple rejoined the medical drama for its 400th episode. Grey’s writers kept viewers waiting through a significant part of the two-hour season finale. But they finally revealed that, yes, Japril really is endgame.
Though there are no official announcements, it’s safe to say that much of the Grey’s universe wants to know more about how the duo reunited and what they’re up to now — including Drew herself. The actor has repeatedly said she’s game to continue Japril’s story in some capacity. Drew even shared details about what this could include.
[Spoiler alert: This article may contain spoilers from the Grey’s Anatomy Season 18 finale.]
The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 18 finale reveals Japril reunited
Until the Season 18 finale of Grey’s Anatomy, fans last saw Drs. Avery and Kepner as they prepared to move to Boston so that Avery could take over the head operations of the Catherine Fox Foundation, the medical organization his mother (played by Debbie Allen) had run for many years. His goal was to serve the marginalized communities often overlooked in the medical system and find ways to provide better care for all patients. At the end of Season 18, he convinced Kepner to move with him so he could be close to their daughter, Harriet. What’s more, Kepner revealed she and her husband, Matthew, had split. This left the field wide open for rekindling the romance between the two once-married doctors.
When the pair returns to Grey Sloan Memorial in the Season 18 finale, they keep Fox company while she undergoes her cancer treatments. Later, they share a brief but loaded kiss in the hospital elevator. Their relationship status is technically unknown. But it’s clear they’re together in some capacity.
Sarah Drew said she hopes for a ‘grittier’ limited series spinoff
Following the season finale, Drew joined Tommy DiDario’s Instagram Live show, “Let’s Stay Together,” to talk about the sweet twist in Japril’s storyline. She also shared her hopes for what continuing it could look like. For her, it would ideally be a limited series spinoff of Grey’s rather than a return to the show itself. In her view, doing it that way would allow their storyline to bring something new to the table.
“In my dream world, it would be like a 10-episode kind of show where we could be somewhere that allows it to be a little darker, and a little grittier, a little sexier. That would be fun,” Drew said, per Insider.
According to Drew, the unique career trajectories both take after leaving Grey Sloan would lend themselves to storylines fans haven’t seen before. “I think that’s what’s really fun about these two characters… they’re both right now kind of really living in their purpose,” Drew added. “And they’re out to change the medical field and to fight for medical justice. We haven’t seen that out in the world yet.”
Drew and Williams’ future on ‘Grey’s’ remains unknown
Since leaving Grey’s Anatomy, Williams and Drew have both moved on to several other projects. Williams is currently starring in a Broadway production of Take Me Out. He is nominated for a Tony for his performance. He also has credits for several movie and TV projects currently in pre- and post-production, according to IMDb.
Drew, who left Grey’s as a regular cast member in Season 14, has appeared in several projects since then. She starred in Freeform’s Cruel Summer and several made-for-TV movies. Her most recent venture comes in Amber Brown on Apple TV+, which releases July 29.
Drew has been very clear that, so far, she hasn’t been officially approached about rejoining the Grey’s cast or co-anchoring a spinoff with Williams. But she and her on-screen other half remain enthusiastic about the possibility of telling more of Kepner and Avery’s story.
