Grey's Anatomy changes the title of its 2018 premiere

From Digital Spy

Grey's Anatomy has changed the title of its upcoming midseason premiere in order to highlight domestic violence.

The episode, which will air on Thursday (January 18) in the US, was originally titled 'Four Seasons in One Day' – but it's now been changed to '1-800-799-7233', which is the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

The change comes after season 14's midseason finale, in which Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) got a terrifying surprise when her abusive ex-husband Dr Paul Stadler (played by former Glee star Matthew Morrison) paid her a visit.

Grey's Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff tweeted about the title change, revealing that Giacomo Gianniotti, who plays Dr Andrew DeLuca, came up with the idea.

"Giving credit where it's due: this title change was pitched to me by @GiacomoKG Brilliant idea," she wrote. "Important. Thank you!"

Gianniotti responded: "Thank you @KristaVernoff glad it made the cut! Very honoured to be a part of this story."

Related: Grey's Anatomy fans couldn't cope with season 14 midseason finale cliffhanger

Following the midseason finale, Vernoff opened up about Paul's return and explained why she felt it was an important addition to Jo's storyline.

She told TVLine: "I've talked a lot about how this season [we're refocusing the show on] fun and joy and laughter, and my commitment has been to make sure there's laughter in every episode – even the ones where the stories that we're telling are quite painful and quite dark.

"And my hope is that women will come out of this story feeling empowered. I'm really proud of this story. I'm really proud of the work that we're doing."

Grey's Anatomy returns to ABC on January 18.

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