'Grey's Anatomy' Recasts Abigail Spencer as Owen's Sister

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Timeless actress Abigail Spencer has been cast in a multi-episode arc in the upcoming 14th season of Grey’s Anatomy, ABC confirms to ET.

Spencer will portray Megan Hunt, the presumed dead sister of Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd). The role was previously played by actress Bridget Regan.

Regan, who appeared as the character in one episode as part of Owen’s imagination in the operating room, is unavailable to continue the role because of a scheduling conflict with the TNT series The Last Ship in which she is a series regular.

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Coincidentally, Regan co-stars on the TNT drama with Grey’s Anatomy alum, Eric Dane. The Last Ship recently received a two-season pick-up for seasons 4 and 5.

Despite only one appearance last season, the character of Owen’s sister is expected to have a much larger presence in the upcoming season. The character was thought to be dead after the army helicopter she boarded with a patient went missing.

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The storyline added plenty of tension between Owen and Megan’s former fiancé, Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson), after Nathan admitted to cheating on Megan, which prompted her to board the doomed helicopter.

In true Grey’s Anatomy plot-twist fashion, it was revealed in the season 13 finale that Megan had in fact been alive the entire time and would be returning home.

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While happy news for brother Owen and fiancé Nathan, it also means trouble ahead for Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who became romantically involved with Nathan after moving on from the death of her late husband, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey).

As the finale came to a close, Nathan gleefully left Meredith in a parking lot to meet Owen and reunite with Megan.

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It is unclear just how many episodes Megan will appear in, but Spencer is already a series regular on NBC’s Timeless, which was canceled and then abruptly renewed for a second season after fan outrage.

Grey’s Anatomy returns with a 2-hour season 14 premiere on Thursday, September 28 on ABC.

Reporting by Philiana Ng.