Jason George previews Ben's leadership role in the Station 19-Grey's Anatomy crossover

Joe’s bar has been many things over the years: A place for love, heartbreak, drowning sorrows, meeting newcomers, making mistakes, and so, so much more. But for the first time, it’s the setting of a massive emergency.

Grey’s Anatomy ended the first half of its season with a car crashing through the bar, and when the Station 19–Grey’s Anatomy crossover event begins, those inside will have to find a way out. “Some of us are injured and some of us have to use our skills and everything we’ve got to try and get us all out of there alive,” Station 19‘s Jason George previews. “It’s a two-hour event and it picks up exactly where we left off.”

As for what role Ben will play in the madness, George says, “Ben’s hit a spot now where he is, at any moment in time, kind of the guy who knows what he’s doing. If he’s not in charge officially, he’s capable of being in charge and will push the guy in charge. So in the bar, he definitely takes on a bit of that role, especially with some of the interns where he’s barking orders at folks to get stuff done and they leap into action. But Ben is at that crossroads between firefighter and a doctor where he can bark orders at everybody.”

And the crossover event is only the start of Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy sharing the screen. Already there are some relationships that connect the shows, but moving forward, fans can expect even more connection. “The beauty of the situation now is that both shows come out of the same mind,” George says. “Krista Vernoff running both shows allows for the shows to be synced up incredibly well. So this sets the stage for that. And the fun part is while every week won’t be a quote-unquote crossover event, there’s always going to be characters crossing over. I mean people have been watching Jackson and Vic getting together on Grey’s. And they’re not the last romantic relationship.”

The crossover kicks off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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