Grey's Anatomy Bids Farewell to Alex Karev and OG Castmember Justin Chambers

Justin Chambers' surprise exit from Grey's Anatomy last fall couldn't have come at a worse time for his character. As Primetimer's Joe Reid wrote at the time, Alex Karev played a pivotal part in several of this season's arcs, and to have him just — poof! — disappear made little sense in the narrative of the show. Tonight the series promises to pull off the hat trick of explaining his character's departure, presumably without the actor himself (although with Grey's, one never knows).

Also today: Nick Offerman continues to prove he's more than just Ron Swanson, headlining the debut of FX on Hulu's sci-fi series Devs. Plus, the season premieres of Better Things and Cake, and a new MTV reality series focused on the adventures of an impossibly wealthy family. Here's what's new and noteworthy on TV this Thursday:

NEW EPISODE: ABC has been mum on how tonight's Grey's Anatomy will send off Justin Chambers' character Alex Karev, but we've got some theories. Watch the preview. 9:00 PM ET on ABC

SERIES PREMIERE: Nick Offerman leads an ensemble cast in Devs, the new dystopian sci-fi series from director Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation). Read our review. Streaming on FX on Hulu

NEW EPISODE: Fresh off last week's news that America Ferrera is leaving at the end of this season, tonight's new episode of Superstore sees Amy (Ferrera) accused of playing favorites when she tries to make Mateo (Nico Santos) her assistant. 8:00 PM ET on NBC

SEASON PREMIERE: The Season 4 premiere of Better Things finds Sam (Pamela Adlon) settling into a new state of mind as she picks the girls up after a trip. Watch the preview. 10:00 PM ET on FX

SERIES PREMIERE: MTV's latest reality series The Busch Family Brewed follows the Busch family (of Anheuser-Busch fame) as they flaunt their extreme wealth and lavish lifestyles for the cameras.The show premieres with back to back episodes that introduce the family members at pivotal personal and professional turning points. Watch the preview. 9:00 PM ET on MTV

SEASON PREMIERE: Returning for its second season, FX's Cake offers a weekly half hour of curated short comedy segments. Watch the preview. 10:00 PM ET on FXX

NEW EPISODE: Parent Teacher Conferences on Everything's Gonna Be Okay force Nicholas (Josh Thomas) to come up with a clever way to make Genevieve (Maeve Press) and Matilda (Kayla Cromer) put some effort into their schoolwork. Watch the preview. 8:30 PM ET on Freeform

NBA BASKETBALL: TNT has another Thursday night doubleheader, with:

• The L.A. Clippers vs the Houston Rockets at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT
• The Toronto Raptors vs the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT

NEW EPISODE: Holt (Andre Braugher) is walking the beat on Brookyn Nine-Nine, while Amy (Melissa Fumero) and Jake (Andy Samberg) are faced with a maddening investigation. 8:30 PM ET on NBC

ALSO TODAY:

• Tommy (Edie Falco) puts Diaz (Vladimir Caamano) and Cooper (Russell G. Jones) in charge of a hostage negotiation as she races to get to the scene. 10:00 PM ET on CBS
• Jersey Shore: Family Vacation celebrates The Situation's release from federal prison. 8:00 PM ET on MTV
• Vegas Chef Prizefight pits a lineup of chefs against one another to see which of them will become the top chef at the Flamingo in Vegas. 10:00 ET on Food Network

Mike Attebery is Senior Editor at Primetimer and the author of seven mystery thrillers. Follow him on Twitter at @mikeattebery.