It's exactly a month from now from the official release date of season 12 of the hugely popular medical drama series Grey's Anatomy. Producers of the show promise plenty of "new" - like fresh changes, new life and new love interests.

With the death of Derek Shepherd a.k.a. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) in the previous season, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) will have to cope up with the loss and begin her new life minus her former lover.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pompeo promises the next season to be a lot different from the previous seasons.

Pompeo said, "It feels a lot different. Every time we lose someone big - when we lost Sandra Oh - when we lose anybody - it's a big shift. But a show that runs this long, you welcome those big changes. It makes everything feel so much different and that's what we're looking for in season 12. We're looking for things to not stay the same. They have to stay the same to some extent but you welcome change because that's what inspires the writers, that's what inspires the actors. Change is necessary for growth."

Executive producer Shonda Rhimes and revealed the production for the next season is proceeding smoothly. Rhimes said season 12 of Grey's Anatomy will be light for the cast to provide them some break after the highly emotional season 11.

"We had a table read last week in which I have never heard the entire room laugh that much - I want to say since season one - the entire room was laughing and everybody broke into applause when we were done reading," Rhimes said. "It was a nice feeling to be so light again but in a way that didn't feel like we were trying so hard; it felt natural." Her goal was to recapture the early season banter and bring the fun back to the show. "I missed the banter and the fun of that. I missed their quickness and lightness," she adds. "Meredith being a widow, surprisingly, should be funny in some ways. She's been a woman who has been off the market forever and that humor of 'I'm dead inside, I'm not interested in men,' should be funny in a way. She should have some darker humor in that feeling."

Aside from Meredith, other characters of the popular drama series will undergo major changes as they go through a journey of change. Rhimes also hinted that fans will see Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) and Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) getting new love interests in the upcoming installment of the show, reported Christian Today.

Arizona Robbins and Callie have decided to end their marriage in the last season but it does not suggest that they will not be happy in the upcoming season.

Rhimes recently said, "I do want to honor the fact that Callie is bisexual, and we've established that she's dated guys. But in terms of where she's going now, she's going to be dating a woman."

McCreary also disclosed that her character will be practically closer to her half sister Meredith in the upcoming season and she will be moving with her and Derek's sister Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) at their mother Ellis Grey's house. Although Maggie seems to enjoy living with her half sister, it may still result in some trifle conflicts between the two.

Grey's Anatomy season 12 will air on ABC on Sept. 24.