TV Talk: CMU grad checks into ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

It was appropriate that Meredith Grey’s voiceover narration in the March 28 episode of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m. Thursdays, WTAE-TV) was all about the early transplant work of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Thomas Starzl because the episode also marked the arrival of a new long-term patient at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital played by 2017 Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama acting grad Freddy Miyares.

His character, Dorian Cardenas, didn’t have any dialogue (he was unconscious after surgery for a gunshot wound), but he will wake up and have things to say in upcoming episodes, including possibly in the April 4 episode that also marked the return of Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw).

Miyares, who grew up in Miami, started acting in third grade and graduated from a performing arts high school.

“I was in ninth grade when I was made aware of Carnegie Mellon and their program,” Miyares said in a Zoom interview last week. “A lot of people had Juilliard as their goal, but my sights were set on CMU, and I worked very much to make grades to be up to par.”

Miyares attended a diversity weekend at CMU in 2012 where he got to meet students and professors.

“When it came to my senior year to audition, I was familiar enough with (CMU) that it didn’t seem like this far-fetched dream,” he said. “It felt more tangible.”

After CMU, Miyares had roles in Showtime’s “The L Word: Generation Q” and the Max limited series “DMZ,” which he started filming in 2020 but didn’t complete until August 2021 because of the pandemic.

Then the writers’ and actors’ strikes hit last year, and work dried up.

“I hadn’t worked in well over a year, and my finances were falling short. And I was contemplating going back to Miami and regrouping financially,” he said. “I was ready to hang up the gloves for a little bit.”

The audition for “Grey’s” happened in December. As Miyares was talking with his mom on a Sunday night about the possibility of returning home to Miami for the holidays and beyond, Miyares’ agent called to say he got the role, five episodes guaranteed with the possibility of extending it further.

“The clouds parted, and the sun finally shone and I was granted this opportunity to keep going at it. And what a blessing it’s been,” he said. “The cast and crew are incredibly talented people, and they’ve all welcomed me with open arms.”

That includes 2015 CMU School of Drama grad Alexis Floyd (“Inventing Anna”), who plays Dr. Simone Griffith on “Grey’s.”

“She’s as sweet as can be,” Miyares said. “I’ve been so happy and proud of her. I remember when we were in school how much she worked. She really took no time off and really committed herself to her craft.”

The backstory for Miyares’ character is that he’s an engineering major who was on a fishing expedition who got robbed of his earnings and shot when he came back from sea.

“As the episodes unfold, you’ll start to get a better sense of who Dorian is and why he’s there,” Miyares said. “There’s a big mystery right now as far as what the money is all about.”

Miyares said Dorian will interact primarily with the show’s latest batch of interns.

“They’re so young, and they want to pass tests, they want to excel and one-up each other, and I think Dorian provides them a little perspective that patients are not just a test to be passed. Patients are not just these people who come and go and you can forget about them. These patients are people with real hopes and dreams and aspirations beyond Grey Memorial,” Miyares said. “That is what the writers were hoping for in terms of the influence of Dorian for this season.”

Miyares, who lived in Shadyside during his stint at CMU and worked as a busser at Soba, will appear in a total of seven episodes. “Grey’s” has a history of actors playing long-term patients whose careers got a boost from “Grey’s,” most notably Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, “The Walking Dead”).

“There are so many full-circle moments that have happened, even just the character Dorian Cardenas, someone who is fighting for his life,” Miyares said. “When I received the offer, it was very much a feeling that not my life but my career as an actor was kind of fading, and I could resonate with Dorian getting that second chance.”

Local ‘Jeopardy!’ champ

Victoria Groce’s return to “Jeopardy!” last week after an almost 20-year absence saw “The Chase” star from Point Breeze win her episode, netting almost $29,000. She returned to the “Jeopardy!” stage April 4 and won again ($32,000), putting her in the Invitational Tournament finals that begin tonight at 7:30 p.m. on WPXI-TV. The first player to win two finals games wins the tournament, along with $100,000 and one of six slots in the prime-time “Jeopardy!” Masters Tournament that will air on ABC in May.

‘Cartoon Academy’

WQED-TV will air episodes of its award-winning “Cartoon Academy” with Joe Wos, 12-3 p.m. Sunday, including the new-to-linear-TV “Be the Best You Can Be” (12 p.m.) and “Habitats” (12:30 p.m.).

Kept/canceled

ABC renewed “9-1-1” for an eighth season and “Grey’s Anatomy” for a 21st season.

Hulu canceled “Death and Other Details” after a single season.

Channel surfing

Sunday at 9 p.m. on WQED-TV PBS’s “Masterpiece” debuts “Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office,” a four-part limited series about a miscarriage of justice that became one of the most popular shows in the UK in recent years. Toby Jones stars in this limited series based on the true story of British post office managers accused of stealing money from their worksites but it turned out monetary discrepancies were actually caused by a flaw in the post office computer system.

… Amazon says its “Road House” remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal had the most-watched premiere ever for an original film on Prime Video. … The best of ‘90s “Star Trek” shows, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” now has a dedicated live streaming channel on Pluto TV but only season three is available on Pluto TV demand. … Season 17 of Canadian import drama “Heartland” debuts episodes weekly on subscription streaming service UP Faith Family on April 25. … David Muir and Linsey Davis will anchor “Eclipse Across America,” 2 p.m. Monday on ABC, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Disney+ and Hulu, including when the rare total solar eclipse reaches totality in Cleveland, 3:13-3:17 p.m.