The clouds are about to part on Grey’s Anatomy. After enduring several seasons of Sturm und Drang, the docs of Grey Sloan Memorial are about to catch a much-needed break.

“It’s funnier, it’s sexier, it’s lighter,” co-star Giacomo Gianniotti tells TVLine of Season 14, which kicks off with a two-hour episode on Sept. 28. “We’re going to have fun this season.”

As Gianniotti notes, the ABC drama has “been dreary for a long time,” adding, “There’s just been a lot of separation and loss, so we want to show the characters having some fun. Also, a lot of the men are single now, so we’re going to explore what that dynamic is like.”

That’s not to say the Grim Reaper will be twiddling his thumbs during all 24 episodes. Grey’s Anatomy remains, after all, a hospital drama. “You’re still going to need the tissue box every Thursday,” Gianniotti promises, “because our guest stars are going to be coming in with new [medical] problems and crazy hospital scenarios.”