As we all know by know, T.R. Knight will not survive to see another season of Grey’s Anatomy while Katherine Heigl will. But that doesn’t mean the Ugly Truth actress won’t get a nice break from her awful 17-hour work days.

Although she was forced to stick by her contract (we all know she so wants to leave), Heigl is being granted a 5-episode leave from the series. Why? Because she needs to continue working on her big screen career. During her absence, Katherine will be busy filming Life as We Know It with Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas).

Heigl’s (temporary) departure will be explained on the show. You can see a promo for the upcoming season after the jump.

(To get a look at TV Envy’s 2009 Fall Programming Schedule, click here.)